Masonry contractor in Castro Valley, CA - repairs that fix the cause
C&M Castro Valley Concrete & Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Castro Valley. We repair older brick, mortar and chimneys, and we build the retaining walls, paver driveways, walkways and stonework that go with a home here.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Castro Valley homes as we see them on the job
I started this business in Castro Valley in 2013, and I still look at most of the jobs here myself. Much of Castro Valley is single-family houses that people have lived in for a long time, so a lot of our calls are about brick and block that held up for years and is finally letting go: a chimney dropping bits of mortar on the roof, a front step with loose bricks, a garden wall starting to lean toward the sidewalk.
Near Castro Valley Boulevard the streets sit fairly flat, and the lots tilt more the higher you go into the hills. We do the same kind of work in San Leandro and Cherryland, but up here more of it starts with a slope, so walls, steps and drainage get planned around the grade before the first block goes down.
Masonry work we do around Castro Valley
Foundation repair
When a crack shows up in a block or brick foundation on a hillside lot, we find out what's pushing on it before we patch anything.
Chimney repair
Older brick chimneys here often loosen near the top first, so we take down what's failing, rebuild it on solid brick and reset the cap on top.
Tuckpointing
Tuckpointing means raking out worn mortar and packing in fresh, and it's the fix when the joints on an older Castro Valley house have gone sandy.
Brick repair
Cracked, chipped or loose bricks on a front step, planter or wall get cut out and replaced with brick matched as closely as we can to what's there.
Driveway pavers
Pavers suit the steeper driveways up in the hills because a single cracked piece lifts out and gets replaced instead of a whole slab coming out.
Retaining wall construction
On sloped Castro Valley yards a retaining wall holds the hill back so you get usable flat ground, and we plan the drainage behind it first.
Masonry restoration
When an older brick or stone front carries decades of mismatched patches, we clean, repair and repoint it so it reads as one wall again.
Fireplace installation
If you're adding a masonry fireplace or replacing a worn-out one in an older house, we build the firebox, where the fire sits, and the face around it.
Stone veneer installation
Stone veneer, a thin layer of real or cast stone set on a wall, dresses up a plain stucco foundation or entry without the weight of full stone.
Concrete block walls
Block walls work well for property lines and side yards on flatter lots, and we set them on a footing sized for the wall.
Foundation block wall installation
When a hillside house needs a new foundation wall under an addition or a lower level, we lay reinforced block on a solid footing.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
A lot of Castro Valley backyards have room to cook outside, and we build the block base, stone or brick facing and counters that hold up outdoors.
Walkway construction
On a sloped lot a walkway usually needs steps and landings, and we lay brick, stone or pavers so the walk to your door feels steady.
Brick wall installation
A new brick garden or front-yard wall can match the older brick on your house, and we pick brick and mortar color with you before we start.
Stone masonry
Fieldstone and cut-stone walls, steps and planters suit the hillside yards here, and we fit each stone by hand so the wall carries its own weight.
Brick pointing
Brick pointing is the smaller job, refilling a handful of failing joints on a garden wall or chimney before the loose spots spread into a bigger repair.
Get a free on-site masonry estimate in Castro Valley
We reply within one business day to set a time, and I come out myself to look at the work with you. The estimate is free, with no obligation, and you'll get it in writing afterward.
(510) 264-7156- hello@castrovalleyconcreteandmasonry.com
- Based in
- Castro Valley, CA 94546
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
Permits, licenses and local know-how in Castro Valley
Castro Valley is an unincorporated community, so there's no city building office here, and Alameda County issues the building permits. When your job needs one, the county's review and inspections set part of the schedule, and that's time nobody can hurry, so we build it into the plan from the start. Before you hire anyone, it's fair to check that they hold a California contractor license from the Contractors State License Board and the county's business license. We're fully licensed and insured, and when your job needs a permit we check with the county and take care of the paperwork and inspections. Price mostly moves with the size of the job, how hard the spot is to reach and what we find once the old work is open, and your written estimate spells out the work and materials so you can see where the money goes.
Up in the hills, narrow streets and steep driveways mean we plan where the brick, block and mixer can sit before anything gets delivered. If the work reaches past your property line, say where a new driveway or walkway meets the sidewalk, the county also lists a separate encroachment permit for work in its roads, sidewalks and public right-of-way, and we handle that one too. Over in Hayward the city has its own building office, so before we put a date on any job we confirm whose office covers that address.
What wears out masonry on Castro Valley homes
The eastern hills of Castro Valley are where creeks like Crow, Cull and Palomares Creeks start, and on a sloped lot the water moving downhill through the soil pushes on any wall or foundation in its way. Many of the leaning retaining walls I look at here turn out to have nothing behind them to let that water out, so on new walls we put gravel and a drain pipe behind the block, and on old ones we look for the water before we fix the crack.
A lot of the brick here, in chimneys, front steps and planters, has been in place for decades, and the mortar between the bricks is meant to wear out before the brick does. When it goes sandy, water works into the joints and bricks start to loosen, so I look for why it gave out, like a cracked chimney cap, a downspout dumping on one spot or a vine rooted in a joint, before we refill a single joint.
How a masonry job runs when you call us in Castro Valley
From the first call to the last walk-through, here's what happens and what you'll have in hand at each step.
Call or send us a message
Call (510) 264-7156 or use the form, and I'll set a time to come out to your house. Try to be home for the visit, because I'd rather look at it with you than leave a note.
Look at the work together
I walk the problem with you, tell you why I think it failed and lay out your choices, including the less expensive ones. Afterward you get a written estimate that spells out the work and materials, so there's no guessing about what you're paying for.
Handle permits and book it
Once you say go, we sort out any permit your job needs, and if the county has to review it, that review comes before we can start. Then we put the job on the calendar and let you know the dates.
Do the work and walk it
My crew does the work with me checking in as it goes, and we take care of any inspections along the way. At the end we walk the finished job together so you can see what we did and ask about anything.
Questions about masonry work in Castro Valley
How do I apply for a building permit in Castro Valley?
You apply through the county's permit portal, which handles building permits for Castro Valley and the rest of unincorporated Alameda County. The same portal is where you submit plans, schedule inspections and check where a permit stands. On jobs we do, we take care of that paperwork and the inspections for you.
How do I find out if my masonry project in Castro Valley needs a permit?
The place to start is the county's permit resources page, which has a guide to work exempt from permit and a Q&A on permit exemptions for owners asking that exact question. Every job is a little different, so before we start yours we check with the county and handle the permit if it needs one.
Does a masonry contractor need a county business license to work in Castro Valley?
Yes, the county requires its business license for any business activity in the unincorporated area, which includes Castro Valley, even if the contractor is based somewhere else or already holds another city's license. The county treats it as an annual tax, paid each calendar year.
How big a down payment can a contractor ask for in California?
In its guidance on rebuilding after a declared disaster, the state licensing board caps the down payment at $1,000 or 10 percent of the total contract price, whichever is less. That's the board's figure for disaster rebuilding, and it's a good number to have in mind if you're repairing after one.
What affects the cost of masonry work in Castro Valley?
The biggest factors are how much brick, block or stone the job takes, how easy it is to get material and the crew to the spot, and how much failed work has to come out first. Hillside access, matching older brick, drainage behind a wall and scaffolding on a tall chimney all add to it, while a straightforward repair caught early usually costs less than a rebuild. I'll go through those with you on site, and your written estimate lays out the work and materials.
What is the best way to fix crumbling mortar on an older Castro Valley house?
The best way is to rake the crumbling mortar out of the joints and repack them with a mortar no harder than the brick around it. Older brick tends to be softer than today's, and a hard modern mortar can make the brick crack and flake instead of the joint, so we match the mortar's strength and color to what's already there.
Castro Valley, CA
Ask about your Castro Valley masonry project
Loose brick and open joints only get bigger with time, so the sooner I can look at yours, the more of the original work we can usually save.