Masonry Contractor in Concord, CA - Brick, Block and Stone Work Done Right
A&K Pittsburg Concrete and Masonry repairs and builds brick, block and stone work for homes in Concord, CA, from worn mortar joints and tired chimneys to new garden walls and walkways.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Concord homes and what their masonry asks of us
Concord is a big city that's mostly homes. It runs from the older streets around Todos Santos Plaza downtown out to neighborhoods that climb toward the hills, with shopping centers and offices along the main roads in between. Many of the houses we're called to are mid-century ranch and split-level homes with a brick chimney, brick planters out front and a block wall at the back fence. The newer tracts add stucco fronts, stone veneer and paver driveways. It's the same mix we see next door in Pleasant Hill and out toward Clayton.
The age of the houses and the lay of the ground shape most jobs here. Mortar on a house built sixty or seventy years ago is softer than what comes out of a bag today, so we match it instead of patching over it. A back yard on a slope needs a wall with a dug footing and somewhere for the water to go.
Masonry work we do on Concord homes
When a crack runs through the block or brick under an older Concord house, we find out why it moved before we patch, so the repair holds.
Brick chimneys on mid-century ranch homes here often have loose crowns, cracked joints or leaning tops, and we rebuild what's failing and save the sound brick.
Tuckpointing, raking out worn mortar and packing in fresh, is what most older brick fronts and planters in Concord need long before the brick itself does.
Chipped, cracked or crumbling bricks on steps, porches and garden walls get cut out and replaced with brick matched in size and color to what's there.
Pavers suit Concord driveways where old concrete has cracked and settled, and a single damaged section can be lifted and reset instead of torn out.
Sloped back yards toward the hills often need a wall to hold soil, and we build them with drainage behind so water has somewhere to go besides the wall.
For brick and stone that's been patched for decades with the wrong mortar, we strip back the bad repairs and bring the wall back to one matched face.
Many Concord homeowners want a dated fireplace rebuilt or a new one added, and we lay out the firebox, hearth and surround to suit the room.
Stone veneer, a thin face of real or cast stone, freshens a plain stucco front on a newer Concord home without the weight of full stone.
Block walls along Concord property lines take a beating from sprinklers and tree roots over the years, and we repair, cap or replace them.
For an addition, a raised floor or a garage on a Concord lot, we lay reinforced block foundation walls on a footing sized for what sits on top.
Concord back yards with a patio are a good fit for a built-in grill counter of block, faced in brick or stone to match the house.
Cracked front walks on older Concord lots can be replaced with brick, stone or pavers laid on a packed base for a level path to the door.
A new brick garden wall or entry pillars can tie a Concord front yard to the house, and we set them on a dug footing, not loose soil.
Natural stone suits steps, planters and low walls on the hillside lots here, and we fit each stone by hand so it sits tight.
Brick pointing fills shallow gaps in mortar joints before they open up, so it's the smaller fix for Concord brick that's worn but still sound.
Get a free on-site masonry estimate in Concord
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, look at the job with you and write up a free estimate in plain terms, with no obligation.
(925) 318-8090- Based in
- Pittsburg, CA 94565
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
Working in Concord: permits, licenses and what moves the price
Permits for work on Concord houses go through the city's Permit Center, and the city decides what needs one, so I check with them before we put your job on the calendar. If a permit is needed, the start date waits on it. That's why we settle the permit question at the estimate and not the week we're due to begin. Before you hire anyone, ask for two licenses, a California contractor license and a City of Concord business license. We cover when each one applies in the questions further down.
Concord is a short run from our base in Pittsburg along Highway 4, the same road that takes us to Bay Point, so getting a crew and material here is easy. The house itself moves the price more. It mostly comes down to how much of the old work is still sound and how hard the spot is to reach, like a sloped back yard with only a side gate, where block and stone go in by hand. I write all of that into the estimate in plain terms so you can see what's driving the number.
Older brick and sloped yards drive most calls here
Age is the biggest reason. On a mid-century Concord house the original mortar has been doing its job for sixty-plus years, and the joints wear first. They go sandy and recessed, and the chimney top is usually the worst because it stands alone above the roof. Over the years a lot of those joints got patched with a hard cement mix, which can crack the brick face around it. We cut out the bad patches and repoint with mortar matched to the brick, so the wall looks like it belongs to the house.
Slope is the other. Yards that climb toward the hills were often terraced with low walls an earlier owner stacked without a footing or drainage, and those walls lean and bulge as soil and water push behind them. We rebuild them on a dug footing with drainage behind.
How a masonry job runs when you call us from Concord
Here's how it goes from your first call to the walk-through at the end, with me on site at the start and at the finish.
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Call or send the form
Tell us what you're seeing, whether it's a cracked chimney, loose brick or a wall you want built, and we'll call back to set a time to come look. Photos help, but you don't need them.
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Walk the job with me
I come out myself, look at the job with you and answer your questions, so you know what's wrong and what we'd do before you see a number. The written estimate spells out what's driving the price in plain terms.
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We handle permits and work
If the city says the job needs a permit, we pull it and take care of the paperwork before we start. Then our crew and I do the work, and you don't need to be home every day as long as we can reach the work area.
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Walk the finished job together
When the work is done, we walk it with you and go over anything you want to look at closely. We clean up and haul off our debris before we leave.
Questions about masonry work in Concord
How do I find out if my masonry project in Concord needs a permit?
Ask the city before work starts. Concord's list of permit work for single-family homes and duplexes is a partial list that names things like roofing, water heaters, windows and air conditioning, so it doesn't settle masonry either way. When we take a job, I check with the city first, and if it needs a permit, we pull it.
Do I need a grading or encroachment permit for a retaining wall or driveway in Concord?
You need them if the project moves soil or reaches into the public right-of-way, the strip along the street. For that work the city requires separate grading and encroachment permits through its Engineering Division. Retaining walls cut into a slope and driveways that meet the sidewalk are the usual cases, so we sort this out early in planning.
Does a contractor from outside Concord need a Concord business license?
Yes. The city requires a business license to do business in Concord, and that includes state-licensed contractors and businesses with an office outside the city. We're based in Pittsburg, so the rule applies to us too, and it's a fair question to ask anyone bidding your job.
When does a masonry contractor need a California state license?
A contractor needs a state license from the Contractors State License Board when the project needs a building permit, uses any additional workers, or when labor and materials on its contracts add up to $1,000 or more. That bar is low enough that most masonry jobs clear it, so ask to see a license before you sign anything. We're licensed and insured.
How do I check if my Concord home is in an earthquake hazard zone?
Type your address into EQ Zapp, the California Geological Survey's statewide map tool, and it shows whether the property sits in any of its mapped earthquake hazard zones. It's worth a look before chimney or foundation work, and we can talk through what you find when I come out.
What affects the cost of brick and stone work in Concord?
Mostly two choices, repair or rebuild, and which material goes back in. Repointing a sound wall costs much less than taking one down. Natural stone usually costs more than brick or block, and a wall that holds soil needs a footing and drainage that a garden wall doesn't. I look at all of it on site and write each part into the estimate.
Tell us about your Concord masonry job
Call (925) 318-8090 or send the form and describe what you're seeing, so I come out already knowing whether to look at mortar, a chimney or a slope.
Pittsburg, CA