Masonry Contractor in Lockwood, MT - Block, Brick and Stone That Stays Put
Stonecraft Billings Concrete and Masonry builds and repairs brick, block and stone in Lockwood, MT, from cracked foundations and leaning retaining walls to new paver driveways, walkways and outdoor kitchens. We're based next door in Billings.
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Lockwood homes and the masonry they need
The short answer: Stonecraft Billings Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Billings, MT, and Lockwood is one of the cities next door where we repair foundations, chimneys and old brick and build retaining walls, block walls, paver driveways and walkways. I come out and look at every job myself before we price it.
Lockwood sits just east of Billings, close enough that getting out to your place is no trouble for us. The houses we're called to are mostly single-family homes, a lot of them ranch-style on block foundations, and plenty sit on bigger lots with a detached garage or shop and a long driveway out to the road.
That mix means most of our calls here are about the parts of a house closest to the ground. A basement wall bowing in, a front step pulling away from the porch, a retaining wall leaning toward the yard. On a bigger lot the job often grows to include the walkway or pad that ties the house to the garage, so I look at the whole run of ground, not just the crack you called about.
Water, low ground and older brick in Lockwood
The Yellowstone River is the main flood threat around here, especially in heavy rain or snowmelt, and low-lying spots with poor drainage can flash flood. Water that sits against a block foundation finds every weak joint, and water that runs under pavers or behind a retaining wall washes out the base until things start to lean. So on low lots we start with where the water goes, sloping the ground away from the house, putting gravel and drain pipe behind retaining walls and laying a base under pavers that drains instead of holding water.
The other common call is age. Chimneys, front steps and block foundations that have stood a long time wear out at the joints first, because the mortar usually gives up long before the brick does. Most of the time that means repointing the bad joints and swapping a few bricks, and I'll tell you when that's all it needs.
Masonry services we bring to Lockwood homes
Foundation repair
When a block basement wall bows in, cracks in a stair-step line or seeps after a wet spell, we fix the cause and the wall.
Chimney repair
Loose bricks up top, a cracked concrete cap or white stains down the side mean water's getting in, and we rebuild only what's actually gone.
Tuckpointing
When the mortar between your bricks has gone sandy and you can scrape it with a key, we grind out the bad joints and pack in fresh.
Brick repair
Cracked bricks, bricks with their faces flaking off and loose ones on older houses get cut out and replaced with a close match in size and color.
Driveway pavers
Long driveways and parking pads here take real weight, so we dig out, compact a deep gravel base and lay pavers that hold up under trucks and trailers.
Retaining wall construction
A leaning wall or a yard sliding toward the house needs a wall with a real footing and drainage behind it, which is where failed walls usually cut corners.
Masonry restoration
Older brick or stone that's been stained, cracked and patched over the years gets cleaned, repaired and repointed so it looks right and sheds water again.
Fireplace installation
Adding a masonry fireplace starts with a solid base under it and a firebox, the brick box the fire burns in, built to the plan.
Stone veneer installation
Stone veneer, thin stone set over a wall, dresses up a plain foundation or front entry, and we set it over the right backing so water drains out.
Concrete block walls
For a shop wall, a privacy wall or a sturdy garden wall, we lay block on a proper footing and fill it with concrete and steel where needed.
Foundation block wall installation
New garages, additions and shops need a block foundation set on footings dug to the right depth, and that's the part we take our time on.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
If you cook outside more than in, we build the grill station, counters or pizza oven in block, brick or stone on a solid base.
Walkway construction
When the path from the driveway to the door is cracked, heaved or just mud, we build a brick, stone or paver walk on a packed base.
Brick wall installation
A brick garden wall or new brick to match the house on an addition goes up on a real footing, with joints pressed tight to shed water.
Stone masonry
When you want natural stone steps, walls or columns, we set and fit it by hand so the weight rests on stone, not just the mortar.
Brick pointing
For a few tired joints around a window, step or porch, we repoint just those spots in a matching mortar rather than selling you a whole wall.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Lockwood masonry job
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your place in Lockwood. I look at the job, ask a few plain questions and give you a free estimate on site. There's no obligation and no pressure to book.
What we know from working in Lockwood
Yellowstone County doesn't issue building permits for anything outside Billings city limits, and wherever a city or county doesn't enforce building codes, Montana's Building Codes Program has jurisdiction. Its permit covers non-exempt buildings being built, remodeled, moved or put to a new use, and state law exempts homes with fewer than five units, so whether your job needs one turns on what we're building and where, and I sort that out before I price it. When a permit is needed, we help with the paperwork, can file it for you and keep you posted, and that review is usually what sets the start date. The contractor matters too, because every construction contractor in Montana, repair work included, has had to be licensed with the state Department of Labor & Industry since January 1, 2026, so ask anyone you're weighing. We're licensed and insured.
What moves the price out here is mostly what's under the job. How deep we dig, whether the soil needs more than a standard footing, how much water has to be steered away from the wall and how hard it is to match old brick or stone all count. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and on the ground being dry enough to dig. I write the estimate myself after seeing the job, so the number is for your wall, not an average one, and we work the same way in Laurel and the other cities around Billings.
How a masonry job in Lockwood goes once you call
Here's how a job runs from your first call to the last walk-through, so you know who you'll talk to and what you'll have in hand at each step.
- Step 01
Call or send a note
Call (406) 318-2106 or use the form, tell us what's going on, and we'll set a time for me to come out to Lockwood. A photo of the crack or the lean helps me show up with the right questions.
- Step 02
I look at the job
I walk the job, ask how long it's been happening and where the water goes, and write the estimate myself, so you see the price in writing before anything starts. If a few joints is all it needs, that's what I'll tell you.
- Step 03
Sort out permits, then build
If the job needs a permit, we help with the paperwork, can file it for you and keep you posted while it's reviewed. Then our crew does the work, and I'm usually right there with them.
- Step 04
Walk the finished job together
Before we pack up, we walk the finished job with you and go over anything you want to ask about. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Questions about masonry work in Lockwood
Does a garage for my own use need a state building permit in Lockwood?
Where the state's Building Codes Program is in charge, state law exempts a private garage or storage building used only by the owner, outside any business, from its building permit. A garage that's part of a business doesn't get that break. Before we lay block for one, I check how the rules land on your lot, footings and floodplain included.
How deep do footings need to be for a masonry garage near Lockwood?
The state FAQ puts it at four feet for masonry or multistory buildings, measured from finished grade to the bottom of the footing, outside local areas certified to enforce their own codes. Single-story wood or metal frame buildings start at three feet, and highly expansive or unstable soil may need engineered footings and foundation walls deeper than either. The footing is the part nobody sees, and it's the part that decides whether the wall stays put.
How do I find out if my lot in Lockwood is in the floodplain?
Start with FEMA's online flood maps, and if your property sits near the line, contact the county's Floodplain Office for a closer answer, because the county says those maps may not be totally accurate at the boundary. The county's floodplain rules apply to land its maps show in the 100-year floodplain, and it's updating those rules, so check before you build a wall or garage on a low lot.
Do I need a county permit for driveway pavers that reach the road in Lockwood?
Yes, if the work reaches a county road. Yellowstone County requires a permit for any work in the road right-of-way, the public strip along the road, and for any driveway connection to a county or dedicated road, and a residential access permit is $75.00 through Yellowstone County Public Works. I'll tell you at the estimate whether your paver apron runs into that strip.
Does an outdoor kitchen with a gas grill need a separate permit?
Yes, the state requires separate permits for electrical, plumbing and mechanical work, so the gas line, wiring or water line running into an outdoor kitchen is permitted apart from the masonry. We build the block, brick or stone around it and leave room for those lines where the plan calls for them, so nobody's cutting into a finished counter later.
What affects the cost of masonry work in Lockwood MT?
The biggest swing is repair versus rebuild, because repointing the bad joints in a chimney costs far less than taking it down and relaying it, and I'll tell you when the smaller job will do. Material choice, how far we haul block or pavers across the yard and any permit fees add to it, and you get the full figure in writing at the estimate.
Other areas we serve
Plan your Lockwood masonry job today
Call (406) 318-2106 any day until 11 PM, or send us a note, and catch that crumbling mortar while it's still a small job.