Concrete block walls in Newport News VA - built for what the wall has to do
Yard sloping onto the patio, or no privacy from the street? We build block walls with drainage and crack control planned from the start.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What is a concrete block wall, and is it right for your yard?
A concrete block wall is built from hollow concrete masonry units, and in Newport News we build them for garden borders, privacy along a property line, holding back a slope and framing outdoor kitchens. Block is a popular choice because it's strong, it lasts, it costs less than most masonry and it resists fire, noise and insects.
Most people who call us have a slope that keeps sliding toward the patio, a back line they want closed off, or a plan for something heavier, and if the main job is holding back a hill, our retaining wall construction page goes further into it. What moves the price is the wall's length and height, whether it holds back soil, how much digging and drainage it needs, and how the face is finished. The schedule mostly turns on the weather, the permit check for your address and giving the footing time to set before block goes on it. I'll write up your own figure after I've walked the spot with you.
How do you know you need a block wall, or a new one?
A wall leaning outward
If an old block wall has started to lean or bow toward you, the usual cause is water or soil pushing from behind with nowhere to go, or a footing that's settling. Leaning walls don't straighten themselves, and the longer it goes, the more of the wall has to come down and be rebuilt.
Soil washing onto the patio
A slope that sheds mud onto your patio or walk after every storm is soil that wants a wall to hold it. Each rain moves a little more, which means more cleanup now and a bigger cut to level out when you finally build.
Damp, stained block
Dark wet patches or a white chalky crust on a block wall mean water is moving through it, usually because nothing lets it drain from behind or the face was never coated. Left alone, the block stays soaked and the joints break down faster.
How we build concrete block walls
I start by asking what the wall is for, because a low garden border, a privacy wall and a wall holding back a slope each need something different, and that decides whether we lay it in mortar or stack it dry and surface bond it. Then we lay out the line, dig out and pour the footing, the wide concrete base the wall stands on, and build the wall up course by course with whatever steel and grout the design calls for. As it goes up, we set the control joints, planned breaks in the wall, where we want them, so if the block shrinks a little as it cures, any crack lands in the joint instead of wandering across the face. If the wall holds back soil, the drainage goes in as the wall rises, not afterward, and then we cap it, finish the face and clean up.
If the block is going under a house or an addition, that's foundation block wall installation, which gets planned around the weight of the building. Block also makes the base for a grill island or bar counter, and we cover that, with the brick or stone face on top, as part of our outdoor kitchen masonry.
Mortared block wall
Each block is set in a bed of mortar, and this suits retaining walls and any wall that will carry steel and grout in its cores. It takes a steady hand to keep every course level and plumb, so it's where an experienced mason earns his keep.
Surface bonded block wall
The blocks are stacked dry with no mortar between them, then both faces get a coat of surface bonding material that ties them together. It goes up faster, leans less on the mason's hand and the coating does an excellent job of keeping rain out, so it suits garden and privacy walls where you want a plain, smooth face.
Get a free on-site estimate for your block wall
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the spot with you and write up a free estimate, with no obligation.
(757) 782-8614- Based in
- Newport News, VA 23606
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
What happens after you call about a block wall in Newport News?
Here's how a block wall goes from your first call to the last look around, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
Call (757) 782-8614 or send the form, and we'll set a time to come out. It helps to know roughly how long and how tall you want the wall and what it's for.
Walk the spot with me
I come out myself, look at the ground and any old wall with you, and tell you what I see before I write anything down. The estimate lays out how we'd build the wall and what it costs, so you can weigh it against anyone else's line by line.
Permits first, then the build
Once you say go, we sort out the permit and any review your address needs before anyone digs. Then we set the footing and build the wall, with me working alongside our masons.
Walk the finished wall
When it's done, we walk the wall with you and point out the control joints and any drains, so you'll know what you're looking at years from now. We clean up before we leave.
Why Newport News homeowners call K&R for block walls
I look at every wall myself
I come out to every job, walk it with you and write the estimate myself, then work alongside our masons once the wall goes up. What we talked about in your yard is what gets built, because the person who planned it is there building it.
Laying block since my first jobs
I started out laying block and brick on new houses, learning from the masons on those crews, and opened K&R in 2020 to work on homes people already live in. Six years in, I build a new wall with an eye to the house and yard it has to sit beside.
Licensed and fully insured on every job
We're licensed and fully insured. In Virginia, the licence a contractor holds depends on the size of the contract, with one class covering single jobs over $1,000 and under $30,000, and a licensed business also has to meet the local licensing rules in each city where it works.
Before you call (757) 782-8614 or send us the details, jot down roughly how long and tall you want the wall, what it's for, and whether your lot sits in a flood zone, so I can come out ready.
Block walls, flood zones and permits in Newport News
The permit question here mostly comes down to where your lot sits. The city's quick-apply permit list names fences and sheds but not block walls, so whether your wall needs a permit is something to check with the city's permits and zoning office, not something to assume. The city also notes that structures like fences and sheds can block floodwater and cause flooding nearby, which is why a wall in a flood zone gets a closer look. If your lot is in the Resource Protection Area, any development there needs City staff approval, and larger projects that disturb more ground need a Land Disturbance Permit from the Department of Engineering. Before work starts, we check with the permit office for your address and handle the permit paperwork when the job calls for it, and if your home is near the water or in a historic district, I flag it at the estimate so any review happens before we dig.
We're based in Newport News and work in the cities around it. Many of the walls we're asked about are privacy walls along a back line, low walls framing a patio and short walls holding up a raised bed, and on each one we work out where the rainwater will go once the wall is standing. We see the same kinds of yards on jobs in Hampton and Poquoson, and we check with each city's permit office there too.
Questions about block walls in Newport News
How much does a concrete block wall cost in Newport News?
Installing a concrete block wall across the US usually costs about $16 to $19 per square foot, and that's a national figure for the market, not our price. Your number depends on the wall's length and height, how much footing and drainage it needs and how the face is finished. I'll write it up after walking the spot with you.
Does a block wall need a permit in Newport News?
It does if your lot is in the city's mapped flood zone, because the city requires a building permit for all construction there. Outside it, we check with the city for your address before work starts and handle the paperwork when the job calls for it.
Will my new block wall crack?
It may get small shrinkage cracks as the block dries, and those aren't a structural concern, so they affect how the wall looks rather than how strong it is. Exposed block walls above ground typically get control joints, planned breaks that limit visible cracks and keep moisture and air from getting in, which is why we place ours before the first course goes down.
How do I keep a block retaining wall from failing in heavy rain?
Give the water a way out, because a block retaining wall needs something that stops water from building up behind its face and reduces the possible effects of frost. That makes drainage part of the wall's plan from the start. Block industry guidance adds that where heavy, long rains are expected, a continuous drain along the back of the wall can be added to the drains that run through it.
What should the footing for a block retaining wall sit on?
For a retaining wall, the footing, the wide base under the wall, sits on firm undisturbed soil or on well compacted fill. In places exposed to freezing, block industry guidance puts the base of the footing below the frost line, the depth the ground freezes to. I'll tell you what your spot needs once I've seen it.
What is the best way to make a block wall stronger?
Filling some or all of the blocks' hollow cores with grout adds strength to the wall, so it's a fair question to ask any builder. Which cores get grout, and whether steel goes in with it, depends on what the wall has to hold, and I'll go over it with you at the estimate.
Related services that often go with a block wall
Foundation block wall installation
When block has to carry a house or an addition, the footing and wall are sized for that load, a different job from a garden wall.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
Planning a grill island or counter by the patio? A block core carries the weight of stone tops and appliances, and we face it in brick or stone.
Where we build block walls around Newport News
K&R Newport News Concrete & Masonry is based in Newport News, Virginia, and builds block walls in the cities around it, including Hampton and Poquoson. We have pages for nine cities below, and if you don't see yours, call and ask.
Newport News, VA
Get your block wall planned before it's built
Settling the wall's purpose, drainage and permit check before anything is dug costs far less than fixing a wall after it's up, so call (757) 782-8614 or send the form.