Brick wall installation in Santa Fe NM - solid joints and a cap that sheds rain
Planning a brick garden or privacy wall? We build it on a solid footing with filled joints so it holds up to the weather.
What does it take to build a brick wall in Santa Fe?
Brick wall installation in Santa Fe means building a freestanding garden, courtyard or privacy wall from the footing up, with every joint filled and a cap on top, so the wall keeps water out and stays straight for years.
Most people who call about a new wall want privacy, a courtyard or a clean line around the yard, and the first things they ask are what it'll cost and when it can go up. The price mostly comes down to the wall's length and height, how deep the footing has to go, the brick you pick and how easy it is to get material to the spot. The schedule turns more on the permit and any historic review than on the bricklaying itself, which is why we take care of that paperwork once you say go. I'll give you your own figure in a written estimate after I've looked at the site.
How our brick wall installation goes, footing to cap
We lay out the wall, dig down to firm, undisturbed ground below the frost line and pour the footing there, with steel in it where the soil calls for it, because a wall is only as straight as what it sits on. We lay the brick with every joint filled solid, the same standard you'd want in a house wall, since a freestanding wall takes weather on both faces and the top and any gap lets water in to start the decay. On top goes a cap that overhangs both faces so rain drips clear of the brick instead of running down it, and then we clean up and haul off what's left.
If you'd rather have natural stone, or want stone piers or a stone cap with your brick, our stone masonry work covers that too. And if you already have a brick wall that's standing fine but losing mortar, brick pointing may be all it needs, and I'll tell you if that's a better use of your money than a new wall.
Permits, historic review and weather for brick walls in Santa Fe
In the city, home walls up to 6 feet high need a fence and wall permit from the Building Permit Division, applied for online through the city's permit portal, and we file it for you. If your house is in any of the five historic districts, which are Downtown and Eastside, Don Gaspar Area, Westside Guadalupe, Historic Transition and Historic Review, the Historic Preservation Division has to approve the wall before the city will issue the construction permit. The city's fence and wall checklist also asks for added approvals on lots in the escarpment or foothill overlay district, in a flood zone, or on a corner where the wall meets a driveway, so I check your address against all of that before we set a start date, and the work waits until every approval is in hand.
We're based in Santa Fe and work across the city and the cities around it, and a lot of our calls come from older homes where a new wall has to look like it was always there, so I match the brick color and height to the house. Strong sun, wind and winter freezes find any thin joint or flat top, which is why we don't cut corners on the joints and cap, and we build the same way on jobs in Eldorado at Santa Fe and Española.
How a brick wall gets built
Call or send a message
Call (505) 303-0434 or use the contact form and tell us where the wall would go and roughly how long and tall you want it. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I measure and write it up
I come out myself, look at the ground and the access, measure the run and tell you plainly what I'd do and why. You get a written estimate that spells out the footing, the brick and the cap, so you can see what you're paying for.
We get approvals, then build
Once you say go, we file for the permit and any historic review, and nothing starts until they're in hand. My crew and I build the wall with me on site.
Walk the finished wall together
When the cap is on and the site's cleaned up, I walk the wall with you before we pack up. If a white haze shows up on the brick later, the questions below explain why and what to do.
Get a written estimate for your wall, footing and cap
We reply within one business day of your call or message. I come out myself to look at the site and measure, and the written estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation.
Questions to ask before building a brick wall
How much does a new brick wall cost in Santa Fe?
It depends mostly on the size of the wall and what goes into the ground under it, so I don't quote one until I've seen the site. Curves, piers, extra height, salvaged or specialty brick and tearing out an old wall first all push the price up, while a straight run of standard brick on easy, open ground keeps it down. You get your figure in a written estimate after I measure.
What changes if my home is in a historic district in Santa Fe?
You need historic approval before the construction permit can be issued, as covered above. Many requests are approved by city staff, and the rest go to a public hearing before the city's review board, which looks at whether new work fits nearby historic buildings in style, color, height, texture and material. I pick the brick and height with those points in mind from the start, and we file the application for you.
Can I use salvaged brick for a garden wall?
Only if it meets the SW grade, the rating for brick made to handle severe weather, and a trade guide on garden walls says used brick generally won't. Salvaged brick is often fired unevenly, so some pieces hold up while others soak up water and break down. If you love that look, show me the brick before you buy it and I'll tell you honestly whether it's up to the job.
What causes white powder on a new brick wall, and how long does it last?
That white powder is efflorescence, salts carried to the surface as a new wall dries out, and it's normal on fresh brickwork. One brick maker's bulletin calls it new building bloom and says it can last 1 to 3 years depending on the weather, and it recommends patience. It usually fades as the wall dries out over time.
What is the best way to clean efflorescence off new brick?
Dry brush it, then rinse lightly with a garden hose instead of a pressure washer. The same maker's bulletin warns that cleaning with water and chemicals often makes the bloom worse and keeps it around longer, so I'd leave acid washes and hard spraying alone.
Does a contractor need a license to build a brick wall in New Mexico?
Yes, the state requires anyone doing work in a listed license classification to hold a license or certificate for it from the Construction Industries Division. An earlier edition of Santa Fe's wall permit checklist also asked the general contractor to show a city business license and a state contractor's license before the permit was issued, so ask anyone you're thinking of hiring about both.
Why Santa Fe homeowners call Sterling Santa Fe Concrete & Masonry for brick walls
I measure and I'm on site
I come out myself to look at the ground and write the estimate, and I'm there with my crew while the wall goes up. The person who told you how it would be built is the one watching it get built.
Running this business since 2013
I learned masonry mixing mortar and hauling brick on my father's jobs, and I started this business in 2013. Most of our work is keeping older brick and stone sound, so I know what makes a wall fail and build new ones to avoid it.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured. That's worth asking of anyone who'll be digging footings and stacking brick on your property.
Used to Santa Fe's historic districts
Many of our calls come from older homes in the historic districts, and before we start I check what the city or the Historic Preservation Division asks for at your address. That keeps your wall from going up in a brick or height the review board won't accept.
On a brick wall, the parts that decide how long it lasts are the ones you stop seeing once it's done. Call or send us a message and I'll come take a look.
Other work that goes with a new wall
Stone masonry
If you'd like natural stone instead of brick, or stone piers and caps alongside it, stone gives a rougher, older look that suits many Santa Fe houses.
Brick pointing
When an older brick wall on your property is sound but the mortar joints are crumbling, pointing replaces the worn mortar before water gets in behind the brick.
Call (505) 303-0434 about your new garden wall
Mention up front if your lot is in a historic district, an overlay district or a flood zone, because I can check those approvals before I come out and you'll know the real schedule sooner.
