M&K South Bend Concrete & Masonry is a masonry contractor based in South Bend, IN, and we cross the state line into Niles to repoint old brick, fix chimneys and foundations, and build walls and walkways that hold up. I come out to look at your job myself, and I work on the crew too.
(574) 213-0235
Niles sits just across the state line from us, and a lot of our calls from here are about older brick houses that have stood a long time. Usually the mortar between the bricks has worn back, a chimney has started shedding brick at the top, or a basement wall has cracked and lets water in after a wet spring. That's the work we're best known for, and it's the kind I'd rather do slow and right.
Newer homes call us more for walkways, retaining walls and outdoor kitchens, and on those the first question is the same one, which is where the water goes. We do the same kind of work up the road in Dowagiac, so the weather and ground on this side of the line aren't new to us.
We reply to every call and message within one business day. I'll set a time to come out to your place in Niles, walk the job with you and write up a free estimate in plain words. There's no pressure and no obligation to go ahead.
(574) 213-0235Most of our work in Niles is repair on older brick, so tuckpointing, brick and chimney repair and foundation work make up the bulk of it, done so the fix doesn't start a new crack in the wall around it. We also build new, from retaining walls on sloped yards to walkways and driveway pavers that need a solid, well-drained base to get through Michigan winters.
In Michigan, building codes can be enforced by the state, the county or the local government, and a permit goes through whichever one covers your address, so before work starts we check the state's building permit page to find that office, and when the job calls for a permit we pull it as part of the work. Because it has to be in place before we start, the permit is one of two things your schedule hangs on, and the other is weather, since mortar won't cure right in freezing cold. The state also requires anyone who builds a home, or repairs or improves one for pay, to hold a Residential Builder license from its Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, with some exceptions in the law, so it's fair to ask any contractor about theirs. Price comes down to how much brick or mortar is damaged, how high and hard to reach it is, how closely new material has to match the old, and what we find once a wall or chimney is opened.
Niles sits along the St. Joseph River, and lots near the water or on low ground tend to stay damp, which soaks basement block and old brick ahead of every winter's freeze and thaw. So on foundation, retaining wall and walkway jobs here I look at grading and drainage before anything else, because a wall that keeps getting wet usually cracks again however well it's laid. We do the same work over in Elkhart and around South Bend, and wet ground near a river is something we meet on both sides of the line.
I write the estimate myself and then work on the crew alongside our masons and laborers, so the person who stood in your yard and talked it through is there when the work gets done. Your questions on the job don't have to go through anyone else.
Old brick is usually softer than today's mortar, so a hard patch can crack the brick around it. We match the mortar to the wall, because I grew up on a farm where a patch done wrong always cost more than fixing it right once.
We're fully licensed and insured, and I started this business in 2023 after learning masonry under an experienced mason around South Bend. Your satisfaction, guaranteed. When you're ready, call (574) 213-0235 or send the form, and I'll come take a look.
Under Michigan's rules, ordinary repairs don't need a building permit, but cutting away a wall, cutting into structural beams or bearing supports, or changing an exit route doesn't count as an ordinary repair. Building a new building or structure needs a permit applied for in writing before work starts, usually with a set of plans, though the building official can waive those when the application makes the work clear. Once I've seen your job, I'll tell you which side of that line it falls on.
I can't give you an honest number until I've seen the wall, because the cost comes from how much is damaged and what it takes to fix it right. A few worn joints on a low wall make a small job, while a chimney that needs rebuilding above the roof means scaffolding, more material and more hours. I walk it with you and write the estimate in plain words so you can see where the money goes.
Water is usually behind it, soaking into the joints and then freezing and thawing through the winter until the mortar wears back and loosens. Gutters that overflow, a missing chimney cap or ground sloping toward the house keep feeding it. New joints without stopping the water usually just buy a few winters, so we find where it's getting in first.
It starts with me coming out to walk the job with you, looking at the brick, the mortar and where the water runs, then writing up what we'd do in plain words. If your home is in a historic district, we help you reach the commission before anything else. Anything we can't see until a wall is opened, I'll tell you about up front as a possibility rather than a surprise.
They may be, since FEMA put preliminary updated flood maps for Berrien County out for review in June 2025 and encouraged owners to look at them to learn their local flood risk and possible future flood insurance requirements. Those maps were preliminary at the time, so check FEMA's notice on the Berrien County maps for where things stood. If your lot sits low or near the river, it's worth knowing before you put money into a foundation or retaining wall.
Michigan's Water Resources Division will estimate the 100-year floodplain elevation at no charge if your property is in a state-regulated floodplain or an area where it has usable floodplain information. You request it through the state's MiEnviro system, and it may take 8 to 16 weeks, so ask early if you're planning work on low ground. That figure helps us plan grading and drainage around a new wall.
