Masonry Contractor in Smiths Station, AL - Brick and Stone Work That Fixes the Cause
United Auburn Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor working in Smiths Station, AL. We repair cracked brick and crumbling mortar, and build retaining walls, block walls, walkways, paver drives and outdoor kitchens for homes here.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Smiths Station homes and yards we work on
Smiths Station is a Lee County city, with the county offices over in Opelika, and most of our calls here are about the house itself and the yard around it.
We see a mix of newer subdivision houses and older brick homes on bigger lots, so one week it's cracked joints on a brick front and the next it's a wall for a backyard that slopes toward the street. The ground around here is mostly clay, which swells when it's wet and shrinks as it dries, so the footing and the drainage under a wall, walk or foundation matter as much as the brick on top.
Masonry services for Smiths Station homes
Foundation repair
When brick cracks or a door starts sticking, we find out what moved under your house and fix the footing or block that let it.
Chimney repair
Loose brick or a cracked concrete cap on top of a chimney lets rain down inside, so we rebuild what's failing before it spreads into the roofline.
Tuckpointing
On older brick homes here, sandy, crumbling joints let water into the wall, so we grind out the worn mortar and pack in fresh mortar that matches.
Brick repair
Flaking, cracked or loose bricks get cut out and replaced one by one, with brick picked to match the color and size of what's on your house.
Driveway pavers
A paver drive holds up on clay ground when the base is dug out and packed hard, and a damaged paver lifts out on its own.
Retaining wall construction
Sloped backyards here need walls that let water out the back, so we build gravel and drainage behind the retaining walls we put up.
Masonry restoration
When an older brick house needs more than a patch, we restore joints, brick and trim so the work suits the house it's on.
Fireplace installation
We build brick and stone fireplaces, indoors or out on a patio, sized to the room and set on a footing that can carry the weight.
Stone veneer installation
A thin facing of real or cast stone dresses up a plain foundation or front wall, and we set it so water behind it can drain out.
Concrete block walls
Block makes solid privacy, garden and garage walls, and we fill the hollow centers with steel and concrete where the wall has to hold back soil.
Foundation block wall installation
For additions, garages and new homes, we lay the block foundation walls on a level footing so the framing above starts square and true.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
We build brick, block and stone bases for grills, counters and pizza ovens, set on a footing so the counter holds its level as the ground moves.
Walkway construction
We build brick, stone or paver walks from the driveway to the door, built on a packed base and pitched so rain runs off instead of puddling.
Brick wall installation
A new brick wall, whether it's a garden wall, a mailbox column or an addition, gets brick and mortar picked to sit right beside your house.
Stone masonry
Natural stone suits steps, columns, wall caps and garden walls, and we fit each piece by hand so the joints stay tight and the weight sits right.
Brick pointing
When only a few joints have cracked or washed out, we repoint just those, filling them with mortar matched in color and strength to the old.
Get a free masonry estimate for your Smiths Station home
We reply within one business day to set up a time for me to come out. I'll look the job over at your house and send a free estimate that says what we'll do and why, with no obligation.
(334) 780-0060- Based in
- Auburn, AL 36830
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
Working in Smiths Station: permits, licenses and what sets the price
Building permits in Smiths Station come from Lee County Building Inspections, a county office, but on new construction the city signs off first with a site plan approval, a land disturbance permit and a stormwater runoff approval, which the city's planning and zoning staff handle. That order sets the schedule on a new wall, addition or foundation, so I check with the office that covers your address before we pick a start, and we take care of the paperwork when a job needs it. Before you hire anyone, ask for their state builder license, covered in the questions below, and their city business license, which the city issues only through Avenu Insights and Analytics. We're licensed and insured.
We're based in Auburn and do the same work here that we do there and over in Tuskegee. On any job in Smiths Station, the price moves with how far a problem runs once it's open and what the work is built from, and the schedule moves with the city's sign-offs on new work and with rain, since mortar needs dry weather to set. Your estimate spells out what we'll do and why.
Brick, mortar and runoff on Smiths Station properties
On the older brick homes here, the mortar usually wears out long before the brick does, and once the joints go sandy, rain soaks into the wall and works the brick loose. Cracks that step up through the joints usually mean something underneath has moved, so we find that and fix it first, because a patch over a moving wall just cracks again.
Runoff in Smiths Station goes through ditches, curbs and storm drains straight to local creeks, apart from the sewer, so we keep mortar washout and loose soil out of the ditch on our jobs and build drainage into walls and walks to send water away from your house.
How a masonry job runs when you call us in Smiths Station
Here's how it goes from your first call to the walk-through at the end, with me on the job the whole way.
Call or send the form
Call (334) 780-0060 or send the form and tell us what you're seeing. We'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out to Smiths Station.
I look it over in person
I'll walk the job, ask a lot of questions about when the problem started and what's changed, and look for the cause, not just the crack. Then I send an estimate that says what we'll do and why, so you know where the money goes before you decide anything.
We handle permits and build
When the job needs a permit, we take care of the paperwork, and on new construction the city's approvals come before the county permit, so those come first. I work alongside our crew on the job itself.
Walk the finished work together
When we're done, we walk the job with you and go over what we did and why. We clean up the site before we leave.
Questions about masonry work in Smiths Station
Who do I call about a building permit in Smiths Station, AL?
For building permit questions, the city points you to 334-737-7014 and to www.leeco.us, where Building Inspections sits under the Departments tab. City Hall answers at 334-297-8771, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm Eastern, for the city side of things like site plan approval. When you hire us, I make that check for your address myself.
When does a masonry contractor need a state license in Alabama?
A contractor needs an annual license from the Home Builders Licensure Board when they're paid more than $10,000 to build, repair or improve a home used by someone else, up to three floors and four units. The board also requires its licensees to use a written contract. If you act as your own contractor, any sub you hire has to be licensed once their part of the job goes over $10,000.00.
Which small jobs don't need state stormwater permit coverage in Smiths Station?
State stormwater coverage from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management isn't required for home repairs and maintenance, individual home landscaping, home gardens, or putting in or fixing a fence. It's needed when a site will disturb an acre or more, when a lot is part of a subdivision plan that will disturb an acre or more, or on a site of any size whose runoff could reasonably cause or add to a water quality problem. That exemption covers only the state permit, so city and county permits are a separate question.
How do I look up my flood zone in Smiths Station?
Search your address on AlabamaFlood.com, the state's map of FEMA floodplain data, which you'll find through ADECA's floodplain page. It's worth a look before you plan a new wall or foundation, because the city runs its own flood hazard area rules through its planning department.
How much does masonry work cost in Smiths Station?
The price comes down to the size of the job, how far the damage runs once we open it up, the brick or stone you choose, and how easy it is to get materials to the spot. Matching old brick on an older house, hauling block into a fenced backyard and building drainage behind a tall wall all add to it, and new construction carries the city approvals and county permit too. Your estimate lays out what we'll do and why, so you can compare it fairly.
What causes brick walls to crack on houses in Smiths Station?
Most cracks in brick come from something moving under or behind the wall, like soil shifting as it wets and dries, water that isn't draining away from the foundation, or a footing that was too small. Cracks that step up through the mortar usually point to settling, while a crack straight through the brick can mean more movement than that. I look for the cause before we patch anything, and if it's a structural question, I'll tell you to bring in an engineer.
Other areas we serve
Auburn, AL
Get your Smiths Station masonry job looked at
Mortar that's starting to crumble lets water into the wall, and a joint repointed now is a smaller job than brick that has to be relaid later.