Services
Masonry & Privacy Walls
Block, stone-veneered, or cast-in-place masonry walls — privacy, retaining, decorative, or boundary. Engineered footings, properly stepped courses, weep holes where needed, and a clean cap detail. Heavier, quieter, and more permanent than a wood fence — built once, done forever.
Pricing varies by site. Final scope, materials, and access influence the all-in number — we'll quote your specific project after a quick conversation.
About our masonry & privacy walls work
Block, stone-veneered, and cast-in-place masonry walls for privacy, retaining, decorative, and boundary applications. Built once, finished correctly, and done — no annual repairs, no leaning sections, no replacement cycle. Engineered footings sized to wall height, soil bearing, and any retained load — typically 12 to 24 inches wide and dug below the frost or expansive-soil line. Vertical rebar tied to footing dowels on 16 to 32-inch centers, horizontal courses with bond beams where height or seismic demands it. CMU is the structural core; finish is stucco, stone veneer, brick, or split-face block depending on the look. Retaining walls get a drainage layer, filter fabric, and weep holes or a perforated drain line behind the wall — no exceptions, because hydrostatic pressure is what fails masonry, not the block itself. Caps are pre-cast concrete, natural stone, or poured-in-place with a drip edge. Control joints cut on engineered spacing to keep cracks where we want them. Heavier, quieter, and more permanent than wood.
What's included
- Engineered footings sized to wall height and soil bearing
- Vertical rebar with footing dowels and horizontal bond beams
- CMU structural core with stucco, stone, or brick veneer
- Weep holes and drainage layer behind all retaining walls
- Cast or natural-stone cap with drip edge detail
- Control joints placed per engineered spacing
- Geotech review and engineered drawings on retaining over 4 feet
- Site grading, backfill, and final cleanup included
Materials & techniques
Structural CMU is 8x8x16 standard-weight block, grouted solid in reinforced cells. Mortar is Type S for structural walls and Type N for veneer. Rebar is grade 60, sized and spaced per engineering — typically #4 verticals at 32 inches on center for residential, tighter for taller or retaining work. Veneer stone is set with a scratch coat over metal lath, mechanically tied back to CMU on tall runs. Drainage behind retaining walls is non-negotiable — 3/4-inch washed gravel against the wall, filter fabric between gravel and soil, and either weep holes every 4 to 8 feet or a 4-inch perforated drain to daylight.
How the project runs
- 1
Site review and engineering
Wall height, retained load, and soil type evaluated. Anything retaining over 4 feet — or any wall in a public right-of-way — goes to a structural engineer for stamped drawings before pricing is finalized.
- 2
Excavation and footing
Footing trench dug to engineered width and depth, formed if needed, rebar grid tied with footing dowels projecting up into the wall, and concrete placed and screeded level.
- 3
Block lay-up and reinforcement
CMU laid in running bond with mortar joints tooled consistently. Vertical cells grouted solid where rebar runs. Bond beams and horizontal steel placed per drawings. Weep holes set above grade on the back side.
- 4
Veneer, drainage, and backfill
Drainage layer of gravel and filter fabric installed behind retaining walls before backfill. Stone, brick, or stucco veneer applied. Backfill compacted in lifts to prevent settling against the wall.
- 5
Cap, joints, and finish
Cap installed and sealed, control joints cut and caulked, weep holes verified clear, and site graded and cleaned. Engineer's letter or final inspection coordinated where the permit requires it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit for a masonry wall?
City of San Antonio requires a permit for any wall over 4 feet measured from the bottom of the footing, any wall retaining soil over 4 feet, and any wall in a front setback or right-of-way regardless of height. Engineered stamped drawings are required at those thresholds. We handle the submittal.
How is a masonry wall different from a wood fence in cost?
Roughly 4 to 8 times the cost per linear foot, depending on height, veneer, and whether it retains soil. The trade-off is lifespan — a properly built masonry wall is a 50 to 75-year asset with no maintenance cycle, versus 15 to 20 years for cedar with periodic re-staining.
Why are weep holes so important on retaining walls?
Soil holds water, and water against a wall creates hydrostatic pressure. That pressure pushes walls over, cracks footings, and rotates them off plumb. Weep holes and a gravel drainage layer relieve the pressure before it builds. Skipping that detail is the number-one reason DIY and underbuilt retaining walls fail.
Can you match an existing wall on my property?
Yes — we'll match block size, veneer stone, mortar color, cap profile, and joint tooling. For older walls where the original block is no longer made, we either source a close equivalent or veneer over the new section to blend the runs visually.
Why hire us for masonry & privacy walls
In-house crew
Design, build, irrigation, and maintenance all run under one roof — no subbing out, no juggling vendors. You get one project manager from sketch through final walk-through.
San Antonio specialists
Built for South-Central Texas — heavy clay, caliche, long dry summers, and flash rain. Our designs and installs are tuned to what survives and looks good locally.
Clear pricing
No surprise line items. We size the work after a quick conversation or site visit and issue a written quote with materials and labor broken out so you can compare apples to apples.
