Masonry questions, answered like a neighbor would.
If yours is not here, call (615) 558-8640 and ask. Straight answers are the whole pitch.
What does masonry work cost around Murfreesboro?
The full table is published on our cost page, which no other masonry site serving this county offers. Short version: small repairs from $400, tuckpointing $8 to $15 per square foot, lintel swaps $500 to $1,200, chimney work $400 to $4,000 depending on how far damage has run, mailboxes $1,100 to $1,800 to spec, retaining walls $30 to $60 per square foot of face.
Is the crack in my brick something to worry about?
Depends where it runs. Hairline vertical cracks in mortar joints are usually seasonal movement. Stair-step cracks over a garage or window opening usually mean a rusted lintel, a contained one-to-two-day repair. A widening crack that runs from the foundation through multiple courses deserves a structural look. We tell you which kind you have and do not invent foundation problems to inflate a lintel job.
Will the repair match my existing brick and mortar?
That is the standard we work to: matched or we say so up front. Brick comes from salvage yards and close production runs, mortar gets tinted in test batches against a cleaned joint, and you see a sample against your wall before we commit. On pre-war brick we match mortar hardness too, using lime-based mixes, because modern Portland mortar wrecks soft historic brick.
When is the right time of year for masonry work?
Mortar wants moderate temperatures to cure, so spring through fall is prime season, and late summer is the smart window for chimney work before the fall rush. Winter work is possible on mild days with the right additives and tenting, but planned jobs cure better in planned weather.
Do you need to be licensed for masonry work in Tennessee?
Tennessee requires a state contractor license for projects at $25,000 and over, so nearly all residential masonry repair and most installs sit under the threshold. We carry liability insurance on every job, and on large scopes that cross the line we work under the proper license and say so in the quote.
How fast can you come out?
Estimates inside a week across Rutherford County, most jobs started within two to three weeks. We are based in Murfreesboro, so Smyrna, La Vergne, Christiana, and Rockvale are fifteen-to-twenty-minute drives, not a Nashville dispatch decision. (615) 558-8640 is a local county line.
Do you take small jobs, or only big projects?
Small jobs are the backbone of this county’s masonry needs and we price them like it: a $400 step repair, a $500 crown, a mailbox rebuild. Rural calls get batched so several small repairs share one mobilization. The metro crews will not drive out for that work, which is exactly why we staff for it.
What is tuckpointing, actually?
Grinding failed mortar joints out to a proper depth, usually about twice the joint width, and repacking them with fresh mortar matched to the original in color and hardness. Done right it restores the wall’s weather seal for decades. Done wrong, a thin smear over the old joint, it fails in a couple of winters and traps water behind it.
Can you work on historic buildings?
Yes, and it is a specialty most production crews skip: lime-mortar repointing, arch and parapet repair, and salvage-brick matching for pre-war structural brick like the Eagleville Main Street block and the Woodbury square. Historic work prices on its own published line, $15 to $25 per square foot, because hand raking and custom mortar take the time they take.
More detail lives on the cost guide, the brick repair page, and the mailbox page, or start at the Murfreesboro Masonry Co. homepage.