Brick wall installation in Bellingham WA - a steady wall that suits your yard
Want a wall to close in your yard or mark a property line? We plan the height, brick and layout so it stays put.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What goes into planning and building a brick wall in your yard?
Brick wall installation in Bellingham is building an outdoor wall of brick, laid in mortar on a solid base, to close in a yard, mark a line or frame a patio. It often comes with a cap along the top, drainage at the foot and stonework or repointing nearby.
Most people who call me already have a spot picked out and a height in mind, and the first thing I do is check that against the yard it sits in, because a wall out front and a wall out back don't get the same limit. Price moves with how long and tall the wall runs, the brick you pick, how much digging the base takes and whether a taller run needs piers or extra thickness to stay steady. The schedule turns on what the office for your address says, how soon your brick comes in and stretches of wet weather. When I come out, you get all of that in a written estimate for your own yard.
How do you know your yard is ready for a brick wall?
A fence that keeps rotting
Gray boards, wobbly posts and a section that leans after every winter usually mean the posts have rotted where they meet wet ground. Each year you wait, you're paying to patch something you'll end up replacing anyway.
An old wall that leans
A garden wall that tilts or has cracks stepping through the joints usually sat on a weak base or let water in for years. Left alone, bricks start coming loose, and there's more to take down before anything new goes up.
A yard with no edge
If the street, the neighbor's drive or a slope runs straight into your lawn, the yard has nothing that says where it ends. A wall gives it that line, and planning it before a patio or plantings go in saves digging them back up.
Often built alongside a brick wall
Stone masonry
If you want natural stone for piers or a cap, our stone work ties it into the brick so the yard reads as one piece.
Brick pointing
Once a brick wall has stood through enough wet winters, fresh mortar in the worn joints keeps water out and the bricks sitting tight.
How our brick wall installation works
We start with where the wall sits on your lot and how tall you want it, because the city sets height by which yard the wall is in and that decides everything after. Then we choose a brick that holds up outdoors, and UK brick guidance says that means one durable enough to stand up to weather and frost over the long run, so it's worth asking how a brick handles frost before you settle on a color. Next comes the layout, since the same guidance says thinner brick walls only stay steady against sideways push up to a point, so a tall, thin plan may need a thicker base, piers that step out along the run or a zigzag line. That sideways push matters here, because Whatcom County puts its west half, where Bellingham sits, in earthquake design zone D-1 and its east half in D-0. The guidance also calls for a protective cap, called coping, along the top, and for paving beside the wall to slope away or have a drainage strip so the bottom rows don't stay soaked. With the plan settled, we dig out, build the base, lay the brick and its cap, and clean up, and brickwork built that way keeps rain out.
A new wall often sits near other masonry. If you'd like natural stone for a gate pier, a planter or a matching section, our stone masonry work blends with the brick. And if an older brick wall or chimney on your property has joints going soft and sandy, brick pointing renews the mortar so it lasts alongside the new wall.
Low single-thickness wall
One layer of brick suits a short wall along a bed or a front yard, where the height stays modest anyway. It takes less brick and less digging, which keeps the job smaller.
Double-thick wall
Two layers of brick tied together suit a taller side or rear wall, because the extra width helps it stand up to sideways push. It costs more in brick and base, and it's the choice I lean toward once a wall gets tall.
Wall with piers
Brick columns stepped out along the run brace a longer wall and give a gate somewhere solid to hang. They suit property lines and entries where you want a wall that looks finished from both sides.
Get a written plan and estimate for your brick wall
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The on-site estimate is free with no obligation, and calling (360) 255-7006 works too.
Call (360) 255-7006Why Bellingham homeowners call Allied Bellingham Concrete and Masonry for brick walls
I walk every yard myself
I look at the job with you and write the estimate, and our masons do the building while I check in with them and with you. You talk to the person who planned your wall the whole way through, so nothing you asked for gets lost.
Building masonry since 2013
I started this business in 2013 after years selling brick, block and stone across a supply counter and learning on job sites next to experienced masons. That counter taught me to explain a choice twice rather than leave anyone feeling rushed.
Licensed, insured, rules checked first
We're licensed and insured. Rules differ between Bellingham, the county and each city we work in, so before work starts we check with the office that covers your address, tell you what it says and help you sort out the application if a permit is needed.
Based in Bellingham, serving two counties
We're based in Bellingham and work in many of the cities around it across Whatcom and Skagit counties, including ones not listed on this site. We know the long wet winters here, which is why the brick, the cap and the drainage get planned before the first row goes down.
On a brick wall, the height and layout you settle before anything is built decide how well it stands. Tell us about your yard and I'll come out and walk it with you.
What happens after you call about a brick wall in Bellingham?
Tell us about your wall
Call (360) 255-7006 or send the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. It helps to know roughly where the wall goes and how tall you'd like it.
I walk the spot with you
I look over the yard, answer your questions and leave a written estimate. It spells out the height, brick and layout I'd use and what the job costs, so you can compare and decide in your own time.
We check rules and schedule
Once you're ready, we check what the office for your address needs and set a start. Utility locates are required before any digging, so you'll book one before our crew breaks ground.
Our masons build the wall
Our masons dig out, set the base and lay the wall while I keep you posted on how it's going. When the cap is on, we clean up the site.
Common questions
How tall can a brick wall be in my yard in Bellingham, WA?
On an interior lot, the city caps walls in the required yards at 54 inches in the front yard and 72 inches in the side and rear yards, so a back wall can stand taller than one out front. On a corner lot, the front yard and a side yard along the street are capped at 42 inches, and the vision clearance triangle, the corner area kept low so drivers can see, allows 36 inches. I'll measure your plan against these when I come out.
How do I get approval for a brick wall taller than the city limit in Bellingham?
You ask the city for an administrative exception, and if it's approved, the wall can go over the cap. The request includes plans, a drawing of the wall and the written consent of every property owner whose land borders yours, so your neighbors need to be on board first.
Does a brick retaining wall need a permit in Bellingham?
Yes, once it's over 4 feet measured from the bottom of the footing to the top, or if it holds up a building or a parking area, according to a 2018 city brochure. The city's permit center takes building applications by email at permits@cob.org.
Do I need to paint a brick wall?
No, clay brick needs no paint or surface treatment, because its color is built into the brick. Most paint authorities say painted outdoor masonry needs a fresh coat every three to five years, so leaving brick bare saves you that repeat job.
How much does it cost to build a brick wall in Bellingham?
Across the US, brick wall installation usually costs about $13,000 to $18,500 for a wall with 220 square feet of face, before sales tax and fees. That's what the work runs in general, not our price, and yours turns on the length, height, brick and layout, which I'll put in writing after I see your yard. Our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
What causes white powder on a new brick wall?
Usually it's new building bloom, a form of efflorescence that tends to show up soon after a wall is built as the fresh brickwork dries out. If it keeps coming back after that, water is likely getting into the wall and staying there, and that's worth having us take a look.
Plan your brick wall before it's built
Call (360) 255-7006 or send the form with your lot type, where the wall will go and how tall you'd like it, since those three decide how high the city lets it stand.