Foundation block wall installation in Mesquite TX - a wall built to hold back soil
Building an addition or a new foundation? We build block foundation walls with the steel, moisture protection and backfill your lot calls for.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What goes into building a block foundation wall that holds back soil and water?
Foundation block wall installation in Mesquite means stacking concrete blocks in mortar to make a foundation wall that resists the push of the soil packed against it. On most jobs it also involves steel in the wall, a moisture coating on the outside and careful backfill.
Most folks who call about this are adding a room, building on a sloped lot or replacing an old block wall that's gone past foundation repair. We're based in Mesquite and work in many of the cities around it. The price moves with how long and tall the wall runs, how much soil it holds back, whether it needs steel and which moisture coating your site calls for. The schedule turns on the permit and inspections, the curing time for the coatings and getting the floor framing or bracing on before backfill. At the estimate I walk the site with you and lay out your choices in plain words, so you can see what each one does to the number.
When does a foundation block wall need to be built or rebuilt?
Old wall leaning inward
If an existing block wall bows in near the middle or the top course has slid, the soil behind it is usually winning. Waiting lets it push further, and the floor sitting on that wall can start to move with it.
Damp block and white crust
Dark wet patches or a chalky white crust on the inside face mean water is getting through the block. Left alone, that water keeps washing at the mortar and keeps the space behind it damp and musty.
Stair-step cracks in mortar
Cracks that climb the mortar joints like stairs usually mean the wall or the footing under it has shifted. A hairline crack can be watched, but cracks that keep widening often mean rebuilding that section is the real fix.
Often built alongside a foundation wall
Outdoor kitchen masonry
Once the addition is up, a grill counter or bar in matching block or brick gives your back patio a cooking spot that fits the house.
Walkway construction
Digging and backfilling around a new foundation usually tears up the old path, so a new walkway gives you firm, even footing back to the door.
How we handle foundation block wall installation
A block foundation wall has two jobs, holding back soil and keeping water out, so I settle the steel, the moisture protection and the backfill at the estimate, before anyone picks up a shovel. Prep is most of the work, same as in a kitchen. Our crew digs out and checks the footing, lays the block in mortar course by course with steel in the cells where the plan calls for it, then coats the outside and gives each coat the time it needs. Before any soil goes back against the new wall, the floor framing has to be on or the wall has to be braced, because until then the wall isn't ready to carry that soil load alone. We plan that bracing or framing ahead, then backfill and clean up so the site is tidier than we found it.
Crawlspace walls for an addition
This suits a new room with a raised floor, where a few courses of block lift the framing off damp ground. It also leaves room to get underneath later for plumbing or wiring.
Taller walls on a sloped lot
Where the yard falls away, one side of the wall holds back more soil than the other. That's where the steel and the moisture plan matter most, so we look hardest at those spots.
Rebuilding a failed section
When part of an old wall has bowed or cracked too far to fix, we hold up what's above it, take down the bad block and lay new block tied into the wall that stays. You keep the sound part and replace only what's failing.
Get a free on-site estimate for your foundation wall
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out, walk the site with you and give you a free, obligation-free estimate. A call works too.
Call (972) 402-6919Why Mesquite homeowners call Stonework Mesquite Concrete and Masonry for foundation walls
The owner walks your site
I come out myself to look at the job, answer your questions and put the estimate together, and I check in on site while our crew of trained masons lays the wall. That way the person who planned your steel and backfill is the one watching them go in.
In business since 2013
We've been doing masonry since 2013, and we're best known for careful mortar work and for explaining the job so you understand it. On a foundation wall, that means you know what went into it before it's buried.
We handle the Mesquite permit
Mesquite requires a professional license before anyone gets a building permit, and only a licensed contractor or a homeowner who lives in the house and homesteads it with the Dallas Central Appraisal District can apply, following the city's permit process. When your wall needs a permit, we take care of the application and line up the inspections, and if you're not sure it needs one, we check with the city before any work starts.
Licensed, insured and guaranteed work
We're licensed and fully insured, which is worth checking with anyone who'll be digging beside your house. Our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
On a foundation wall, the most important work ends up buried, so it's worth getting the plan right before the first block goes down. Ask for an estimate and I'll come walk the site with you.
What happens after you call about a foundation wall?
Call or send a message
Call (972) 402-6919 or use the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. If there's an old wall involved, a few phone photos of it help me come prepared.
I look at the site with you
I come out myself, look at the ground, the slope and any old wall with you, and point out what I see. Your estimate lays out the choices for steel, moisture protection and backfill plainly, so you can see what each one adds before you decide.
We get the permit and build
We take care of any city or county steps, then our crew lays the block and coats it while I check in on site. In Mesquite, the city inspects permitted work, and it has to stay open and visible until it's approved, so backfill waits on that sign-off.
We walk the finished wall
Before we pack up, I walk the job with you and show you what went in behind that soil. I'll also tell you what to watch after a hard rain, since that's when a wall shows you how it's doing.
Common questions
How much does a block foundation wall cost around Dallas?
A block foundation of mortared block reinforced with rebar in the Dallas area usually costs about $10,000 to $30,000 per foundation, or $10 to $30 per square foot. That's the going range in the area, not our price. Where your job lands depends on the wall's size, how much soil it holds back, the steel and the moisture coating, and I lay those choices out at the estimate.
Do I need a permit to build a foundation wall in Mesquite?
Most likely, yes, because the city says construction permits are required. Its Building Inspection Division reviews the plans and issues them. If you have questions about codes, inspections or what to submit, Building Inspection takes calls at 972-216-6212.
Will my block foundation wall need steel reinforcement?
Some block foundation walls can go without reinforcing steel, but a wall that holds back a lot of soil may need it. The more ground piled against the wall, the more likely steel goes in, which is why I measure how much soil your wall will hold back when I come out.
How do I keep water out of a block foundation on clay soil?
Clay sites can call for full waterproofing rather than a lighter dampproofing coat, because heavy clay backfill drains poorly and lets water pressure build against the block. The Blackland Prairie clays that run from north of Dallas down to San Antonio shrink and swell a lot as they wet and dry, so I check the soil on your lot during the estimate. The coating is only one part of keeping a wall dry, and drains, gutters and good grading around the house do the rest.
How long does parging and dampproofing a block wall take?
It takes a few days, and most of that is waiting. Parging is a troweled coat of mortar over the block, and one field guide has the first coat harden 24 hours before the second goes on, then lets the topcoat cure 48 hours before dampproofing. Spray-applied waterproofing and some membranes can go straight onto the block, which skips that wait, like letting a sauce set before you plate it.
What is the best way to backfill a new block foundation wall?
The best fill is free-draining granular material with no expansive clay in it. Guidance from a masonry trade group keeps heavy equipment back from the area right beside the wall and places and compacts the fill in several layers. On our clay, the dirt that came out of the hole isn't always what should go back, so ask any contractor what fill they plan to use.
Plan your foundation wall before the digging
Call (972) 402-6919 or send the form with your home's address and whether you homestead it, since that tells us right away who can apply for the Mesquite permit.