Masonry restoration in Las Cruces NM - mortar that matches your brick or adobe
Crumbling joints, hairline cracks or sagging adobe? We find where the water gets in, fix that, then repoint with mortar that suits the wall.
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Do my brick or adobe walls need restoring?
Masonry restoration in Las Cruces is repair work on older brick, stone and adobe walls, and most of it is repointing, where we rake the worn mortar out of the joints and pack in new. Done with the right mortar, it renews a wall without tearing it down.
Most people call us when they notice stains, soft spots or mortar that's pulling back from the brick, and they want to know if the wall is in trouble. The price comes down to how much of the wall needs new joints, how deep the damage runs, how high and easy to reach the wall is, whether it's brick or adobe, and whether there's a water problem to fix first. The schedule turns on any permit or historic review your house needs and on what we find once the old mortar comes out, which nobody can see from the outside. If the trouble starts up at the roofline, it may really be a chimney repair job. After I've looked at your walls, you get a written estimate that says what's causing the damage and what we'd do about it.
How we handle masonry restoration
I start by finding where the water is getting in, because on older brick and adobe water is usually behind the damage, and new joints won't hold up if it keeps coming. That's often a roof edge, a gutter, a downspout, the flashing or the way the ground drains toward the wall, and we fix that before we touch the joints. Then we rake the worn mortar out down to sound material, slowly, so we don't chip the edges of old brick. On brick, the new mortar is matched to the old and no stronger than it, because a hard mix pushes the stress into the brick instead of the joint, and the mortar has to let moisture work its way out of the wall. Adobe gets a mortar no harder than the adobe itself, not cement. We pack and finish the joints to match the rest of the wall and clean up before we leave.
Restoration often runs into the work around it. When a firebox or hearth has worn past repair, we can rebuild it as a fireplace installation, and when a wall's face is too far gone or you want a new look over sound masonry, stone veneer installation is the other route. I'll tell you which one your wall actually needs.
What changes masonry restoration in Las Cruces
In Las Cruces, most building projects go through an application review before the city issues a permit, and applications go in through the city's Citizen Portal. Whether repointing your walls counts depends on the job, so we check with the city for your address, and if it needs a permit, we take care of the application and set up the inspections. Older houses can add one more step. Most historic properties here sit downtown or in the Mesquite, Alameda-Depot and Mesilla Park historic districts, and a house on the city's local register has to follow city rules that include historic design review, so tell us early if yours is listed and we'll plan the work around that review.
A lot of the older walls we see here have been patched over the years with cement or a mortar much harder than the brick, and the brick beside those patches tends to crack and wear first. We run into the same older brick and adobe on jobs in Anthony and Canutillo, since we work out of Las Cruces across the cities on both sides of the state line, and we treat those walls the same way.
- Call (575) 222-9031
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
- Las Cruces, NM 88001
What happens when you call D&R Las Cruces Concrete & Masonry in Las Cruces?
Call or send us photos
Call (575) 222-9031 or use the form, and tell us what you're seeing on the wall. A few photos of the cracked or crumbling joints help me know what to look for.
I come out to look myself
I check the joints, look for where the water is getting in and work out what's behind the damage. You get a written estimate that names the cause, the repair and what it will cost, so you can decide in your own time.
Paperwork first, then the repairs
If the job needs a permit or historic review, we take care of that paperwork before anything starts. Then our crew and I fix the water problem and repoint the walls.
We walk the finished wall
When the joints are done, I walk the wall with you so you can see the new mortar up close. Ask about anything you want before we pack up.
Why Las Cruces homeowners call D&R for masonry restoration
I look at every job myself
I come out to every estimate myself, and the work is done by me and our crew. The person who worked out what's wrong with your wall is the one fixing it.
Learned from my father, since 2013
I learned the trade mixing mortar and carrying block on my dad's jobs, and I started this business in Las Cruces in 2013 working slow enough to get it right. On old brick and adobe, rushing the rake-out or the mix is how walls get hurt.
Licensed in New Mexico, fully insured
New Mexico requires anyone doing work in a licensed trade to hold a license from the state's construction industries division. We're licensed and fully insured, so you aren't carrying that risk while we work on your walls.
What decides how long a repair lasts is the part nobody sees once we pack up, the water and the mortar behind the face. Ask for a visit and I'll come take a look.
Request an estimateGet a written estimate for restoring your brick or adobe
We reply to every request within one business day, and the estimate is free, done at your property and comes with no obligation. I come out myself, look over the walls, find what's causing the damage and write up what we'd do.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Phone
- (575) 222-9031
- Location
- Las Cruces, NM 88001
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
Questions about masonry restoration in Las Cruces
How do I know if my brick mortar needs repointing?
Your joints need repointing when the mortar has worn back more than 1/4 inch from the face, crumbles, has holes in it, or shows hairline cracks or cracks between the brick and the mortar. You can check for all of these yourself before you call. Snap a photo of the worst spot and send it with your request.
Can cement mortar be used on adobe walls in Las Cruces?
No, cement mortar speeds up the decay of adobe because it's stronger than the adobe bricks around it. The soft adobe ends up wearing away around the hard joints. If someone quotes you cement on an adobe wall, ask them why.
How long do repointed mortar joints last?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, and the brick itself can go well past 100. That means sound brick can take more than one round of new joints, so repointing renews the wall without replacing it.
Do I need a permit for masonry restoration in Las Cruces?
Possibly, and we find out for your address before work starts, then handle the application if one is needed. If your house is on the city's local register, the work also goes through historic design review, so let us know when you call.
How much does masonry restoration cost in Las Cruces?
The cost depends on how many joints need new mortar, how deep the damage goes and how easy the wall is to reach, so I give you a figure only after I've seen it. A water problem that has to be fixed first, adobe that needs its own mortar or a historic review all add to the job. The written estimate spells out the work so you can see where the money goes.
What causes adobe walls to sag or bulge?
Sagging or bulging adobe can come from rising damp, which is ground moisture wicking up into the base of the wall, from too much weight on the roof, or from both. Adobe trouble is usually a mix of problems, so it takes someone who knows adobe to sort out the sources before any repair. That's the first thing I look for when I come out.
Other masonry work for your house
Fireplace installation
If the brick around your firebox is too cracked or burned to repoint, a new fireplace built from the hearth up can give you a sound, working fire.
Stone veneer installation
When an old wall's face is worn past saving but the structure behind it is sound, a stone veneer gives it a fresh face without rebuilding the wall.
Send us photos of your worn joints
A couple of photos of the worst joints let me see the trouble before I come out, so call (575) 222-9031 or attach them to the form.
Request an estimateCall (575) 222-9031