You stop worrying about water in the basement every time it rains. The cracks in your foundation aren’t getting wider. Your chimney isn’t leaking brown stains down the living room wall.
That’s what good masonry work does. It fixes the problem at the source, not just what you can see from the curb.
If you own one of Orange’s older homes—Tudor, Colonial, Victorian—you already know the brick and stone weren’t just decorative. They’re structural. When mortar fails or bricks start spalling, it’s not cosmetic. It’s a countdown.
We handle brick repair, chimney masonry, retaining walls, stone veneer, patios, and full restorations. The kind of work that stops small problems before they turn into foundation issues or water damage you can’t ignore.
Proline Construction has been handling masonry work across Essex County for over 25 years. We’re not new to Orange’s hillside lots, freeze-thaw cycles, or the specific brick types used in homes near Eagle Rock Reservation.
We know what the Building Department expects. We know which materials match period-correct work and which modern options actually hold up. And we don’t disappear halfway through a job or surprise you with costs that weren’t in the estimate.
You’ll get pricing in writing, a timeline that makes sense, and work that passes inspection the first time. That’s how we’ve stayed in business this long.
First, we come out and actually look at what’s going on. Not a quick glance—we’re checking for movement, water damage, mortar condition, and whether the issue is isolated or part of something bigger.
Then we give you a written estimate. It includes materials, labor, timeline, and what we’re actually going to do. No vague line items. If we find something unexpected once we open up the wall, we talk to you before adding costs.
During the job, we manage the site. That means protecting your landscaping, keeping debris contained, and not leaving tools scattered across your driveway for weeks. Most masonry projects wrap in days, not months—depending on scope.
After we’re done, you get a one-year workmanship guarantee in writing. If something’s not right, we come back and fix it. You also get care instructions if the work needs specific maintenance down the road.
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Brick and stone repair—tuckpointing, repointing, replacing spalled brick, rebuilding sections that have failed. Chimney work—crown repair, flashing replacement, rebuilding from the roofline up if needed. Retaining walls that handle Orange’s sloped lots without bowing or cracking after two seasons.
We also install brick veneer, build patios and walkways, handle foundation work, and restore historic masonry using period-correct materials. If your home was built before 1960, we’ve worked on others like it.
Orange has a lot of homes on hillsides where water management matters. A retaining wall that’s not built right will fail. A patio that doesn’t drain properly will sink. We account for grading, drainage, and frost lines because this is New Jersey—not Georgia.
You’re not getting the cheapest bid. You’re getting materials that match, work that lasts, and a crew that knows the difference between cosmetic fixes and structural repairs.
It depends on what’s broken and how much of it there is. Tuckpointing a small chimney might run $800 to $1,500. Rebuilding a failing retaining wall could be $3,000 to $8,000. Full foundation repair? That’s a bigger conversation.
Masonry costs more than most people expect because the materials are expensive and the labor is skilled. You’re not paying someone to slap mortar in a crack—you’re paying for someone who knows how to match existing brick, prep surfaces correctly, and build something that won’t fail in five years.
We give written estimates before starting any work. That includes materials, labor, and timeline. If we find something unexpected—like hidden water damage or structural movement—we stop and talk to you before adding costs.
Most residential masonry jobs in Orange take anywhere from two days to two weeks, depending on scope. Repointing a chimney? Usually a few days. Rebuilding a front stoop or installing a new patio? Closer to a week or two.
Weather matters. We can’t lay brick or stone in freezing temps or during heavy rain—the mortar won’t cure right. If your project gets scheduled in late fall or winter, expect possible delays.
We’ll give you a realistic timeline upfront. Not best-case scenario, not padded by three weeks—what it actually takes when things go normally. If something changes, you’ll know before it affects the schedule.
Yes, but it takes some effort. A lot of the brick used in Orange’s historic homes isn’t made anymore, so we source reclaimed materials or find modern equivalents that match in size, color, and texture.
We bring samples to your property and compare them in natural light. Brick looks different depending on the time of day and surrounding materials, so we don’t guess. If we can’t get a good match, we’ll tell you that too—and discuss options like rebuilding an entire section so it looks intentional.
This matters more than most contractors admit. A bad brick match stands out for decades. We’d rather spend extra time sourcing the right material than leave you with a repair that looks like a patch job.
Water is usually the culprit. It gets into small cracks, freezes, expands, and breaks the brick or mortar apart. Over years, that cycle—called spalling—destroys masonry that would otherwise last a century.
Other causes: poor drainage, settling foundations, tree roots, or mortar that was mixed wrong to begin with. Sometimes it’s just age. Mortar has a lifespan of 20 to 30 years in New Jersey’s climate. After that, it starts breaking down.
If you’re seeing horizontal cracks, stair-step cracks, or sections that are bowing out, that’s often a sign of foundation movement or water pressure behind the wall. Those need more than cosmetic repair—they need a real fix before the problem spreads.
It depends on the scope. Retaining walls over a certain height, foundation work, and structural repairs usually require a permit from Orange’s Building Department. Smaller jobs like repointing or patio installation often don’t.
We handle permit applications when they’re needed. That includes submitting plans, scheduling inspections, and making sure the work meets township code. You don’t have to deal with the paperwork.
Skipping permits on work that requires them is a problem if you ever sell the house. Inspectors catch unpermitted work, and it can kill a sale or force you to rip things out and start over. We don’t cut corners there.
If the damage is mostly at the top—cracked crown, worn mortar joints, failing flashing—repair usually works. If the chimney is leaning, has large cracks running vertically, or is losing bricks, you’re likely looking at a rebuild from the roofline up.
We inspect the entire structure, not just what’s visible from the ground. Sometimes the exterior looks fine but the flue liner inside is cracked, which is a safety issue. Other times the chimney looks rough but the bones are solid.
A full rebuild costs more, but it’s the right call when the structure is compromised. Patching a failing chimney just delays the inevitable—and if it collapses through your roof, the repair bill gets a lot worse.
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