Brick Masonry
New brick walls, veneer, columns, porches and piers for homes and small commercial buildings. We look at the job and put the quote in writing.
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Harrisburg is a city of old brick. More than 4 in 10 of its homes were built in 1939 or earlier, by Census estimates. Many are row homes and twins in neighborhoods like Midtown, Uptown, Allison Hill and Shipoke. After a hundred winters, mortar washes out of the joints and the faces of soft brick start to flake.
Steven Rigg Masonry works as a masonry contractor in Harrisburg, and the whole city is part of our service area. That area reaches about 40 miles around Mechanicsburg, which sits about 9 road miles west across the Susquehanna. In the city we do tuckpointing on old brick walls and chimney repair, and we rebuild worn front steps. Call or text (717) 608-2175, and we will look at the job and put the quote in writing.
Tell us about the chimney, wall, steps or patio and where it is. We look at the job and put the quote in writing.
Half of the city's homes were built in 1947 or earlier, by the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 estimates. The share built in 1939 or earlier is more than twice the Dauphin County share. About 43 percent are attached homes, the row homes and twins that share a wall with the house next door. Only about 1 in 7 is a detached house.
New houses are rare here. Census Bureau permit data counts just 21 new single-family homes authorized in the city from 2023 through 2025. So the brick in Harrisburg is mostly old brick, and it is worth keeping sound.
Midtown holds the Old Uptown and Old Midtown historic districts, both on the National Register of Historic Places. Uptown has big homes along Front Street and Italian Lake, plus many from the early 1900s. Allison Hill climbs east from the bluff along Cameron Street. Shipoke is a late 1800s riverside neighborhood of restored townhouses.
The city's Historic District Design and Preservation Guide says brick was the main masonry material in old Harrisburg. Old brick is soft, and the lime-rich mortar laid with it was soft too. Modern Portland cement mortar is much harder. The guide says it is not right for historic brick unless the building had it from the start.
The guide says soft lime mortar lets moisture escape through the joints rather than the brick. When the mortar is harder than the brick, water leaves through the brick instead. Winter freezes then pop the brick's face off, which masons call spalling. We match new mortar to the old in color and joint width, and keep it softer than the brick.
The city's permit instructions say exterior work in a historic district needs review by the planning director. Extensive changes may also need approval from the Harrisburg Architectural Review Board. The guide rules out sandblasting old brick and asks for the gentlest cleaning that works. Where brick faces have already popped, brick repair swaps in the closest match we can find.
The Susquehanna forms the city's west edge. Its National Weather Service gauge at Harrisburg set the record of 33.27 feet in June 1972, during Hurricane Agnes. Tropical Storm Lee pushed it to 25.17 feet in September 2011. To see the flood zone for one address, use FEMA's Flood Map Service Center.
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Harrisburg Capital City Airport station count about 100 freezing nights a year. Only about 17 days a year never climb above freezing. So most cold nights end in a thaw, and each swing works water deeper into open joints. Wet brick and soft old mortar take the worst of it.
Front steps get the same freeze and thaw, plus everyday foot traffic. Federal soil maps show most of the city's land as built-over urban land on old river flats and shale. When front steps and walks settle, the rebuild starts with a firm footing below the frost line. Before any digging, Pennsylvania law calls for an 811 request three to ten business days ahead.
The city's Bureau of Codes handles building and zoning permits. Its instructions call for plot plans with permits for fences, decks, sheds and new construction. Structural work on a porch needs two sets of plans. The form also lists fence and wall work among its types of improvement.
Near the river, ask about the flood plain as well. The city requires a flood plain elevation certificate for new construction and substantial rehab in the 100-year flood plain. New or substantial work there may need a special exception or a variance before a permit is issued.
Capital Region Water handles the city's sewer and stormwater. About 60 percent of Harrisburg drains into a combined sewer, where rain and wastewater share one pipe. Its stormwater fee is set by a property's hard surfaces, such as pavement and roofs. A new brick or stone patio adds hard surface, so ask Capital Region Water how it counts.
Communities and areas we serve around Harrisburg: Midtown, Uptown, Allison Hill, Shipoke, Market Square, Old Uptown Historic District, Bellevue Park, Front Street, Italian Lake, Reservoir Park, Riverfront Park, City Island.
Harrisburg ZIP codes served: 17101, 17102, 17103, 17104, 17110.
Harrisburg is part of our service area. We look at the job first, then put the quote in writing.
(717) 608-2175 New brick walls, veneer, columns, porches and piers for homes and small commercial buildings. We look at the job and put the quote in writing.
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Natural stone walls and stone veneer for homes and small commercial buildings. We also face foundations and chimney rebuilds in stone.
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Concrete block foundations and basement walls for additions and garages, plus freestanding garden walls. We also repair block walls with cracked or broken block.
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We grind out failed mortar and repoint brick and stone with new mortar matched to the old. We do this work on walls, foundations, steps and facades around Mechanicsburg.
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We repoint chimneys and repair or replace cracked crowns. When the top is too far gone, we rebuild it from the roofline in brick or stone veneer.
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We repair cracked and spalling brick, loose steps, rusted lintels and damaged block and stone. We find the cause first, then match the repair to the wall.
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We build brick paver and flagstone patios on a compacted stone base with firm edging. Each one is pitched so rain runs away from the house.
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We build brick and stone walkways, front steps, porch steps, stoops and landings around Mechanicsburg. Old steps that have sunk or pulled away from the house get rebuilt on a new footing.
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We build and repair retaining walls in block and natural stone, plus segmental walls, around Mechanicsburg and the Harrisburg area. Each wall sits on a footing or a compacted gravel pad, with drainage behind it.
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We build outdoor kitchens in masonry: grill islands faced in brick or stone, and brick pizza ovens. You pick the grill, and we build each opening to fit it.
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We build outdoor fireplaces and masonry fire pits in brick and stone. Seat walls around the fire give everyone a place to sit.
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Concrete footings and pads poured for the masonry that sits on them. We also pour steps and small patios when you ask, and we repair walk sections.
Learn MoreReal reviews of our masonry work, 3 reviews on Google.
Fastest company to get back to me, as well as educate me on the process behind building up a brick step up to the front door. I found that very beneficial, and added a sense of security and i always stand behind anyone who is that confident in their work, as well as going above and beyond!!!
Efficient, quick, and on time, rain played a factor but these guys didn’t let that affect them, stayed on the timeline they gave me and crushed it, the work speaks for itself
Steven got us scheduled very quickly and gave us a quote! He was very honest about the work we needed done and pointed us in the right direction for how it should be done. The finished project looked great! We would definitely recommend Steven and are very happy with his work. Thank you Steven!
A few of the questions we hear most around Harrisburg. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Tell us what needs building or fixing and the town it is in, and text us photos if you like. Call or text (717) 608-2175 or use the form, and we will get back to you.
Tell us about the chimney, wall, steps or patio and where it is. We look at the job and put the quote in writing.