We're Ironstone Beaumont Concrete and Masonry, a masonry contractor based in Beaumont, TX since 2013. We repair cracked brick, worn mortar, chimneys and foundations on Port Neches homes, and we build new walls, walkways and pavers made for Gulf weather.
(409) 240-0376
Most of the houses we work on in Port Neches are brick on a concrete slab, sitting on flat, low ground near the Neches River where the clay swells when it's wet and shrinks when it dries. So the calls here usually start with a crack stepping up the mortar beside a window, a gap opening where the brick meets the slab, or a door that's started to stick.
Gulf humidity and the storms that come through turn the mortar on older houses soft and sandy before the brick gives out, and chimneys take the worst of the wind. We see the same thing next door in Groves, and it's why I look for what moved before I talk about what to patch.
Tell us what you're seeing at your Port Neches house, and we'll get back to you within one business day. I come out to look at it myself, then send you a written estimate after the visit. It's free, and there's no obligation.
(409) 240-0376For the cracked walls we see here, we start with brick repair and tuckpointing, which means raking out soft joints and refilling them with mortar matched to the color you already have. When a crack points to the slab, we look at foundation repair before we patch anything. Storm-worn chimneys get chimney repair from the cap down. On these flat lots we lay driveway pavers and walkways on a packed base, so standing water doesn't heave them out of line.
In Port Neches, the city's Building Official issues building permits, and every foundation repair project gets its own permit before any repair work starts, with the fee paid when the application goes in. That means the schedule really starts once the permit is in hand. Before the city issues one, the contractor has to show they meet state licensing laws, and for foundation repair the city wants a contractor licensed with it and bonded to it, with a $15,000 permit bond filed with its Building Department, so ask whoever you hire about both. If your job needs a permit, I'll tell you at the estimate and we'll help get it in place before we start, since each city has its own office and we check with the one that covers your address.
Price comes down to what's causing the damage, how far it's spread, how hard your brick is to match and how much digging or tear-out it takes to reach the problem, and the written estimate spells out what's included. Some lots here carry a utility or pipeline easement, and a slab, driveway or other structure on one needs a license to encroach, which is approval from the city's public works director or the city council, so we check for an easement early because it adds a step. Rain sets the rest of the schedule, because mortar and concrete shouldn't go down in a downpour. The same masons work in Nederland next door and up in Silsbee, so we know what this part of the coast does to brick.
I come out to every estimate in person, so the person pricing your job is the one who's actually seen it. Our masons do the work, and I'm on site to check it. We're fully licensed and insured, and satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Since 2013 we've worked on homes people live in, and blending repairs into the existing brick is what we're known for. We match joint color, width and finish, so the fix doesn't look like a patch from the street. We keep the mess small, too.
I'd rather tell you a few joints will do than sell you a wall you don't need, and when something bigger is going on, we fix the cause instead of covering the crack. Call (409) 240-0376 or use the form, and I'll tell you which one you've got.
Yes, every foundation repair project inside Port Neches city limits needs its own permit before any repair work begins. The city also dropped the residential code's list of work that's exempt from a permit, and its permit fees cover driveways, patios, sidewalks and fences, so don't assume smaller masonry work is exempt either. Ask us at the estimate and we'll tell you what your job needs.
There's no flat price, because the number turns on what's behind the damage and how much of the house it touches. Repointing a few cracked joints is a much smaller job than resetting a section of wall or fixing a settled slab, and a close brick match or a permit adds to it. I'll look at it in person and send you a written estimate after the visit.
Usually the wait is the permit and the weather, not the masonry. After I see the job and send the written estimate, we line up any permit the city requires, and on foundation work nothing starts until it's issued. Then we schedule around rain, because fresh mortar and concrete need dry weather to set right.
Most brick cracks here come from the slab moving as the clay underneath gets wet and dries out. A crack that steps up the mortar, gets wider toward the top or shows up with sticking doors usually points to the foundation. Thin cracks over a window are often a rusted lintel, the steel support above the opening. We figure out which one it is before we fix anything.
Start with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center or NFHL Viewer, the online map tools FEMA calls the best place to begin for official flood hazard determinations. Each Port Neches address gets looked up on its own, so search yours. It's worth knowing before a foundation, patio or wall job, because low ground usually changes how we plan for drainage.
