Quick answer
Do you serve Crete, NE?
Yes. Crete is about 27 miles from our office at 701 P Street, roughly 35 minutes on US-77 south and Highway 33 west. We work on homes, rentals and downtown commercial buildings in Crete and the rest of Saline County. Call Brenton at (402) 417-3937, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, for a site visit and a free written bid.
Crete at a glance
| Town | Crete, Nebraska |
|---|---|
| County | Saline County |
| ZIP codes | 68333 |
| From our Lincoln office | About 27 miles, about 35 minutes via US-77 S and NE-33 W |
| Nearby communities | Wilber, Dorchester, Friend, DeWitt, Western, Swanton, Milford |
| Who to call | Brenton Roby, (402) 417-3937 |
| Services | Masonry, Stone, Roofing, Siding, Gutters, Painting, EIFS & Stucco, Storm Repair, Commercial |
Do You Work in Crete? Yes, Homes and Downtown Buildings
Yes. We serve Crete homeowners, landlords and building owners. The drive from our Lincoln office is about 27 miles, south on US-77 and west on Nebraska Highway 33, so Crete jobs are scheduled like any other. Call or send the quote form, tell us what you are seeing, and we set a time to look at it in person before you get a written bid.
Crete is the largest city in Saline County, with 7,099 residents at the 2020 census, ZIP 68333. The county seat is Wilber. Crete sits on the east bank of the Big Blue River. Jesse and Elizabeth Bickle built the first log cabin there in 1863, and on March 7, 1871 Bickle's Blue River City merged with the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad's town under the name Crete.
Crete's Historic Districts and 1888 Brick Storefronts
Crete has three historic districts on the National Register: the College Hill neighborhood, the Doane campus buildings, and the Crete Downtown District. The city's history notes that early downtown buildings were mostly wood frame and were replaced by brick over the following decades, and several pairs of downtown brick buildings carry the year 1888 at the top. Brick that old needs matched mortar and careful repair.
What 1880s brick in Crete usually needs
- Tuckpointing at the parapet and cornice, where water collects and the oldest mortar fails first.
- Soft mortar matching. Brick from this era is often softer than modern brick. Hard modern mortar can crack it, so the repair mix has to suit the wall.
- Lintels and sills over storefront and upper windows, where rusting steel can push brick out.
- Paint on wood storefronts and upper-floor trim.
Our tuckpointing and brick repair starts with looking at the existing joints, and our brick and stone masonry work covers rebuilt sections, steps and foundations.
Doane University and College Hill Homes
Doane was founded in 1872 after the railroad donated 600 acres for a college, and the campus historic district includes Boswell Observatory from 1883 and Gaylord Hall from 1884. The College Hill neighborhood around it holds many of Crete's older homes. Those houses tend to need wood siding and trim paint, porch masonry, gutter and fascia repair, and roofs replaced with care around old chimneys.
- Exterior painting for older Crete homes. Homes built before 1978 may have lead paint, so EPA lead-safe work practices can apply.
- Siding repair and replacement, from patching wood lap siding to full replacement.
- Roof replacement and repair in Crete, including flashing around older brick chimneys. Ask us about chimney masonry itself.
- Gutters, soffit and fascia, stucco and stone veneer on request.
Rental houses near campus follow the school calendar, so landlords often want exterior work finished in summer.
Hail in Saline County: 2014 and 2022
Saline County has a record of damaging hail. On June 3, 2014, the Storm Prediction Center logged 2.5-inch hail in Wilber with broken windows and siding damage on a home, and several homes with broken windows in Dorchester. On June 16, 2022, it logged hail up to an inch about 5 miles south-southwest of Crete. Hail that size commonly damages shingles, siding and gutters.
Our hail and wind damage repair covers roofs, siding and gutters across Saline County. After a storm, take photos of the roof edges, siding and gutters before anything is cleaned up, then call us for an in-person look and a written bid you can share with your insurer.
Building Permits and Codes in Crete
Crete has a municipal building inspector at City Hall, 243 East 13th Street. The city says a permit is required to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, improve, remove, convert or demolish a building, and work is checked against the 2018 IBC and IRC with local amendments. The residential permit form lists siding and roof venting among inspection items. We confirm what your job needs before work starts.
Forms and contact details are on the Crete Building Inspector page. Work on buildings in the downtown or College Hill historic districts may come with extra questions about appearance, so we ask before changing anything on a historic front.
How a Crete Project Runs
A Crete project starts with a call or the quote form. We come out, look at the brick, roof or siding, and talk through options. You get a free written bid with no pressure. After you approve it, we confirm the permit with the city, schedule the crew, do the work and clean up the site. Then we walk the finished job with you.
- Call Brenton at (402) 417-3937, or send the quote form for a reply in under 5 minutes.
- Site visit in Crete during business hours.
- Free written bid.
- Permit check with the Crete building inspector.
- Licensed and insured crew does the work.
- Clean-up and final walkthrough.
Saline County Towns Near Crete We Cover
From Crete, we cover the rest of Saline County: Wilber, the county seat, to the south, Dorchester and Friend to the west, and DeWitt, Western and Swanton farther south. Milford is just north across the Seward County line. Beatrice, the next larger town we serve to the southeast, has its own page.
- Wilber 68465
- Dorchester 68343
- Friend 68359
- De Witt 68341
- Western 68464
- Swanton 68445
- Milford 68405
Nearby pages: contractor in Milford and roofing in Beatrice.
