Masonry contractor in Capitola, CA - old brick and stone repaired right
J&L Santa Cruz Concrete & Masonry repairs and builds brick, stone and block work in Capitola, CA. We repoint old chimneys and walls, rebuild what's failing and put up retaining walls on sloped yards.
Masonry for Capitola homesthat have seen a few winters
Our Capitola calls tend to come from older houses, beach cottages with a tired chimney, stone steps worn by sand, garden walls starting to lean. We do the same work in Rio del Mar and Soquel.
Price moves with how much old work has to come out, how easy the spot is to reach and how hard the brick is to match. Timing turns on the weather and the permit, since repairs to masonry are on the city's list of projects that need one. Your written estimate gives you the number.
Call (831) 201-6259 or use the form to ask for an estimate on your wall, chimney or steps.
Services for Capitola propertiesfrom chimney tops to footings
Here's the work we take on in Capitola, from repointing an old chimney to building a new wall, walkway or driveway.
- Foundation repair Older cottages here often sit on brick or block footings that have cracked or settled, and we fix what's failing.
- Chimney repair Loose top bricks and a cracked cap on older chimneys, taken down to sound brick and rebuilt.
- Tuckpointing A fine finishing line over fresh mortar, for older brick fronts where the look of the joints matters as much as the repair.
- Brick repair Bricks with their faces flaking off, cut out one at a time and replaced with the closest match we can find.
- Driveway pavers Short, tight driveways on small lots suit pavers, since a sunk section can come up and go back down.
- Retaining wall construction One of our most common builds on hillside lots, sized to the slope and whatever sits above it.
- Masonry restoration Brick fronts, stone walls and steps on older Capitola houses, repaired so they still look like they belong.
- Fireplace installation A new brick or stone fireplace, built to the room and tied into a chimney sound enough to carry it.
- Stone veneer installation Thin stone over block or concrete, when you want the look of stone without solid stone's weight.
- Concrete block walls Block walls for property lines and side yards, filled and reinforced where the height calls for it.
- Foundation block wall installation New block foundation walls under additions and older homes, set on a footing sized for the ground.
- Outdoor kitchen masonry Block and stone counters for a grill on the patio, faced to match the house or the yard walls.
- Walkway construction Brick, stone or paver paths to the front door, laid on a packed base so they stay level longer.
- Brick wall installation New brick garden and front walls that look like they've been next to an older house all along.
- Stone masonry Stone steps, walls and planters, dry-laid or mortared, for yards where block would look out of place.
- Brick pointing Worn joints raked out and refilled with a softer mix, because mortar harder than old brick ends up cracking the brick.
Why Capitola homeowners call usfor work done once, not twice
We've worked on brick and stone around Santa Cruz since 2013, and most of our calls come from people with older homes who want the job done right the first time.
I'll say if it's not worth doing
If a wall has years left in it, or a repair won't fix the cause, I'd rather tell you that than sell you the job.
We work with what's there
Old masonry holds up well if you don't fight it, so we keep the sound brick and stone and repair around it instead of starting over.
Permits sorted with the right office
The city makes it the homeowner's job to see a needed permit gets pulled, so we find out whether it's the city or the county and take care of it.
Licensed, insured, and I'm there
We're licensed and insured, and my own crew does the work with me on site instead of handing your wall to someone you've never met.
Satisfaction guaranteed
That's our promise, and it's why we'd rather do old masonry the slow, right way than the quick way that fails by next winter.
From call to finished wallhow a Capitola job runs
You deal with one person from the first look to the last walkthrough, and the estimate tells you in writing what we'll do and why before anything starts.
You call or send the form
Call (831) 201-6259 or fill in the form and tell us what you're seeing, and I come out to look at the job myself.
You get a written estimate
The estimate says what we'll do and why. If the job needs a permit, we pull it and line up the inspections.
My crew and I do the work
We do the work with me on site, and we clean up as we go so you're not living in a job site.
We walk it together
When the work's done I walk it with you, and we don't call it finished until you've seen it and the yard is cleaned up.
What Capitola asks of brickfrom the weather to the permit
Life on the bay, older houses and the city's own rules all shape the masonry work we do in Capitola.
Salt air on mortar
Damp, salty air off the bay wears mortar joints back over time, so we repoint the weak ones before water gets into the brick.
Wet winters behind walls
Soaked ground pushes hard on a retaining wall that can't drain, so we put gravel and a drain pipe behind it before backfilling.
Older cottages and chimneys
Many older homes here have brick chimneys and footings built long before today's methods, so we repair them with materials that suit their age.
Low walls and the 4-foot line
A city handout for commercial work exempts retaining walls up to 4 feet, counted from the footing's bottom, unless a slope or driveway sits above them.
Ask the city before digging
That handout still calls for a planning permit on those walls, and the Building Department answers by phone or sends an inspector when you're unsure.
Get an estimate in Capitolafrom the mason who does the work
Tell us what you're seeing and your address, and we'll get back to you within one business day. The estimate is free, done at your property, and there's no pressure to book.
Close to home in Capitolafrom our base in Santa Cruz
Capitola keeps its history close, with a city museum that has a furnished beach cottage inside. The older homes around the city tend to have the brick chimneys and stone steps we spend our days on, and winters here can be rough, as the early 2023 storms that damaged New Brighton and Seacliff State Beaches showed.
We're a masonry contractor based in Santa Cruz, CA, and we work across the cities around it, so a call from near the wharf or up by New Brighton doesn't take us far. We bring the same crew and the same habits, matching what's there instead of fighting it.
Elsewhere nearby? Give us a call
If you're in another city we serve, its page is linked here. If yours isn't listed, call (831) 201-6259, since we work well beyond these pages.