Stone Masonry in Castro Valley CA - Walls that stay solid and let water out
Mortar crumbling out of your stone wall or stones working loose? We find out why first, then rebuild the joints so the wall holds together.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What does a stone mason actually do on a Castro Valley home?
Stone masonry in Castro Valley covers building and repairing walls, fences and paving in natural or manufactured stone, laid with mortar or without, along with the cleaning, caulking and waterproofing that go with the stonework.
Most folks call me because an old garden wall has gone sandy at the joints or a few stones have worked loose, and some call because they want a new wall or path that suits the house. The price mostly comes down to how much wall there is, whether it's natural or manufactured stone, how much old mortar has to come out and whether a drainage problem needs fixing first. The schedule turns on that same prep and on whether the job needs a permit, and the written estimate I send after we look at it together spells out the work and the materials so you can see what the price covers.
How can you tell your stone wall needs work?
Sandy joints, loose stones
If you can rub the mortar out with your thumb or a stone rocks when you push on it, the joints have worn down and stopped holding. Left alone, water works deeper into the wall and a repointing job slowly turns into taking stones out and resetting them.
Stone faces flaking away
When the stone itself is crumbling or shedding thin layers while the mortar around it looks fine, the mortar is often too hard and the moisture is leaving through the stone instead. Patching with more of the same hard mortar only speeds that up, so it's worth catching before more stone is lost.
Dark streaks under a downspout
A wet stain or a washed-out patch of joints right below a downspout, or where yard water runs against the wall, means that spot is getting soaked over and over. Until the water goes somewhere else, new mortar there washes out the same way the old did.
How we handle stone masonry, old walls and new
On an old wall I start by figuring out why it failed, because a fix that ignores the cause just comes back. If a downspout or drainage problem is soaking the wall, we sort that out first. Then we work from the joints, clearing out the worn mortar and choosing a mortar that lets the wall breathe, so moisture inside can work its way out through the joints and dry off instead of getting trapped behind the stone. We repoint, reset any loose stones, tool the joints smooth, clean the face and haul off the mess. New walls, fences and paving get the same thinking, with the stone laid in mortar or set dry depending on what the spot calls for.
Stone work often runs right into the masonry next to it. A brick chimney, step or wall with tired joints gets brick pointing, which is the same joint-by-joint repair done on brick. And if a stone wall keeps cracking because the house under it has moved, I'll tell you so and look at foundation repair before we patch a single joint.
Repointing an older stone wall
This suits a wall that's still standing straight but has worn, sandy or missing mortar. Fixing the joints while the stones are still where they belong is a much smaller job than taking a section down and laying it again.
New stone walls, fences and paving
This is for a new garden wall, a stone fence line, steps or a patio in natural or manufactured stone. Mortared stone gives a tighter, finished look that I'd pick next to the house, while dry-laid stone has a looser, rustic feel that suits garden borders and informal walls.
Get a written estimate for your stone wall or project
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come look at the wall with you, free and with no obligation, then follow up with a written estimate.
(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
What happens after you call about stone work in Castro Valley?
Here's how a stone job runs from your first call to the last walk-around, and who you'll be talking to along the way.
Call and I come look
Call (510) 264-7156 or send the form, and I'll come out to look at the wall with you. I'll talk through what I see, why it's failing and what your choices are.
Get a written estimate
You get a written estimate that lists the work and the materials, so there's no guessing about what the price covers. Once you say go, we take care of any permit the job needs and put it on the calendar.
We build, then walk through
My crew does the work and I check in as it goes, so your questions get answered by the person who looked at the wall first. At the end we walk the finished job together.
Why Castro Valley homeowners call C&M for stone work
The owner comes out to look
I come out to look at your wall myself, and I keep checking in while my crew does the work. You hear the reasons for every choice from the person who made it.
In business since 2013
I taught myself on old brick and garden walls, then learned the rest working on experienced masons' crews before starting this business in 2013. Thirteen years in, I still take the time to explain why a wall failed, so you understand your own house a little better when I leave.
Licensed in California and insured
We're fully licensed and insured. In California, stone work falls under the masonry license from the state contractors board, so that's the license to ask about before anyone starts on your wall.
On stone, the repair that lasts is the one that starts with why the wall failed. Call (510) 264-7156 or send us a message and I'll come take a look.
Stone walls, foundations and permits in Castro Valley
Alameda County issues building permits for Castro Valley and the other unincorporated areas, and it keeps a list of work that's exempt from a permit. Whether your wall is on that list depends on the job, so we check with the county for your address and take care of the paperwork and inspections when a permit is needed. If you're planning a new wall or a bigger remodel, it's worth running your address through the state geological survey's EQ Zapp map, which shows on a phone or computer whether a property sits in an earthquake hazard zone. The survey says new construction and significant remodels need site-specific geologic studies, which let a builder plan around known hazards or add features to deal with them.
Here, and on the jobs we do in Hayward and San Leandro, the stone trouble I see most is around older homes, with garden walls and steps that haven't been pointed in years and downspouts that empty right against them. We trace the water before we touch a joint, because that's usually where the story starts.
Questions about stone masonry in Castro Valley
How much does stone masonry cost in Castro Valley?
Brick and masonry work in the San Francisco area usually runs about $12 to $37 per square foot, and that's the general market, not our price. Where your job lands depends on the stone, how much old mortar has to come out and whether drainage needs fixing first. Our estimates are free and done at your property, and I follow up with a written estimate.
Do I need a permit for a stone wall in Castro Valley?
Some stone jobs need a county permit and some don't, and Alameda County makes that call for Castro Valley addresses. As covered above, we check your job with the county and handle the permit and inspections if it needs one.
Why do old stone walls need repointing?
Old stone walls need repointing because the mortar joints are where masonry wears down first. Repointing means taking out the worn mortar and replacing it with new, and on an aging wall the repair usually starts there instead of with the stone.
What is the best way to remove old mortar from a stone wall?
On old masonry, taking the mortar out by hand with chisels and mash hammers is usually the best way. It takes more labor, but in most cases it carries the least risk to the stone and gives the best result.
What causes stone veneer to fail?
Water getting in is the most common cause, according to one veneer maker's installation guide. Adhered veneer is a stone facing attached to a wall, so if you're choosing it, ask your installer how the job will keep water out. Joint finish matters too, since one stone veneer guide says rough cut or raked joints resist water less well than tooled joints, the ones shaped smooth with a finishing tool.
Is Type S mortar a good choice for stone veneer in earthquake country?
Type S mortar bonds more strongly, but one stone veneer guide says it's also more likely to shrink and crack. The same guide says some building codes may require Type S, especially in earthquake country, so we sort out which mortar fits your wall and your job before we start.
Other masonry work that often goes with stone
Brick pointing
If your house has brick chimneys, steps or walls next to the stonework, fresh joints keep the brick tight and water out.
Foundation repair
When cracks in a stone wall or the house beside it keep coming back, the cause may be underneath, and that gets fixed before the joints.
Where we do stone work around Castro Valley
C&M Castro Valley Concrete & Masonry is based in Castro Valley, CA, and works in the cities around it, including Hayward and San Leandro. Twelve cities have their own page below, and if you don't see yours, just ask.
Castro Valley, CA
Have someone look at your stone wall
Snap a few photos of the wall, jot down a rough square footage and the kind of work you have in mind, then call (510) 264-7156 or send the form so we can talk it through from the first conversation.