Texas Bricklady / Tillema & Sons Masonry

08/18/2026

You didn't buy a place at the lake just to stay inside. 🌊

From custom masonry to outdoor living spaces, fireplaces, patios and fire pits, we build spaces made for enjoying the place you call home.

Tillema & Sons Masonry
📞 903-714-8965

06/25/2026

looks like we found

06/15/2026

One of the most common questions I get from homeowners is:

"Should I be worried about this crack in my brick?"

The answer might surprise you.

Not every crack means your foundation is failing, and not every crack means your house is falling down. In fact, some cracks are simply a building's way of responding to movement, temperature changes, or age.

After more than 30 years in masonry and restoration, I've learned that cracks tell a story. The challenge is learning how to read that story before spending money on repairs that may not be necessary.

In the first article of my new Construction Science Simplified series, I'm breaking down why brick cracks, what causes it, and when homeowners should actually be concerned.

Have you ever discovered a crack in your brick and wondered what it meant?

Read the full article here:
https://www.texasbricklady.com/post/why-brick-cracks-understanding-the-science

One of the most common questions I hear from homeowners is: "Should I be worried about this crack?" Sometimes the answer is yes. Most of the time, the answer is no. Brick is an incredibly strong building material. Many brick structures have survived for hundreds of years. I've worked on buildings th...

04/13/2026

I lived through my worst case scenario.
Not the one in my head—the real one.

Twice.

And here’s what I can tell you…
It wasn’t what took me out.

This one’s for anyone—contractor or homeowner—who’s been stuck in “what if” instead of moving forward.

When I was about 16, my family took one of our annual vacations. We didn’t go far; money was usually tight, but that year, we were headed to the Texas Hill Country. The Alamo, a few stops along the way… nothing fancy, just something different.We left around 4 in the morning in our tank of a car,...

03/17/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DPAqD9SSU/

My husband loves road trips. And by loves, I mean he’d rather just get there than enjoy the journey.But recently he indulged me on one of our trips through the Texas Hill Country.I wanted to prove a point.See, a few months ago, I was reading some of the posts on a couple of pages for my h...

02/25/2026

$1 Billion Dollars.

That’s the current estimate to repair Dallas City Hall.
Now the debate begins.

Do they move everyone out and fix it all at once?
Do they stretch repairs over 20 years?
Do they sell it and build new?

But here’s the hard truth:

It didn’t have to be this way.
The price tag is so high for one reason.

Deferred maintenance.

I see it almost every time I evaluate a building with damaged brick or a failing façade.

Maintenance is more than sweeping floors and keeping the air conditioning running.

It’s:

* Inspecting the building regularly
* Pulling the weeds growing between the sidewalk and the wall
* Resealing and caulking control joints
* Addressing small cracks early
* Managing moisture before it spreads

Small neglected fixes become major structural repairs.

Sticker shock is real. I see it almost daily.

The small repair feels inconvenient.
It feels like something that can wait.
It feels cheaper to “cover it up.”

But the data consistently shows:

For every $1 saved by delaying maintenance, it can cost up to $7 in future repairs.

That means a $400 repair today can balloon into $10,000+ when it catastrophically fails and becomes an emergency.

And it doesn’t just affect one building.

An unmaintained building can cause depreciation of surrounding properties.

When historic buildings decline, entire districts lose value.
Across the United States, deferred maintenance is costing communities trillions.

The old adage is still true:

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

At some point, maintenance is no longer optional.
It’s leadership.

If you own property, manage facilities, or sit on a council, prevention is always cheaper than crisis.

Fix the $400 problem before it becomes the $10,000 emergency.

02/04/2026

In construction, we talk a lot about how to build better projects, but not enough about how to build better people.

I learned that early on, growing up around my Grandpa's masonry business in Texas. He always said loyalty isn't something you can demand; you have to earn it.

I remember a man named George who worked for Grandpa, and his story still sticks with me.

It reminds me that leadership, respect, and appreciation are just as important as getting the job done or making a profit.
If you work in the trades, own a business, or are a contractor, I think you'll understand where I'm coming from.
👇

George was a big, burly man. He always picked up his check in person at my Grandpa’s home office. He was quiet and gentle, very polite—always said "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am" to my grandmother, and he never called Grandpa anything but "Boss." I never heard him call Grandpa any other name. The fir...