Brick wall installation in Auburn AL - a wall that stands straight and sheds rain
Planning a garden wall or need a slope held back? We build brick walls in Auburn shaped and capped to stay standing.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What goes into building a brick wall in Auburn?
Brick wall installation in Auburn means building a clay brick wall on a solid footing. It can be a freestanding garden wall or a wall that holds back a slope, and United Auburn Concrete and Masonry builds both across Auburn and the cities around it. Built properly, a brick wall is strong, keeps its color because the color is in the clay, and keeps rain from soaking through.
Most people who call about a wall want to edge the yard, get some privacy or hold back a slope. My first question is whether the wall holds back dirt, because a retaining wall can need an engineered design and a city permit before we start, and that paperwork sets the schedule more than the brick does. The price follows the wall's length and height, whether it needs piers or a zigzag to stand on its own, what goes on top and the brick you pick. Your estimate spells out what we'll build and why.
How do you know your yard needs a brick wall?
Dirt sliding off a slope
Rain carries dirt down onto your lawn, walk or patio after every storm. That usually means the grade needs holding back, which is a retaining wall and a different job from a garden wall, and the longer it washes out the more ground there is to rebuild first.
An old wall leaning out
An old brick or block wall that tilts or bows was usually too slim for its height, or water has been getting in at the top for years. A lean tends to keep going, so it's worth having someone look before it comes down on its own.
Loose bricks along the top
Bricks rocking on the cap and mortar washing out of the top courses usually mean the cap stopped shedding water. Water that gets into the top works its way down, so a small loose patch turns into a long stretch of loose wall.
How we handle brick wall installation
The first thing I ask is whether the wall holds back dirt, because that decides whether we're building a garden wall or a retaining wall, and those are built differently. From there we lay out the line, dig and pour the footing, and lay the brick in courses with mortar, checking level and plumb as it goes up. On a freestanding garden wall I think hard about its shape and its top. UK brick guidance says a thin freestanding wall has a limit on how slim it can be and still stay stable against sideways forces, and that a thicker base, piers stepping out from the face, or a zigzag or staggered line keeps a slim wall standing. The same guidance calls for a proper coping, a cap over the top that throws water off, and vertical movement joints, planned gaps that let a long wall shift so the brickwork doesn't crack. We finish by cleaning mortar off the face and hauling away what we dug out.
Some walls lead into related work. If you'd like stone on the face, a stone cap or a stone wall instead, that's our stone masonry work. If the wall you already have is still straight and only the joints are worn, brick pointing may be the right fix, and I'd rather tell you that than build you a new one.
Garden wall with piers
This suits a long, slim wall along a property line or a planting bed. Piers set out from the face every so often stiffen the wall, so the whole run doesn't have to be thick.
Zigzag or staggered garden wall
This suits someone who wants a thin wall that stands on its own and looks like a feature. The bends give it a wider footprint, so it stays upright without piers.
Brick retaining wall
This suits a sloped yard where you need the ground held back for a patio, a lawn or a walk. It's built heavier than a garden wall, and taller ones need an engineer's design and a city permit.
Get a free on-site estimate for your brick wall
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, look over where the wall goes and send a free estimate, with no pressure and no obligation.
(334) 780-0060- Based in
- Auburn, AL 36830
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
What happens when you call about a brick wall in Auburn?
Here's how a brick wall job runs with us from your first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
Tell us what the wall is for and roughly where it goes. We'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out.
I look over the site
I walk where the wall will go and ask a lot of questions, starting with whether it holds back dirt. You get an estimate that says what we'll build and why, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts.
We handle permits, then build
When the wall needs a permit, we take care of the paperwork before we dig, and then we build it. We call the city a day ahead for each inspection, and those requests only go in Monday through Friday, so inspections land on weekdays.
We walk the finished wall
When it's done, we clean up and walk the wall with you. That's the time to point at anything you want a second look at.
Why Auburn homeowners call us for brick walls
The owner on every job
I come out to look at every wall myself, and then I work on it alongside our crew. The person who asked the questions at your estimate is the one laying your brick.
Learned brick on Dad's jobs
I grew up handing brick to my dad and learned the trade from him before I started this business in 2020. That's where I picked up the habit of asking what a wall has to do before deciding how to build it.
Licensed and insured for walls
We're licensed and insured. Auburn's retaining wall permit checklist asks for a current State Residential Contractor license and a current City of Auburn Contractor license, so ask any mason you're weighing to show you both.
If you've got a wall in mind, send us the details or call (334) 780-0060 and I'll come take a look.
Building brick walls and stonework in Auburn
In Auburn, the city's Inspection Services issues the permits, and a retaining wall needs one once it's taller than four feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall. The city's zoning rules also count walls and fences as structures, except retaining walls, terrace walls and anything under three feet tall, so a freestanding garden wall three feet or taller counts as a structure there. For a freestanding wall we check with Inspection Services about your address before we lay anything out, and for any wall that needs a permit we take care of the paperwork.
Around Auburn we build on a lot of sloped backyards and beside older brick homes, where a new wall should look like it belongs with the house. I'll look for a brick color and size that sit right next to yours, and we do the same on jobs in Opelika and Tuskegee.
Questions about brick walls in Auburn
How much does it cost to build a brick wall in Auburn, AL?
Brick and masonry work in Auburn usually costs about $10 to $25 per square foot, and that's the going range around here, not our price. A taller wall, piers, a zigzag line or a retaining wall built to an engineer's design pushes toward the top of that range. Your estimate gives you the figure for your wall.
When does a retaining wall in Auburn need an engineer?
Auburn requires an engineered design for a retaining wall over four feet tall, and for one over 24 inches that carries extra load, such as fill behind it or above it. If your wall crosses either line, I'll tell you at the estimate, and we build to the engineer's design instead of guessing.
Does a brick wall need to be painted?
No. The Brick Industry Association says clay brick needs no painting or surface treatment. Once exterior masonry is painted, it needs repainting every three to five years, so leaving the brick bare keeps your upkeep low.
What is the best mortar for a brick garden wall?
For normal use, the Brick Industry Association recommends Type N mortar. It's a fair question to ask any mason, and your estimate will say which mortar we plan to use on your wall and why.
How do I get ready for a brick wall estimate in Auburn?
Know what the wall is for, roughly how tall and long you want it, and whether your property is in a historic district. Those answers tell me whether we're building a garden wall or a retaining wall and what the city will want before we start.
How do I get approval for a brick wall in an Auburn historic district?
If your property is in a designated Auburn Historic District and the wall would be seen from the public right-of-way in front, you apply to the city for a Certificate of Appropriateness. Work the city's staff count as routine maintenance doesn't need one, and we'll check which side of that your wall falls on before we build.
Related masonry work for your wall
Stone masonry
If you'd like natural stone on the face of a wall, a stone cap over brick or a stone wall outright, we build that too.
Brick pointing
When an existing brick wall stands straight but its joints are crumbling, replacing the worn mortar may save you from building a new wall.
Areas we build brick walls around Auburn
United Auburn Concrete and Masonry is based in Auburn, Alabama, and builds brick walls across the cities around it, including Opelika and Valley. Below are the 7 areas with their own page on this site, though they aren't the only places we work.
Auburn, AL
Get your brick wall planned right
Call before you order brick, because the wall's shape and cap decide how much brick you'll need.