Masonry contractor in Spring Valley, CA - Walls and repairs that suit your lot

Some small walls can go without one, and the permits the County does require come from its Building Services Division, which issues building permits across unincorporated areas like Spring Valley. Under the County's code, a fence up to 6 feet high, other than a pool barrier, needs no building permit, and a retaining wall doesn't either when it holds back no more than three feet of soil, stands no more than 6 feet in total and meets the code's other listed conditions. The County puts it on whoever does the work and whoever hires them to ask before starting, so we check with the County first and, when a permit is required, take care of the paperwork and the inspections.

Your price comes from the job itself, mainly its size, the materials and how much of the old work has actually failed, and you get your own figure at the on-site estimate. On a repair, matching old brick and mortar and reaching a tall chimney add cost, while fixing only the joints that have failed keeps it down. On new work, plain block usually costs less than brick or natural stone.

Look to the state's rules rather than a local business license, because the County says no business license is needed in its unincorporated areas, though its other rules and permits still apply. The Contractors State License Board licenses and regulates California's construction industry, and for home improvement work it says a down payment can't be more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. We're licensed and fully insured, and I'm the one who comes out to see the job and give you the estimate.

You apply through the County's online services, which let owners apply for a minor residential permit or get an Instant Permit. The online types it lists include window replacement, roof-mounted solar, water heater replacement and electrical service upgrades. For a wall, chimney or other masonry job, we check with the County on what's needed and handle the permit ourselves when one is required.

Many areas of San Diego County are in high fire zones, so it's worth finding out where your lot falls before you plan a project. The State Fire Marshal's office publishes fire hazard maps, and for areas under local responsibility it points people to their local government, which in Spring Valley is the County. When a project sits in a high-risk area, the County requires special features, so we find out what applies to your lot before we plan the work.

Mostly water and age, because mortar is meant to wear out before the brick does, and years of hot sun and winter rain slowly wash it out of the joints. Joints that turn to sand when you rub them, or grit collecting at the base of a wall, are the usual signs. We rake out the failed joints and repoint them with mortar softer than the brick, because mortar harder than the brick pushes the damage into the brick itself.