Masonry Contractor in El Cajon, CA - Repairs and Walls Built for Your Lot
Artisan San Diego Concrete & Masonry is a masonry contractor based in San Diego that repairs worn mortar, brick and chimneys and builds block and retaining walls, pavers and walkways at homes in El Cajon.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Masonry work around El Cajon
El Cajon is a valley city east of La Mesa, with Santee just to the north. Most of our calls here come from older single-story houses on quiet streets, and some come from homes on the hillsides at the edges of the city.
What we see on those jobs is pretty consistent. Most are ranch homes with stucco walls and a brick chimney or planter, there's a block wall between nearly every pair of yards, and the newer homes up the slopes have yards that step down in levels. The calls aren't the same as the ones we get near the water in Coronado. Here the work is usually repairing old block and brick so the new work matches, or building walls that hold a sloped yard in place.
What we do for El Cajon homes
Foundation repair
Older single-story homes here often show cracked foundation walls or a settled corner, so I find out what actually moved before we touch it.
Learn more about Foundation repairChimney repair
Lots of ranch homes here still have their original brick chimney. We rebuild loose brick and the concrete top so rain stays out.
Learn more about Chimney repairTuckpointing
When the joints on an older brick front turn sandy, we cut out the worn mortar and pack in new, matched to the old color.
Learn more about TuckpointingBrick repair
Got a cracked brick planter or flaking bricks on a porch step? We replace only the damaged brick and leave the sound ones alone.
Learn more about Brick repairDriveway pavers
Plenty of El Cajon driveways are tired, cracked concrete. Pavers on a packed base can be fixed a few stones at a time.
Learn more about Driveway paversRetaining wall construction
On El Cajon's hillside lots, we build walls sized to the slope, with drainage behind them so water doesn't push them over.
Learn more about Retaining wall constructionMasonry restoration
Older walls here often carry years of patches in the wrong mortar, so we undo the bad fixes and make the wall sound again.
Learn more about Masonry restorationFireplace installation
We build brick and stone fireplaces for living rooms and El Cajon backyard patios, laid out to suit the house they sit beside.
Learn more about Fireplace installationStone veneer installation
Stucco fronts and block columns here take a thin stone facing well, and we set it so water can't sit behind it.
Learn more about Stone veneer installationConcrete block walls
Block walls between yards are common all over El Cajon. We build new ones and fix cracked or leaning sections.
Learn more about Concrete block wallsFoundation block wall installation
For additions and garage conversions on older lots, we lay block foundation walls on a footing sized for what they carry.
Learn more about Foundation block wall installationOutdoor kitchen masonry
Many El Cajon backyards have room to cook outside, so we build block frames faced in brick or stone around your grill.
Learn more about Outdoor kitchen masonryWalkway construction
On sloped El Cajon lots, we lay walkways in pavers, brick or flagstone, with steps where the yard drops, so the path stays even.
Learn more about Walkway constructionBrick wall installation
Many older homes here have brick trim, so we build garden and front walls in brick that matches what's already there.
Learn more about Brick wall installationStone masonry
Natural stone fits the hillside lots on the city's edges. We lay stone walls, steps and planters that look at home on the slope.
Learn more about Stone masonryBrick pointing
If the joints on your older brick are mostly sound, we point just the worn ones instead of redoing the whole wall.
Learn more about Brick pointing
What El Cajon homes ask of a mason
Older masonry here tends to fail in the same few places: the top of the chimney, the bottom of a block wall where the sprinklers keep it wet, and planters built right against the house. I look for why it failed before we fix anything, because a patch over a water problem just fails again, and if the rest of the wall is sound, we leave it alone.
On the hillside lots, the job is usually holding back the yard, which means a retaining wall with drainage behind it and a footing sized for its height. If a yard inside the city has to be cut or filled, the city's Engineering Services processes grading plans for that, so we find out what your lot needs before anyone digs. The price and the schedule here mostly come down to the size of the job, how easy it is to get material into your yard and whether the city needs plans first, and I'll give you your own figure when I come out.
Get an estimate for your El Cajon masonry job
Put your El Cajon address and a few words about the work in the form, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, and the on-site estimate is free with no obligation.
El Cajon masonry questions
How do I find out if my address is inside the City of El Cajon?
Look your address up in the city's online permit portal, because the city says an address that doesn't show up there likely isn't inside El Cajon. A lot of unincorporated San Diego County addresses still say El Cajon in the mail, but city rules only follow the city limits. We check this before any work starts, and if you're outside the city, we take the permit questions to the County of San Diego instead.
Which office handles building permits in El Cajon?
The city's Building Safety division, part of Community Development, handles building permits inside El Cajon. Work that reaches into the public sidewalk or street needs an encroachment permit, and Engineering Services helps process those. Before we start, we check with the city on what your job needs, and when a permit is required, we take care of the paperwork and the inspections.
When does a masonry contractor need a California state license?
California's contractor licensing board requires a state license to build or alter a structure if the job needs a building permit, uses any workers beyond the contractor, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials across one or more contracts. The only small-job exemption is work under $1,000 in total, with no permit needed and no employee labor, so for most wall, chimney or paver jobs, the person you hire should hold a license. We're licensed and fully insured.
Does a contractor from outside El Cajon need a city business license to work at my house?
Yes, the city requires a business license, and payment of its business license tax, from any business working inside the city limits, including companies from outside El Cajon that do work at your home. That covers a San Diego company like ours, so it's a fair thing to ask anyone you're thinking of hiring.
How much does masonry work cost in El Cajon?
Masonry work in El Cajon is priced job by job, mostly on how much of the old work has actually failed and what it takes to fix it. Repointing a few worn joints costs far less than rebuilding a wall, matching old brick or block can take extra time to track down, and a tight side yard means more hand work. Call (619) 220-2261 and I'll come out and price your job.
What causes mortar to crumble on older El Cajon brick and block walls?
Water is usually the cause, soaking into the joints over the years from sprinklers, downspouts or planters built against the wall. An earlier patch in mortar that's harder than the brick can do it too, because the brick and the old joints around it take the damage instead. We find where the water's coming from first, then cut out only the failed joints and repoint with mortar that suits the wall.
Want me to look at your job?
Call (619) 220-2261 or use the form, and I'll come out, look at the work and give you an estimate.
Other cities we work in
If you're near El Cajon but not inside it, call (619) 220-2261 and ask, because we work in many cities around San Diego, listed here or not.