Brick wall installation in Billings MT - a wall that stays where you put it
Need a garden wall, a privacy wall or a brick face on the house? We build it on solid footings so it stays straight.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
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What does it take to build a brick wall in Billings?
The short answer: Brick wall installation in Billings means building either a brick wall that stands on its own in the yard or veneer, a single layer of brick tied to the side of your house, on a footing set below where the ground freezes.
Most people who call about a new wall want privacy along a lot line, a clean edge for a garden or a brick face on the house, and a few are replacing an old wall that's leaning like it had a long night. The price moves mostly with the wall's height and length, the kind of wall, the brick you pick and how deep we dig, plus an engineer's design if the wall gets tall or holds back a slope, in which case a retaining wall may be the better fit. The schedule turns on the city permit, the engineer if you need one and the weather, and the estimate gives you your own number for all of it.
How do you know it's time for a new brick wall?
Old wall leaning out
If an old garden wall has started tipping toward the sidewalk or the neighbor's yard, the footing under it has usually moved, either because it was too shallow or because frost got under it. A leaning wall doesn't straighten itself out, and the longer it goes, the more of it you'll be rebuilding when it finally lets go.
Cracks that widen every spring
A crack that steps up through the mortar joints and gets wider after each thaw usually means the whole wall is moving, not just the mortar wearing out. Fresh mortar won't hold a wall that's still shifting, so that's often a rebuild from the footing up.
Brick faces flaking off
When the faces of the bricks peel away in flakes, water is soaking in and freezing, which usually means the brick was never made for weather like ours. A few bad bricks can be swapped out, but when it's the whole wall, patching it every year ends up costing more than starting over.
How our brick wall installation goes
Before we dig, we pin down where the wall sits on your lot and how tall it'll be, because those two answers decide the permit, the footing and whether an engineer gets involved. I'll also tell you straight whether that pile of salvaged brick in your garage is worth building with. Then we dig a trench down to firm, undisturbed ground below the frost line and pour a concrete footing, with steel in it where the soil is the kind that swells and shrinks. We lay the brick up course by course with the piers or ties the wall needs, tool the joints tight so water runs off instead of soaking in, cap the top and clean up before we leave.
A brick wall often comes with other masonry work. If you'd like stone caps, a stone base or matching columns, that's stone masonry, and we can build it into the same job. If the brick walls you already have are sound but the mortar is falling out of the joints, brick pointing fixes that for a lot less than a new wall.
Solid garden wall
A solid wall, usually two bricks thick, suits a straight run on level ground where you want privacy or a clean edge. It takes more brick and a continuous footing, so it's the heavier choice, but it looks finished from both sides.
Pier and panel wall
Thin brick panels braced by brick piers go up easily and cost less to build than a solid wall. They follow the ground well too, so this is the one I'd point you to if your yard isn't flat.
Brick veneer on the house
Veneer is a single layer of brick tied to the wall behind it, with a gap between the two so water can drain down and out. It carries its own weight and not much else, so it suits putting a brick face on your house, not holding anything up.
What happens after you call us about a brick wall in Billings?
Here's how it goes from the first call to the finished wall. I handle the estimate myself, our crew does the building, and you'll know where things stand at each step.
- Step 01
Call or send us a note
Call (406) 318-2106, email sales@billingsconcreteandmasonry.com or use the form, and tell us how tall and long you want the wall, where it'll sit on the lot and whether it holds back any slope. We'll set a time for me to come out.
- Step 02
I come out and measure
I look at the spot, check how the ground lies, ask a few plain questions and look over any brick you're hoping to reuse. The estimate lays out the wall type, the brick, the footing and any engineer's design or permit it needs, so you can see what's driving the number.
- Step 03
We sort out the permit
If the wall needs a permit, we fill out the paperwork, file it for you and keep you posted on where it stands. Building starts once the city has signed off.
- Step 04
We build and walk it with you
Our crew digs, pours and lays the wall, and we walk the finished job with you before we pack up. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Brick wall installation rules in Billings
Billings city code counts a wall as a fence, so a brick wall over 36 inches and up to 7 feet tall needs a permit, which the city's planning division issues. How tall it can go depends on where it sits. In a required front yard setback, the open strip your zone district sets along the street, the cap is 4 feet, and side and rear setbacks allow 4 to 6 feet. Nothing can go in the public right-of-way, which is one more reason we settle the spot first, and a wall over 7 feet has to be designed for a 105 mph wind. The city takes all permit applications online through its permit portal, and that's the paperwork we file for you.
Plenty of yards here aren't flat, and the ground freezes hard enough to lift a shallow footing, so most of the work on a good wall happens before any brick shows. We're based in Billings and work across the cities around it, and we see the same sloped lots and long winters on jobs in Lockwood and Laurel.
Get a free estimate for your new brick wall
We reply within one business day to set up a visit. I come out, look at the spot and give you a free estimate on site, with no pressure to book.
Why Billings homeowners call Stonecraft Billings Concrete and Masonry
I write your estimate myself
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate, and I'm usually right there working with the crew when we build it. The person who priced your wall is the same one making sure it goes up that way.
Licensed and insured in Montana
We're licensed and insured. Montana now requires every construction contractor to be licensed with the state, so it's a fair question to ask anyone who bids your wall.
Engineer needs flagged up front
Billings requires a Montana licensed engineer to design and stamp any wall that holds back a slope of any kind or stands 4 feet or taller. I'll tell you at the estimate if yours falls under that, so the design is in your budget before a mason starts.
Laying brick here since 2021
I came up mixing mud and hauling block on someone else's crew, then opened this business in Billings in 2021. If a few bad joints are your only problem, I'll say so instead of selling you a new wall.
The parts of a brick wall that matter most are the ones under the dirt, so that's where I spend the most time at the estimate. Send us the details or call (406) 318-2106 to set one up.
Brick wall questions from Billings homeowners
How much does a brick wall cost in Billings?
Brick and masonry work in Billings usually costs about $10 to $30 per square foot, and that's the going rate around here for this kind of work, not our price. Where your wall lands depends on its height and length, the wall type, the brick and the footing, plus an engineer's design if it needs one. Your own figure comes from the estimate.
Do I need a permit to build a brick wall in Billings?
Yes, if the wall will be over 36 inches tall, because the city treats walls like fences and permits them the same way. For a lower wall, we check with the city before we dig.
How do I know if old brick is good enough to build a wall?
Used brick works in a garden wall only if it meets the SW grade, the rating for brick made to handle severe weather and hard freezing. Most used brick misses it because it was fired unevenly, so if yours falls short, new brick is the safer plan.
How deep does a brick wall footing need to be in Billings?
The city's design criteria set frost depth at 36 inches, measured to the top of the footing, so the top of the footing sits at least that far down. It also has to rest on firm, undisturbed ground, because a footing on loose fill settles however deep it goes.
Can you lay brick in cold weather in Billings?
Yes, but not without a plan for it. One masonry institute's guide says the codes it covers call for a cold weather protection plan whenever the job site may drop below 40°F during the work. If your wall will go up in the cold months, we'll talk through timing at the estimate.
What causes a brick wall to lean or crack?
Most leaning and cracking starts at the footing, either because it was too shallow and frost lifted it or because it sat on loose fill that settled. Mortar only holds a wall together while the ground under it stays put, so a moving wall usually needs a new footing, not just new joints.
Other masonry work that pairs with a brick wall
Stone masonry
If part of your project calls for natural stone, like steps, a border or a wall end, we can build that in stone alongside your brick.
Brick pointing
Mortar that's sandy, recessed or missing on an older wall or chimney can be raked out and replaced, which keeps water out for far less than rebuilding.
Call about your new brick wall
We answer (406) 318-2106 from early morning until 11 at night, weekends included, so you can call right after you've paced off the yard.