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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Middletown sits on the East Shore of the Susquehanna River, where Swatara Creek comes in. The borough calls itself Dauphin County's oldest community, laid out in 1755. Census figures show more than one in four homes here went up before 1940, against about one in five countywide. On masonry that old, the mortar joints usually fail first, and every hard freeze opens them wider.
Steven Rigg Masonry builds and repairs brick, block and stone for homes and small commercial buildings. Middletown is part of our service area, which reaches about 40 miles around Mechanicsburg. Older homes here often need tuckpointing on worn joints or chimney repair above the roofline. Call or text (717) 608-2175, and we 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.
By today's names, the first streets were Main, High and Water, crossed by Spring, Union, Pine, Spruce and Race. The median home in the borough dates to 1958, against 1972 for Dauphin County. About one home in five is attached: a rowhouse or a twin that shares a wall.
Brick laid a century or more ago often sits in soft lime mortar. A hard cement patch on soft old brick can make the brick face spall and chip away. The fix is a mortar matched to the old brick, so the joint gives way before the brick does.
Chimneys take the most weather, since the part above the roof is open on every side. A cracked crown lets water run down into the brick, and each freeze pushes the brick apart.
NOAA's weather station at Harrisburg International Airport sits just west of the borough. Its 1991 to 2020 normals show about 100 days a year with a low at or below freezing. Water that soaks into a joint or under a step freezes and swells, then thaws, again and again.
Federal soil maps put about half the borough on old river silt and sand, which they call alluvial material. On the lowest ground, the maps show Lindside silt loam. NRCS rates it high for frost action and lists it for frequent flooding.
Frost action means soil that heaves when it freezes and settles when it thaws. That movement is how a stoop pulls away from the house or a walk starts to tip. When we rebuild front steps and walks, step footings go below the frost line. Walks sit on a packed stone base.
The National Weather Service keeps a gauge on Swatara Creek at Middletown. Its record crest, 23.29 feet, came with the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee in 2011. Minor flood stage there is 11 feet.
FEMA maps flood zones along the Susquehanna River and Swatara Creek inside the borough. On a lot in the regulated floodplain, the borough counts paving and grading as development. A new patio or walk there needs a Floodplain Development Permit. Lots in an X zone need none, and you can look up your lot on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center.
Stormwater has its own line on the borough's permit form. A project that proposes 1,000 square feet or more of hard surface needs stormwater controls and a report. The plot plan also asks you to label the square footage of patios and private sidewalks. Keep that in mind when you size a new brick and stone patio.
Middletown's Office of Codes Enforcement runs the state Uniform Construction Code in the borough. One borough form covers zoning, building, sidewalk and stormwater work. The borough's storm drains empty untreated into the creek and the river. So its rules list concrete washout as an illicit discharge.
The state code says an ordinary repair needs no permit. It also exempts retaining walls up to 4 feet tall, measured from the lowest grade. A wall that holds back extra load, such as a driveway, does not get that pass. Each exemption carries a catch: the work must not break a local law or ordinance.
So the borough office has the final word, and we point you there before work starts. We look at the job first, then put the quote in writing.
Communities and areas we serve around Middletown: Oak Hills, Main Street, Union Street, Emaus Street, Spring Street, Race Street, Susquehanna Street, Hoffer Park, Royalton, Lower Swatara Township, Londonderry Township.
Middletown ZIP codes served: 17057.
Middletown 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 Middletown. 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.