Full-bed clay brick installation on a new North Shore estate — architect-approved custom blend, mockup-first material selection, and coursing detailed to read as one seamless elevation.
Project Details
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Before 1/3 — Front elevation — full-bed clay brick laid in running bond with consistent tooled joints
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Before 2/3 — Side elevation — brick installation over engineered tie and flashing system
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Before 3/3 — Entry detail — soldier course and precision jointing at the front entry surround
The builder on this new Winnetka estate needed a masonry partner who could hold an exacting finish standard across a large brick elevation without slowing the construction schedule. We built the mockup panel during framing, locked material approval early, and delivered the finished elevation on the GC’s timeline — with the hidden tie and flashing system documented before it disappeared behind the brick.
Brick installed with rushed coursing or inconsistent joints reads as cheap on an otherwise premium home
Ties, flashing, and weep details hidden behind the brick decide whether the wall stays dry for decades
A builder who has to redo a masonry sub’s work mid-schedule loses weeks — the right crew the first time protects the timeline
Every project follows the same disciplined sequence — no shortcuts, no hand-offs, same crew start to finish.
We pull brick samples from our supplier network and build an on-site mockup panel so the homeowner, architect, and builder approve color, texture, and joint style in real light — before a single pallet is ordered.
Wall ties at engineered spacing, continuous flashing at every opening, and correctly positioned weeps — the system behind the brick is inspected and photographed before it disappears behind the finish work.
Our in-house masons hand-lay every course to string lines with consistent joint tooling — blending brick across pallets so the finished elevation reads as one wall, not a patchwork of batches.
The finished wall is washed down, inspected under raking light, and walked with you or your GC. Every project closes with photo documentation and a written warranty.
A brick elevation done right needs no attention for 20-30 years and permanently anchors the home’s curb presence. AMS has installed brick on custom homes and builder projects across Chicagoland since 2007 — one in-house crew, mockup-first material approval, and detailing engineered for this climate’s freeze-thaw reality.
We bring physical samples matched to your architect’s drawings and build a mockup panel on site, viewed in your actual light. Texture, format (modular, Norman, oversized), and mortar color all change how a wall reads at full scale — the mockup is how we get it right before it’s on every elevation.
Most residential brick elevations run 1-3 weeks once material is on site, depending on square footage and detailing complexity. We provide a written, GC-coordinated schedule before starting so the masonry never becomes the surprise on your critical path.
Full-bed brick delivers the deepest shadow lines and the most traditional read; thin brick suits wall assemblies with weight or thickness constraints. We walk you and your architect through both against the actual wall design rather than defaulting to one answer.
