Masonry Contractor in Gloucester County, NJ: Expert Brick, Block & Stone Services
Masonry is the backbone of your home — the brick walls, stone veneer, concrete steps, chimney, and foundation that hold everything together and define its character. When masonry fails, it's not just cosmetic — it's structural. When it's done right, it lasts generations. Here's everything Gloucester County homeowners need to know about finding and hiring a masonry contractor who actually knows what they're doing.
Masonry Services for Gloucester County Homes
Brick and Block Work
The foundation of traditional masonry. We build and repair:
Brick facades and accent walls — New installation and repair of exterior brick
Block foundations — CMU block construction for additions, garages, and structural walls
Brick steps and stoops — Front entry steps built with brick veneer over a concrete core
Brick mailbox surrounds and pillars — Entry features that make a statement from the street
Brick repair and replacement — Matching and replacing individual damaged bricks
Stone Veneer Installation
Stone veneer transforms plain surfaces into stunning architectural features:
Exterior home facades — Full or partial stone veneer on your home's exterior
Outdoor kitchen surrounds — Natural or manufactured stone over block core
Fireplace surrounds — Indoor and outdoor fireplaces with custom stonework
Accent walls — Interior and exterior feature walls
Foundation facing — Covering exposed concrete block foundations with stone
We work with all major stone products including natural fieldstone, bluestone, and limestone, as well as manufactured stone from Eldorado, Cultured Stone, and Dutch Quality.
Repointing (Tuckpointing)
The most important masonry maintenance service. Mortar joints deteriorate over time — especially in Gloucester County's freeze-thaw climate. Repointing removes old, failing mortar and replaces it with fresh mortar matched to the original in color, composition, and joint profile.
Why it matters: When mortar erodes, water gets behind the bricks. In winter, that water freezes and expands, destroying the brick faces from the inside out. A $500-$2,000 repointing job prevents a $10,000+ wall rebuild.
Critical detail we get right: Replacement mortar must match the original in hardness. Using modern high-strength mortar on an older home with soft lime mortar can crack the bricks. We analyze existing mortar before selecting the replacement mix — something many contractors skip.
Chimney Repair and Rebuild
Chimneys are the most exposed masonry element on your home — weather on all four sides, extreme heat cycling from the flue, and often the oldest mortar on the property.
Common chimney services:
Crown repair and replacement ($300-$800)
Repointing ($500-$2,500)
Flashing repair ($300-$600)
Partial rebuild from roofline up ($2,000-$8,000)
Full chimney rebuild ($5,000-$15,000)
Cap installation to prevent water and animal intrusion
Retaining Walls
Gloucester County's varied terrain — especially the hills in Mullica Hill, Pitman, and parts of Washington Township — means retaining walls are everywhere. We build:
Segmental block walls (Techo-Bloc, Belgard, Cambridge) — $35-$65/sq ft of wall face
Natural stone walls — $50-$100+/sq ft
Poured concrete walls with stone veneer — For structural applications
Seat walls along patios — 18-20 inches tall, doubling as built-in seating
Every retaining wall over 2 feet gets full drainage behind it — gravel backfill, filter fabric, and perforated drain pipe. This is what prevents wall failure, and it's where most contractors cut corners.
Concrete Steps and Stoops
Your front steps take more abuse than almost any other part of your home. We build and replace:
Poured concrete steps — The strongest option, formed and poured as one monolithic structure
Stamped concrete steps — Decorative stamping with bullnose edges to match your patio
Block and stone veneer steps — Premium masonry steps with natural or manufactured stone
Railings — Aluminum, wrought iron, or vinyl, anchored into the concrete during the pour
Every step structure starts with a proper footing below the 36-inch frost line. No footing = steps that heave and separate from the house within a few winters. We see this constantly on work done by other contractors.
Foundation Repair
Above-grade masonry foundation repairs including:
Repointing foundation walls
Replacing deteriorated block or brick
Crack repair and waterproof coating
Parging (applying a waterproof cement coating to exposed block foundations)
For structural foundation issues below grade, we coordinate with specialized foundation contractors.
Why Gloucester County Masonry Requires Local Knowledge
Age of Housing Stock
Gloucester County has homes spanning every era — 1700s farmhouses in Mullica Hill and Swedesboro, Victorian-era homes in Woodbury and Pitman, mid-century developments in Deptford and West Deptford, and brand-new construction in Woolwich and Harrison Township.
Each era used different masonry materials, mortar types, and construction methods. A mason working on a 1920s Woodbury home needs to understand lime mortar and soft brick. The same mason working on a 2005 Washington Township home needs to understand modern block and manufactured stone. We've worked on all of them.
Climate Impact on Masonry
Gloucester County's inland location means hotter summers and colder winters than coastal areas. This wider temperature range creates more thermal stress on masonry:
Mortar deteriorates faster than in milder climates
Brick spalling is more common due to deeper freeze penetration
Chimney damage is accelerated by the temperature extremes
Expansion joints in concrete and masonry are more critical
Local Material Matching
When repairing or adding to existing masonry, matching the existing materials is essential. The brick on your 1985 Cherry Hill colonial is different from the brick on your 1960 Deptford ranch. We maintain relationships with brick suppliers and salvage yards across the region to source matching materials — or we know which manufactured products come closest.
Signs You Need a Mason
Urgent — Call Now
Stair-step cracks in brick walls (foundation movement)
Leaning or bowing walls
Water coming through brick or block walls
Steps separating from the house by more than half an inch
Soon — Schedule This Season
Mortar receding more than 1/4 inch from brick faces
Brick faces flaking or spalling
Missing or shifted cap stones
Chimney mortar visibly deteriorating
When Convenient
White powdery deposits on brick (efflorescence)
Cosmetic mortar discoloration
Minor hairline cracks in mortar joints
Masonry Costs in Gloucester County
Service Typical Cost Repointing (per sq ft of wall) $8 – $15 Individual brick replacement $15 – $35 per brick Chimney crown repair $300 – $800 Chimney repointing $500 – $2,500 Chimney rebuild (from roofline) $2,000 – $8,000 Stone veneer installation $15 – $45 per sq ft Front step replacement (4-5 steps + landing) $3,000 – $9,000 Retaining wall $35 – $100 per sq ft of face Parging/foundation coating $5 – $12 per sq ft Outdoor fireplace $5,000 – $15,000
Gloucester County Towns We Serve
Our shop is in Mullica Hill, which puts us within 20 minutes of almost every town in Gloucester County:
Mullica Hill / Harrison Township — Home base since 1983
Washington Township / Sewell / Turnersville — 10 minutes away
Deptford — 12 minutes
West Deptford — 15 minutes
Pitman — 8 minutes
Glassboro — 12 minutes
Mantua — 10 minutes
Woodbury — 15 minutes
Swedesboro / Woolwich — 12 minutes
National Park / Paulsboro — 18 minutes
Elk Township / South Harrison — 10 minutes
Clayton / Franklinville — 15 minutes
We also serve all of Camden County (Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, Voorhees, Collingswood, Bellmawr, and more) and parts of Burlington and Salem Counties.
Three Generations of Masons
Masonry isn't something you learn from a YouTube video. It's a craft passed down through hands-on experience — watching, practicing, learning what works and what fails over years and decades.
At Patrick Breen Masonry & Concrete, three generations of our family have been masons. Our grandfather started this company in 1983 with a trowel and a work ethic that set the standard. His knowledge was passed to his sons, and from them to the current generation running the company today.
That's 43+ years of building, repairing, and restoring masonry across Gloucester County. 2,167+ projects. A 4.9-star Google rating built one satisfied homeowner at a time. And a family name on the side of the truck that means we don't cut corners — because our reputation is literally our name.
Get Your Masonry Project Started
Whether it's a crumbling chimney, failing steps, a retaining wall project, stone veneer installation, or a complete outdoor living space — we've done it thousands of times across Gloucester County.
Request a Free Estimate — We'll come to your property, assess the work needed, and provide a detailed written quote.
Call: (856) 223-1100
Patrick Breen Masonry & Concrete — Mullica Hill, NJ — Three Generations Since 1983 — NJ Lic #13VH00144300