Brick Repair, Retaining Walls and Masonry in Highland Village, TX

Brick Repair, Tuckpointing and Retaining Wall Services in Highland Village

Brick on a wood-framed house is anchored veneer: one layer of brick tied to the frame with metal anchors across an air space at least 1 inch deep (Brick Industry Association Technical Note 28). Water that gets behind the brick runs down to flashing and leaves through weep holes, open head joints no more than 24 inches apart; flashing at the base also acts as a bond break, because brick expands over its life while a concrete slab shrinks. Over a door or garage opening the brick sits on a steel angle lintel that should bear at least 4 inches at each end and be coated, and rust can grow to as much as 10 times the volume of the steel, which is likely to crack or spall the brick around it (BIA Technical Notes 28 and 18). On a Highland Village house built around 1993, those are the parts we inspect first. Our work here covers crack repair and brick replacement, reopening weeps that are clogged, rather than sealing them, as BIA Technical Note 46 advises, lintel and flashing repair, tuckpointing with mortar matched to the original and softer than the brick, no stronger than the original (National Park Service Preservation Brief 2; BIA Technical Note 46 says typically Type N, O or K), and bricklaying for rebuilt veneer, mailboxes, block walls and retaining walls, where the City’s permit list starts at walls over 2 feet, counting the footing. We also do chimney repair, masonry waterproofing and concrete flatwork.

Cross Timbers Ground, Lot by Lot, and When an Engineer Decides

In USDA soil survey data for a block around the city (a box, not the city limits), the leading units are the Birome-Rayex-Aubrey complex on 2 to 15 percent slopes, about 27 percent of the land, and Birome fine sandy loam, about 20 percent. These are East Cross Timbers ridge soils: sandy loam over clay subsoils resting on sandstone, which Birome reaches at 20 to 40 inches, or on shale, where the Aubrey subsoil runs 40 to 60 percent clay. Their linear extensibility, the soil survey’s shrink-swell measure, tops out at 4.5 percent. Roughly one-sixth of the land, though, is mapped as Navo, Wilson and Heiden soils, rated 7.5 to 12.2 percent. So movement risk varies lot by lot. BIA Technical Note 18 says settlement produces diagonal or stepped cracks that taper. BIA Technical Note 46 names the signs that call for a professional engineer: cracks over about 0.075 inch, cracks through several bricks, stepped or diagonal cracks, widespread spalling, rust on lintels or shelf angles and brick out of plane. Texas inspection standards (22 TAC 535.228) list frieze board separations and rotating, buckling, cracking or deflecting masonry cladding among foundation indications. That frieze gap is partly by design: Technical Note 28 leaves at least 3/4 inch above the top course for wood shrinkage and brick growth, so what matters is a gap that widens or runs uneven. In Texas, analyzing the cause of a foundation condition or recommending foundation repair is engineering (TBPELS Engineering Advisory Opinion 43). We check for signs of foundation movement, document them, refer them to a structural engineer, and repair the masonry once an engineer has cleared it. We do not do foundation repair; in Highland Village that takes a City permit, a registered company and an original engineering design.

Retaining Walls in Highland Village, North Texas Heat and Hail

The City names retaining walls over 2 feet, counting the footing, among the jobs that need a permit, with two stamped surveys showing location and height; walls 4 feet and taller need construction plans from a professional engineer and an engineer’s letter at completion. All fences need permits too. Heat shapes mortar work: NOAA daily records for Denton Municipal Airport from 2015 to 2024 average 20.4 days a year at 100 F or more, with a high of 111 F, and 52.3 nights at or below freezing, with a low of -6 F. Above 100 F, BIA Technical Note 1 calls for keeping mortar under 120 F, using it within 2 hours and fogging new work three times a day for three days. NOAA storm reports also log hail up to 3 inches at Highland Village on 11 June 2023 and 2 inches on 14 March 2024.

Serving Highland Village as Part of the Denton Area

North Shore Masonry serves Highland Village, about 10 miles southeast of Denton near I-35E and FM 407 (Texas State Historical Association), from our Denton operation, with town pages for Lewisville, Corinth, Lake Dallas, Little Elm and the wider North DFW area. Start at our Denton masonry services hub for every service and town we cover in North Texas.

Talk to a Masonry Contractor About Your Highland Village Brick

If you are seeing stair-step cracks, a gap above the brick that has widened, rust on a lintel over the garage, weeps filled with mortar, open mortar joints or a leaning retaining wall, call us at +1 469-409-3515 or request a free on-site estimate. We check for signs of foundation movement and refer them to a structural engineer, and on the masonry we tell you what needs attention now and what can wait. The City asks owners to contact it before construction to find out whether a permit is needed; retaining walls over 2 feet, fireplaces and fences are on its permit list, and for repointing, brick replacement and veneer or chimney rebuilds we confirm permit needs with Highland Village Building Inspections and Permits at the Municipal Complex ((972) 899-5093) before work starts. The City does not enforce HOA rules, which may supersede City requirements, so if you have an HOA, check its rules and any approval it requires before work starts.

Brick Repair FAQs for Highland Village, TX

Do I need a permit for a retaining wall in Highland Village?

Yes, if it is over 2 feet tall, and the City counts the footing in that height. The submittal includes two stamped surveys showing the wall’s location and height, and walls 4 feet and taller need construction plans from a professional engineer plus an engineer’s letter at completion. We confirm permit needs with Highland Village Building Inspections and Permits at the Municipal Complex ((972) 899-5093) before work starts.

When should an engineer look at cracks in my brick?

BIA Technical Note 46 says cracks over about 0.075 inch, cracks through several bricks, stepped or diagonal cracks, widespread spalling, rust on lintels or shelf angles and brick out of plane call for a professional engineer. In Texas, analyzing the cause of a foundation condition is engineering, so we check for signs of foundation movement, refer them to a structural engineer, and repair the masonry once an engineer has cleared it.

Why is there a gap between my brick and the trim above it?

Some gap is built in. BIA Technical Note 28 calls for at least 3/4 inch of space above the top of brick veneer so the wood frame can shrink and the brick can grow. Texas inspection standards list frieze board separations among foundation indications, so a gap that widens or runs uneven along the wall is worth having looked at, and signs of movement go to a structural engineer.

Do I need a permit to repair brick or repoint mortar in Highland Village?

The City’s published permit list is partial and asks owners to contact it before construction. Retaining walls over 2 feet, fireplaces, fences and replacement siding are on it. For repointing, brick replacement and veneer or chimney rebuilds, we confirm permit needs with Highland Village Building Inspections and Permits at the Municipal Complex ((972) 899-5093) before work starts.

Can you match the brick on my 1990s house?

We aim for a close match, not an exact one. BIA Technical Note 46 warns that matching brick may take considerable effort, so we compare color, size and texture and check a sample against your wall before the repair is laid. We never promise a perfect match.

What are the small openings along the bottom of my brick wall?

On a Highland Village home, where the median year built is 1993 (Census survey data, 2020 to 2024), those are weep holes: open head joints, spaced no more than 24 inches apart in BIA Technical Note 28, that let water behind the veneer drain out above the flashing. Never seal them. BIA Technical Note 46 says clogged weeps should be carefully opened.