CMU Block Walls, Brick Repair and Masonry in Lewisville, TX

CMU Walls, Brick and Masonry Services in Lewisville

Concrete masonry units shrink over their life while fired clay brick expands, and the Concrete Masonry and Hardscapes Association (CMHA) warns that bonding the two together can cause cracking. That is why a Lewisville block wall needs control joints: for walls built of 8 inch high units with horizontal reinforcement, CMHA’s empirical guidance keeps panels no longer than 1.5 times their height and control joints no more than 25 feet 4 inches apart, and no more than 20 feet apart for reinforced 4 inch units and block veneer. Fence walls stand on footings over undisturbed soil, compacted fill or controlled low-strength fill, doweled into the wall (CMHA TEK 14-16B). Our Lewisville block work covers screen and fence walls, block wall repair and retaining walls and concrete work. The City’s largest group of owner-occupied single-family houses, about 40 percent, was built from 1980 to 1999 (ACS 2020 to 2024), and many of them carry brick veneer. Lewisville amends the residential code’s veneer tie spacing: with studs 16 inches on center, ties no more than 24 inches apart vertically starting about 12 inches up; with studs 24 inches on center, no more than 16 inches apart starting about 8 inches up. On veneer we check the details the Brick Industry Association (BIA) names: a 1 inch air space, flashing with weep holes at least 3/16 inch wide and no more than 33 inches apart, steel lintels bearing 4 inches at each end (Technical Note 28), and expansion joints no more than 25 feet apart, 20 feet on walls with several openings, at or near corners (Technical Note 18A). We handle bricklaying and brick replacement, tuckpointing, masonry waterproofing and chimney repair.

Why CMU and Brick Walls Crack on Lewisville’s Mixed Soils

Lewisville does not sit on one soil. USDA soil survey data rates the Navo, Wilson, Burleson and Trinity soils found in the area “very limited” for dwellings, mainly because they shrink and swell (Trinity also floods), while the Justin and Konsil fine sandy loams are only “somewhat limited”. How a wall or a house moves can depend on the lot it stands on. At the National Weather Service Denton station, the 1991 to 2020 normals are 38.44 inches of rain a year, wettest in May and October, so water behind a retaining wall matters: CMHA TEK 15-7B calls for drains, free-draining fill and filter fabric so water cannot build up behind the wall. CMHA says settlement typically shows as a stair-step crack along the mortar joints, while shrinkage cracks in block are aesthetic rather than structural. BIA Technical Note 46 says cracks wider than about 0.075 inch, cracks through several units, stepped or diagonal cracks, widespread spalling, rust on lintels or shelf angles and brick pushed out of plane call for a professional engineer. In Texas, analyzing the cause of a foundation condition or recommending foundation repair is engineering (TBPELS Engineering Advisory Opinion 43), and Lewisville requires a permit for all foundation repair, designed, signed and sealed by a Texas professional engineer; its local code also calls for foundations and footings, and additions to them, to be engineer-sealed. So 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. When we repoint, the mortar is matched to the original and softer than the brick, never stronger than what is in the wall; BIA Technical Note 46 points to Type N, O or K for repointing.

Old Town, the IH-35E Corridor and Denton Clay

Basdeal W. Lewis founded Lewisville in 1853, and the town was incorporated in 1925 by 17 votes (TSHA, Wikipedia). Old Town’s first buildings went up in the 1860s and its first brick ones just before 1900; the City counts two rows of 100-year-old buildings on Main Street. When the 1927 Well House at 151 W. Church, the first municipal building, was remodeled in 1996, the City used a blend of original and new brick to continue its unusual pattern. Lewisville has no local landmark ordinance and is not a Texas Historical Commission Certified Local Government, but the Old Town Center Design District, roughly Church to Elm and Charles to Kealy and Mill, calls for a Letter of Design Approval from the Old Town Design Review Committee, with material and color samples, for any exterior alteration that needs a permit. Along the freeway, the IH-35E Corridor Overlay in the City’s development code is written to call for at least 80 percent brick or stone on each exterior wall of non-residential and mixed-use buildings, but Texas Government Code chapter 3000 (HB 2439, 2019) preempts most city rules that mandate masonry, so whether it still applies to a given building is something we confirm with Lewisville Building Services (972.219.3470) before work starts. Brick has been made nearby for more than a century: Denton Pressed Brick Co. organized in 1901 and merged into Acme in 1912, and Denton clay fires tan, orange and red (Denton County History).

Serving Lewisville as Part of the Denton Area

North Shore Masonry serves Lewisville, including Castle Hills, annexed in November 2021, from Denton, along with nearby Highland Village, Lake Dallas, Corinth, 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 Block Walls in Lewisville

If your block wall shows a stair-step crack, a leaning section or a loose cap, or your brick has corner cracks, rusting lintels or clogged weeps, call us at +1 469-409-3515 or request a free on-site estimate. New fences need a City permit, and Castle Hills owners need HOA approval first. For block screen walls, retaining walls, veneer rebuilds, chimney work and repointing, we confirm permit needs with Lewisville Building Services (972.219.3470) before work starts.

Block Wall and Masonry FAQs for Lewisville, TX

Do I need a permit for a block fence or screen wall in Lewisville?

Usually, yes. The City’s fence handout requires a permit for any new fence or for replacing more than 10 percent of a fence’s length, caps fences at 8 feet above finished grade and requires a City-registered contractor. Castle Hills owners need HOA approval first. For each block wall, retaining wall or repair, we confirm permit needs with Lewisville Building Services (972.219.3470) before work starts.

Why is my concrete block wall cracking?

Several things can crack block. Concrete masonry shrinks as it ages, and without control joints, which CMHA’s guidance for reinforced walls of 8 inch units puts no more than 25 feet 4 inches apart, it can crack as it shrinks; CMHA calls those shrinkage cracks aesthetic rather than structural. Settlement typically shows as a stair-step crack along the joints, and many Lewisville lots sit on clays USDA rates very limited for building because they shrink and swell. Block bonded to brick can crack too, because the brick expands while the block shrinks.

When does a cracked wall need a structural engineer?

BIA Technical Note 46 says cracks wider than about 0.075 inch, cracks through several units, stepped or diagonal cracks, widespread spalling, rust on lintels or shelf angles and brick out of plane call for a professional engineer. In Texas, determining the cause of a foundation condition is engineering, and Lewisville requires foundation repair to be permitted and designed by a Texas professional engineer. We check for signs of foundation movement, refer them to a structural engineer, and repair the masonry once an engineer has cleared it.

Can you match the brick on my 1990s Lewisville house?

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

Does work in Old Town Lewisville need extra approval?

Inside the Old Town Center Design District, roughly Church to Elm and Charles to Kealy and Mill, any exterior alteration that needs a permit also needs a Letter of Design Approval from the Old Town Design Review Committee, with material and color samples. We confirm permit needs with Lewisville Building Services (972.219.3470) before work starts.

Is summer too hot for masonry work in Lewisville?

Work goes ahead with hot-weather practice. BIA Technical Note 1 treats 100 F as hot weather: keep mortar below 120 F, use it within 2 hours and fog new work three times a day.