Masonry Contractor in West Odessa, TX - Walls and Drives Built for County Lots
G&R Midland Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Midland that builds block walls and walkways, repairs brick and repoints mortar for homes, landlords and small businesses across West Odessa, TX.
West Odessa as we see it from the job site
West Odessa isn't a city of its own. It's the unincorporated stretch of Ector County west of Odessa, roughly between Interstate 20 on the south, State Highway 302 on the north and FM 866 on the west. Those lines come from a census map, not a government, but they match what people here mean when they say West Odessa. Most homes are lived in by the people who own them, usually on wider lots than you get in town, a lot of them with a septic tank and a water well out back and a county road out front.
That shapes the job before we lay a single block. We find the tank, the lines and the well first, plan how a truck gets in without crossing them, and treat the spot where your drive meets the road as its own piece of work.
What we've learned working in West Odessa
Permits out here usually aren't a city's call. For property under county rather than city rules, Ector County Development Services issues the permits for structures, drive approaches to county roads and any work in the county right-of-way. When your job needs one, we file it and wait for it before we start, so the permit and the county's inspections set the early schedule more than the weather does. One thing worth asking any contractor here is whether they work under an assumed business name, because the county expects anyone who regularly does business in the county under one, other than a corporation, partnership or LLC, to file that name with the county clerk. We're licensed and fully insured, and I learned masonry on a municipal crew, so waiting on an inspector doesn't bother me.
Most of what we do here is block walls and fences across open lots, brick and mortar repair on houses, and walkways and drives. The price moves with the size of the wall or slab, how deep the footing has to go to reach solid ground, whether old brick has to be matched, and how easy it is to get a mixer and pallets to the spot without crossing a septic field. The schedule turns on the permit, the inspections and how much of the lot we have to work around, and your written estimate spells out what's included for your job. It's the same work we do as a masonry contractor in Midland, TX, where we're based, and Interstate 20 puts West Odessa an easy drive away.
What the ground and the weather do to masonry here
The ground is the first thing we check. A lot of West Odessa sits on sandy soil over caliche, a hard chalky layer under the topsoil, and dry soil shrinks and shifts in a way that shows up as stair-step cracks in block fences and broken edges where a drive meets a county road. We dig the footing down to solid ground and pack the base before the first course goes down, because a wall is only as straight as what it's sitting on.
Then there's the sun. Heat, dry wind and big swings between afternoon and night wear mortar joints out until they powder when you rub them, and once water gets behind the joints, brick starts to crack and loosen. Usually repointing, or a small brick repair on the worst spots, is enough, and I'll tell you so before I'd sell you a rebuild.
Get a free written estimate for your West Odessa project
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day, with no obligation. I'll set a time to come out to your West Odessa property myself, look at the job and give you a free written estimate that spells out what's included.
(432) 219-3791How a masonry job goes when you call us from West Odessa
Call us or send the form
Tell us what's cracked, leaning or needs building, and roughly where it sits on the lot. Photos help, but they don't replace a visit.
I come out and look
I walk the job myself, measure it and check the ground. If you know where your septic tank, lines and well are, show me, because they decide where the footing and the trucks can go.
Get your written estimate
It lists the work, the materials and what's included, so you can compare it line for line. If a smaller fix will do the job, the estimate says so.
We handle the county permit
When the job needs one, we file with the county and wait for it before we dig. On a structure, the county inspects once the forms are set, so we build that stop into the schedule.
Build it, then walk it together
The crew and I do the work and clean up as we go. Before we pack up, I walk the finished job with you.
Block, brick and stone work
Masonry questions from West Odessa homeowners
Do I need a county permit for a driveway that connects to the road in West Odessa?
If the work is a drive approach onto a county road, yes, Ector County issues a separate permit for it, and the same goes for any work in the county right-of-way. A drive approach gets a preliminary inspection and then a second one once the forms are set, so we plan the pour around both visits. You can apply through the county's online permitting, and we take care of the filing when you hire us.
Does an older septic system in West Odessa need a permit if I build near it?
Not while it's left alone, because the county lets systems installed before September 1, 1989 keep running without a permit as long as they cause no nuisance, aren't altered and don't need repair. Once a system fails, the county requires a permit for a new one that meets state requirements, so we mark the tank and lines before we dig and keep footings, trucks and pallets off them. We don't work on septic systems, since the state requires anyone helping with an installation to be a licensed installer.
How much does a masonry contractor cost in West Odessa, TX?
Your price comes down to the size of the job, the material, how deep the footing goes and how easy the spot is to reach, so the real number comes from a visit. County fees are a small piece of it, because a development structure or drive approach permit costs nothing, while a residential septic application, which a structure permit needs, is $250. I'll put your figure in a free written estimate.
What does a site plan need to show for an Ector County structure permit?
It has to show where your septic system and water well are and how far each one sits from the new structure, along with a valid address for the property. The county's structure permit also checks that the finished floor sits at or 1 foot above the crown of the road or the top of the curb, so we measure all of that on the first visit and put the plan together for you.
How long does an Ector County permit stay valid for a West Odessa project?
Development structure, drive approach and right-of-way permits are good for 6 months, and a septic authorization lasts 1 year from the day it's issued. We file when the start date is close, so a permit doesn't run out while the job sits waiting.
What is the best way to build a block wall on a West Odessa lot?
Start with a footing on solid, packed ground, because a wall on loose fill settles and leans. After that, it's checking every course against a string line and a level, filling and reinforcing the cores where the wall needs the strength, and keeping the whole thing clear of your septic lines and well. A wall that's straight on day one is a lot easier to keep straight than one that started crooked.
Where we work
Plan your West Odessa masonry project now
Call (432) 219-3791 or send the form early, because mortar cures best when we're not racing the summer sun.