Some masonry problems are structural: a rusted lintel pushing brick apart over a garage door, or a mailbox or column that leans a little further every year. They need a different repair than a crack in the mortar, so we treat them separately and explain the difference.
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Rebuilding the brick above the opening.
Real HPM jobs
Before and after
Photos from Houston Pro Masonry projects. Nothing here is stock or AI-generated.
Brick rebuilt above a garage opening
Brick above a garage opening removed.01
Rebuilding the brick above the opening.02
Finished.03
The brick above the opening is taken down, the work below is done, and the brick is rebuilt.
Before
During
Leaning patio-home wall holding a gate, before and during repair.
What we fix
Leaning, sinking, or split? We bring it back
Leaning columns and mailboxes
Brick columns and mailboxes that lean are excavated and brought back to plumb, or rebuilt on a proper footing.
Cracks starting at the corners of windows, doors, or garage openings
Rust staining, a bowed steel angle, or a sagging line of brick above a garage door
A wall that feels loose or has pulled away from the house, often after foundation repair
A mailbox, column, or wall leaning out of plumb, or an iron gate that no longer closes
Gaps opening where a wall meets a column or the house
A broken-off corner of the slab under the brick, or a rusty cable end showing at the slab edge
Assessment first
What we check before we quote
How far the masonry has moved, and whether it still seems to be moving
The condition of the steel above the opening
The footing and the soil at the base
Whether straightening or rebuilding makes more sense
Photos help us give you a better first answer, but the cause isn’t always visible in a photo. When it matters, we look in person before quoting.
The work
The structural repairs, and how we do them
01
Lintel replacement
Steel lintels carry the brick above windows, doors, and garage openings. When one rusts, the steel expands and pushes on the brick; garage lintels also sag over time from the weight above them or because they were never tied to the frame. We remove the brick above the opening, take out the old lintel, treat the new lintel with two coats of Rust-Oleum, reinforce it to the frame of the home, clean the original bricks for reuse, and lay them back with mortar matched to the wall.
02
Loose walls and rusted brick ties
A brick wall can work loose when its brick ties rust through, or when the house settles or a foundation repair shifts the slab and pops the wall out of place. We reinforce the wall back to the frame so it is secure again, then repair the cracks and joints the movement opened.
03
Leaning mailboxes, columns, and walls
Freestanding masonry often leans because it sits on a shallow footing over clay soil that shrinks and swells. Depending on what we find, we excavate around the base and bring the masonry back to plumb, level the wall footing with piers, or, for free-floating walls that rest on columns, repair the leaning or sinking columns. Some leaning structures are better rebuilt than straightened, and we explain which makes sense.
04
Gates that won’t open or close
When an iron gate binds, the cause is usually the masonry it hangs on: a wall, column, or pony wall that has leaned or sunk. We repair the masonry, then adjust the gate so it swings and latches again.
05
Foundation corner pops and cable ends
A corner pop is a piece of the slab corner that breaks away under the brick. Depending on the damage, we resurface it or rebuild the corner with new rebar for reinforcement. Exposed post-tension cable ends rust, expand, and crack the concrete around them; we treat the steel with Rust-Oleum and resurface the area to stop further damage.
On the job
More from HPM jobs
Excavating at a leaning wall. Digging out the base of a leaning brick wall section. From HPM’s project videos.
Leaning wall section, with HPM’s measurement note.
Leaning wing walls before repair beside it.
A gap opening between a garden wall and its column.
The brick above a garage door was taken down and rebuilt from scaffolding.
Read the project
Questions
Frequently asked
Why is my brick mailbox leaning?
Usually because it sits on a shallow footing. Houston’s clay soil shrinks and swells with moisture, and the weight of the brick makes one side settle. Depending on its condition, we excavate, bring it back to plumb and support it, or rebuild it on a proper footing.
What is a lintel, and why does it fail?
It’s the steel angle that carries the brick over a window, door, or garage opening. Over time moisture rusts the steel. Rust expands, which pushes on the brick and cracks the mortar around the opening.
Do you lift or level house foundations?
No. Our leveling work is for freestanding masonry such as mailboxes, columns, and walls. For the house foundation, you’ll want a foundation repair company.
Are corner pops serious?
Often they’re cosmetic, caused by the brick and slab moving at different rates. The concern is moisture reaching the steel in the slab edge. Resurfacing seals the area. It doesn’t fix foundation movement, so if you see other signs of movement, have the foundation evaluated.
Do you handle permits?
We coordinate permits and inspections when the project and jurisdiction require them.
