Masonry Contractor in Union City, CA - Repairs That Start With the Cause
C&M Castro Valley Concrete & Masonry repairs brick, mortar, chimneys and foundations in Union City, CA, and builds the retaining walls, block walls, paver driveways and stone work that go with a home.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Union City homes as we see them on our jobs
Union City is a short drive from our base in Castro Valley, and the calls we get here cover just about everything a house asks of a mason. We see block walls along back fences, brick steps and planters out front, driveways and walks that have sunk or heaved, and chimneys that have worked loose over the years. Most streets west of Union City Boulevard sit on flat ground. The neighborhoods east of Mission Boulevard head toward the hills around Garin Regional Park, just past the city line, and more of those lots slope.
That split matters to me because the ground under a wall decides how it gets built. On a flat lot we're mostly thinking about drainage and a solid base, and on a slope we're thinking about how hard the hill pushes on the wall, so I look at the dirt as closely as the brick.
Masonry services we bring to Union City
Foundation repair
When a crack opens in a foundation wall or the floor above starts to slope, we find out what the ground is doing before we patch anything.
Chimney repair
Loose bricks near the roofline and a cracked cap on top let water into a chimney, so we rebuild what's failing before it starts dropping pieces.
Tuckpointing
When the mortar joints on a brick front or garden wall go sandy, we grind out the worn mortar and pack in fresh mortar matched to the color around it.
Brick repair
A few cracked or flaking bricks on steps and planters can be cut out and replaced one at a time, so the rest of the wall stays just as it is.
Driveway pavers
Pavers make sense where an old slab driveway keeps cracking, because each piece can flex a little with the ground and be lifted and reset if it settles.
Retaining wall construction
On the sloped lots toward the hills, a retaining wall holds the yard in place, so we build it with drainage behind it and a footing sized for the slope.
Masonry restoration
For older brick and stone that's tired all over, we clean, repoint and replace damaged pieces with materials that suit the original instead of covering it up.
Fireplace installation
We build masonry fireplaces, hearths and surrounds for remodels and additions, with firebrick where the heat hits and brick or stone where you see it.
Stone veneer installation
Stone veneer, thin stone set over an existing wall, gives plain stucco or block the look of stone, and we set it so water drains instead of sitting behind it.
Concrete block walls
Block makes a sturdy wall along property lines and side yards, and we set it on a real footing with steel and grout in the cells where the wall needs it.
Foundation block wall installation
For additions, garages and crawlspace walls, we lay foundation block on a footing built to the plans, so the house above sits on something square and solid.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
We build the block base, counters and brick or stone face for outdoor kitchens and grill islands, leaving room for the gas and electric other trades bring in.
Walkway construction
Front walks and side-yard paths in brick, stone or pavers go down on a packed base and pitched so rain runs off instead of pooling by your door.
Brick wall installation
New brick garden walls, planters and entry walls get careful joints and a proper bond, the pattern the bricks sit in, so they look right from the street.
Stone masonry
Natural stone steps, walls and planters fit the sloped yards east of Mission, and we set each stone so it sits on its own weight before mortar goes in.
Brick pointing
When only a few joints have cracked or dropped out, spot pointing fills them with matched mortar before water gets behind the brick and the damage spreads.
Get a free masonry estimate for your Union City home
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come look at the work with you, then follow up with a written estimate, free and 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
Permits and licenses for masonry work in Union City
In Union City the permit side runs through the city's Building Division, not the county, and whether your wall, chimney or foundation job needs a permit is their call, so we ask before anything gets built. When one's needed, it has to be issued before we start, which puts that time at the front of your schedule. While you're comparing contractors, ask whether they hold a California contractor license from the state licensing board and whether they have a Union City business license, which the city requires of every contractor working inside city limits, out-of-town businesses included.
We take care of the permit paperwork and the inspections, and we're fully licensed and insured, the same as on the jobs we do in Hayward just to the north. On houses along busy roads like Mission Boulevard or Alvarado-Niles Road, we plan deliveries and where the pallets sit so the sidewalk stays clear. Price mostly moves with how much old work has to come out, what we find under it, the material you pick and how far we carry block or stone from the street, and the schedule turns on any permit and the time footings and mortar need to cure, so your own numbers come in the written estimate.
Ground and mortar wear on Union City properties
The city's design notes mark broad soils hazard zones east of Mission Boulevard and west of Union City Boulevard, general areas rather than a verdict on any one lot. On touchy ground, a wall, step or walk built on a thin base tends to tip, crack or sink, and it'll keep doing it no matter how many times the crack gets filled. That's why I dig in and look at what's under the old work before we price anything, and we size the footing and drainage to what we find.
Mortar is meant to be the soft part of a brick wall, so it wears out before the brick does. Once the joints open up, water gets in and starts loosening bricks, and repointing at that stage is a far smaller job than rebuilding later.
How a masonry job runs when you call us in Union City
From the first call to the last walk around the yard, here's how it goes, and you'll see the work and materials in writing before anything starts.
Call or send a message
Call (510) 264-7156 or use the form, and we'll find a time for me to come out to your place in Union City. It helps if you can be home so we can look at it together.
Walk the job together
I look at the work with you, tell you what failed and why, and lay out your choices. Then you get a written estimate that spells out the work and the materials, so there's no guessing about what you're paying for.
Approve, permit and schedule
Once you say go, we sort out any permit your job needs and get it on the calendar. If a permit is needed, it comes first, and we handle the inspections along the way.
Build, then walk it together
My crew does the work with me checking in as it goes, and at the end we walk the finished job together. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Questions about masonry work in Union City
How do I know if a masonry contractor needs a California license?
In California a contractor needs a state license when the job needs a building permit, uses any workers besides themselves, or the labor and materials together come to $1,000 or more across one or more contracts. The state licensing board says only a small job under that amount, with no permit and no employees, may be exempt. Most real wall, chimney or foundation work lands on the licensed side, and we're fully licensed and insured.
What building codes apply to masonry work in Union City?
The city's Building Division lists the California Building Code and the California Residential Code among the standards it follows, along with the state's energy, fire and green building codes. For masonry, those codes are what an inspector checks footings, steel and wall heights against on permitted work. We build to what the plans and the inspector call for.
How much does a masonry contractor cost in Union City?
Your price comes from what I see on site, mainly the size of the job, the material and how much old work has to come out first, so you'll get your own figure in a written estimate. Natural stone and full brick usually cost more than block, veneer or pavers, and a back yard we can only reach by wheelbarrow takes more labor than a driveway by the street. Fixing the cause, like adding drainage behind a wall, costs more up front than a patch, but it's the part that keeps the repair from coming back.
What causes a retaining wall to lean in Union City?
Most leaning retaining walls are losing a fight with water, because soil behind a wall with no drainage gets heavy and pushes harder every wet season. A footing that's too small or too shallow for the height and slope makes it worse, and that's common on the sloped lots east of Mission. Before we rebuild, I figure out which it is, and we put in drainage rock, a drain line and a footing sized to the hill.
How long does a masonry project take in Union City?
A small repair can wrap up quickly, while a new wall or driveway takes longer because any permit your job needs comes before we start and footings have to cure before we build on them. The size of the job and how much old work has to come out matter too. I'll walk you through how the schedule looks when you get the estimate.
How do I fix a sinking paver driveway in Union City?
A sinking paver driveway is fixed by lifting the pavers in the low spot, rebuilding the base underneath and setting them back down, because the pavers themselves are rarely the problem. The dip usually comes from a thin or poorly packed base, or from water running under an edge with nothing holding the border in place. We find where the water's getting in, pack new base in layers and reset the same pavers when they're still in good shape.
Castro Valley, CA
Tell us about your Union City project
Masonry damage tends to grow once water gets into a crack, so having it looked at early usually keeps the repair smaller.