Masonry Contractor in Hayward, CA - Cracked Brick and Walls Fixed at the Cause
C&M Castro Valley Concrete & Masonry is a masonry contractor fixing cracked brick, tired mortar and chimneys in Hayward, and building the walls, paver driveways and stonework that go with a home. I look at each job myself.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Hayward houses and yards as we see them
Hayward has a lot of different houses in it, and our jobs here run from brick fronts and chimneys on older homes near downtown to block walls along side yards in the flats and retaining walls on sloped lots up toward the hills. We've been based next door in Castro Valley since 2013, and we're in the neighboring areas like Cherryland just as often.
The ground and the age of the house shape most of the work. A wall on a slope is holding back soil and water, so what's behind it matters as much as the block, and an older chimney or garden wall usually shows you where water's been getting in long before it lets go.
Masonry services we do for Hayward homes
Foundation repair
When a foundation shows a stair-step crack or a door starts sticking, we find out what moved it before we patch, so the fix lasts.
Chimney repair
Older Hayward chimneys often lose mortar at the top first, where rain hits hardest. We rebuild cracked crowns and loose brick up there.
Tuckpointing
On an older brick front you see every day, we match the new mortar's color and joint shape to the old, so the repair blends in.
Brick repair
A few spalled bricks, the ones with faces flaking off, usually mean water got in. We sort out the water, then swap them for close matches.
Driveway pavers
Pavers make sense on a Hayward driveway where the concrete has cracked and heaved, because one paver lifts out and resets instead of a whole slab coming up.
Retaining wall construction
On hillside lots, a retaining wall holds back real weight, so we put drainage behind it to keep water pressure from leaning the wall out.
Masonry restoration
For older brick and stone patched by a few owners over the years, we clean, repair and repoint it so the original work shows again.
Fireplace installation
When you're adding a masonry fireplace or rebuilding a tired one, we lay the firebox and surround and handle the inspections along the way.
Stone veneer installation
Thin stone veneer dresses up a plain stucco base or chimney, and we set a drainage layer behind it so water gets out instead of rotting the wall.
Concrete block walls
Block walls make solid property lines and side-yard walls on Hayward's tighter lots, and we set them on a poured footing with steel so they stay straight.
Foundation block wall installation
Under an addition or garage, a block foundation wall carries the whole load, so we build it straight, reinforced and ready for inspection.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
We build grill islands and backyard counters in block, brick or stone, leaving room for the gas and power lines your other trades will run.
Walkway construction
A front walk that's heaved or settled turns into a tripping spot, so we rebuild it in brick, pavers or stone on a packed base so it sits flat.
Brick wall installation
A new brick garden or front wall can match the brick on an older Hayward house, so we pick the brick and mortar color with you first.
Stone masonry
Natural stone suits steps, planters and low walls on hillside yards, and we fit each piece by hand so the wall sits tight without leaning on mortar alone.
Brick pointing
When joints in a garden wall or brick steps have cracked or washed out, we rake them out and refill them before water gets behind the brick.
Get a free on-site masonry estimate in Hayward
We get back to you within one business day to set a time, then I come out, look at the work with you and follow up with a written estimate. It's free and comes with no obligation.
(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
Working in Hayward: permits, licenses and what moves the price
In Hayward, building permits come from the city's Permit Center, but some homes with a Hayward mailing address actually sit in unincorporated Alameda County, so the first thing I do is check which office covers your address. Either way we take care of the paperwork and inspections, and since a permit adds a step before we can start, it's part of how we set your schedule. When you're comparing contractors, ask for a California contractor's license from the Contractors State License Board and a Hayward business license, which the city requires of every business working within its limits, even one based somewhere else. We're fully licensed and insured.
The price here moves mostly with the size and height of the work, how easy it is to get brick, block and stone to it on a steep or narrow street, whether we're matching old brick and mortar, and how much damage turns up once the old work is open. The schedule turns mostly on the permit and inspections, and the written estimate after my visit spells out the work and materials for your job. We handle it the same way up the road in San Leandro, where the city runs its own building office.
Why Hayward walls and chimneys crack and loosen
Hayward sits close to the Hayward fault, and the city points to geological studies suggesting the potential for a major earthquake. Old brick chimneys and garden walls built without steel take shaking the worst, so when I look at one I check how it's tied to the house and how sound the mortar still is, and the new walls we build get steel and a solid footing.
Water does the slower damage. Rain works into worn joints on chimneys and brick fronts until the mortar goes soft and the brick starts to flake, so we fix where the water gets in before we patch what it broke.
How a masonry job runs when you call us in Hayward
Here's how a job goes from your first call to the last walk-through, and you'll know what the work covers before anything starts.
Call or send a message
You call (510) 264-7156 or use the form, and we set a time for me to come out. It helps if you're home so we can look at it together.
Look at the job together
I walk the work with you, figure out why it failed and talk through your choices. Then you get a written estimate that spells out the work and the materials, so you know what the price covers.
Sort the permit, then schedule
Once you say go, we sort out any permit your job needs and put it on the calendar. If the job needs inspections along the way, we book them and meet the inspector.
Build it and walk it together
My crew does the work with me checking in as it goes. At the end we walk the finished job together, and I show you what we did and why.
Questions about masonry work in Hayward
Does a masonry project need a building permit in Hayward?
Anything structural does, because the city requires a building permit for almost all construction work, structural work included. Its list of work that needs no permit names things like fixing plumbing leaks and replacing small bits of non-structural dry-rot, not masonry, so it doesn't settle smaller repairs either way. If you're unsure, you can call the city at 510-583-4140, and on our jobs I check before we start.
How do I apply for a building permit in Hayward online?
You use the city's online permitting system, where you can submit an application, add your contractor, pay fees and download the permit. It also lets you schedule inspections and see the results from home. On our jobs we take care of the paperwork and inspections, so you usually won't need to log in.
When does a masonry contractor need a California state license?
The board requires a license whenever the job needs a building permit, uses any additional workers or comes to $1,000 or more in labor and materials across one or more contracts. That covers just about any real masonry job, from a block wall to a chimney rebuild. We're fully licensed and insured.
What building codes apply to masonry walls in Hayward?
The city enforces the current California building and residential codes, along with its own city building code. Its design values put Hayward in seismic design category D, E or F, the categories that ask the most of a building in an earthquake, which is why the walls and foundations we build carry steel and sit on footings sized for it. The inspector checks the work against those codes.
How much does masonry repair cost in Hayward?
Your price comes from a free written estimate after I see the work, because masonry costs turn on things I can only judge on site. Repairing what's there usually costs less than tearing out and rebuilding, matched older brick costs more than stock brick, and a tall wall with steel and a deeper footing on a slope runs more than a short garden wall on flat ground.
What causes a retaining wall to lean on a sloped Hayward lot?
Usually it's water, because rain soaking into the hill behind a wall with no drainage pushes on it far harder than the dirt alone. A footing too small for the slope or roots working behind the wall can do it too. I look at the drainage first, since rebuilding the wall without fixing that just sets up the same lean again.
Castro Valley, CA
Tell us about your Hayward masonry job
A few soft joints or a loose chimney cap is usually a small repair when it's caught early, so call (510) 264-7156 or send the form before the next rains get into it.