Masonry Contractor in Benicia, CA - Brick and Stone Work That Fits Older Homes

In Benicia, a masonry fence or garden wall over 3 feet high needs a building permit, even though other fences up to 7 feet don't. Retaining walls up to 4 feet are exempt unless they hold back extra weight above them, like a driveway or a slope, and the height counts from the bottom of the footing, so a wall that looks waist-high can be over the line. We check with the city's Building Safety Division early, and when your wall needs a permit, we take care of the application and set up the inspections.

Any exterior change to a house in the Arsenal or Downtown Historic District, or to a designated Historic Resource, needs a building permit and a review by the city's Planning Division, and the same goes for any multifamily or commercial building. We check brick, stone and chimney work on those buildings with the city early, so the review is part of the plan. Even an emergency repair on a qualified historical building needs a written declaration of imminent danger from the city.

There's no honest number until I've seen it, because the price follows how much brick, block or stone is involved, how hard it is to reach and what's causing the damage. Matching old brick and mortar, digging out a failed footing and working up on a chimney add to it, while a sound wall that only needs repointing keeps it down. The schedule mostly turns on whether the job needs a permit or historic review, and after I look it over you get a written estimate that spells out the work and the reason for it.

Watch for stair-step cracks in brick or block, a crack that's wider at one end, doors that start sticking or a gap opening along the foundation line. Plenty of hairline cracks are old settling that's finished, and when I come out and look, I'll tell you plainly if yours is one of them. On houses built before modern seismic standards, that visit is also a good time to talk about the small upgrades the city points to.

Construction in Benicia can run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday under the city's noise rules. We plan the loud parts of the job, like cutting brick and running the mixer, inside those hours.

The best way is to match the brick's size, color and texture, then match the mortar's color, sand and joint shape, because the mortar shows almost as much as the brick does. We usually save sound brick from the job and mix a small test patch first, so you can see it against the old wall before we do the whole thing.