Masonry Contractor in Rio del Mar - Repairs and Walls Built for Hillside Lots
J&L Santa Cruz Concrete & Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Santa Cruz, CA, working in Rio del Mar. We repoint and repair older brick and stone, build retaining walls on sloped lots, and lay pavers, walkways and block walls.
Masonry work in Rio del Marfor hillside and beach homes
Rio del Mar gives us two kinds of call. Up the hill it's retaining walls, steps and walkways holding back slope. Down near the beach it's older brick chimneys and patios that need repointing before the joints let water in.
Price here turns on how steep and tight the lot is, how much old mortar or stone has to come out and what goes back in. The schedule mostly turns on whether the job needs a county permit. We work the same way in Aptos and Live Oak.
Call (831) 201-6259 or send the form, and I'll come look and write up what your job needs and why.
What we build in Rio del Marand the old work we repair
Every service we offer is available in Rio del Mar, and these are the ones its hillside and beach homes ask for most.
- Foundation repair Cracked or settling foundations on sloped lots, where we find the cause before we patch anything.
- Chimney repair Loose crowns and cracked brick on older chimneys, repaired before the next storm season drives water in.
- Tuckpointing When the mortar lines on a brick front have gone sandy, we rake them out and refill to match.
- Brick repair Spalled or cracked brick on planters, steps and walls, swapped out for brick that matches the old.
- Driveway pavers Steep driveways get pavers set on a packed base, so the grade doesn't walk them downhill.
- Retaining wall construction Our most common call on the hill, walls that hold back slope and drain the water behind them.
- Masonry restoration For older brick and stone that's worth saving, we repair what's there instead of tearing it out.
- Fireplace installation New masonry fireplaces built to suit the house, inside the living room or out on the patio.
- Stone veneer installation Stone veneer on foundations, columns and entry walls, set on a proper backing so water can get out.
- Concrete block walls Block walls for property lines and terraced yards, filled and reinforced where the wall needs it.
- Foundation block wall installation Block foundation walls for additions and sheds, laid on footings sized for the soil we find.
- Outdoor kitchen masonry Outdoor kitchens and grill counters in block and stone, built for yards that get fog and sea air.
- Walkway construction Stone, brick or paver walkways and steps that make a sloped lot easier to get around.
- Brick wall installation New brick garden and boundary walls, laid to sit right beside the older brick around them.
- Stone masonry Stone walls, steps and planters that suit a coastal yard and age well with it.
- Brick pointing Small runs of failing mortar on steps, chimneys and garden walls, pointed with a mix suited to the brick.
Why Rio del Mar calls usa job done once, not twice
You deal with me from the first look to the last walkthrough. I'll tell you what the wall needs and what it doesn't, then leave it there.
I look at every job myself
You won't get a salesperson. I come out to see the wall, and I'm on site with my crew while the work gets done.
Licensed in California, and insured
The state licensing board requires a license when a job needs a building permit, uses extra workers or runs $1,000 or more in labor and materials. We're licensed and insured.
Repairs that suit the old wall
Old masonry holds up if you don't fight it, so we match mortar and brick to what's there instead of forcing something harder onto it.
An honest no when it's not worth it
If a crack is cosmetic or a wall has years left in it, I'll say so. I'd rather lose the job than sell you one you don't need.
Working since 2013, satisfaction guaranteed
We've worked out of Santa Cruz since 2013, and our word on every job is the same two words, satisfaction guaranteed.
From call to walkthroughthe same person at every step
I keep it simple. You talk to me, I see the job, and you get it in writing before anyone mixes mortar.
Call or send the form
Call (831) 201-6259 or use the form and tell me what you're seeing, whether it's a leaning wall, crumbling joints or a project you're planning.
I look, then write it up
I come out to your property and look at the job myself. Then you get a written estimate that says what we'll do and why.
Permit, then the work
Permits here come from the County of Santa Cruz, so if your job needs one we pull it and line up the inspections. Then my crew and I do the work.
We walk it together
Before we call it finished, I walk the job with you and go over the work. Then we clean up and get out of your way.
What Rio del Mar asks of masonrycoastal weather and steep lots
Rio del Mar's weather is mild, but the coast, the slopes and the bugs still work on a house.
Frost isn't the problem
The county rates freeze-thaw weathering as negligible, so when joints fail here we look for water, settling or roots instead of frost.
Hard winter storms
The 2023 storms threw 25-foot waves at nearby Seacliff State Beach, and rain from storms like those finds weak drains behind walls.
Slopes that push back
Hillside lots lean on every wall and step, so we build retaining walls with drainage behind them and footings sized for the slope.
Termite country
The county is rated a very heavy termite area, one reason block and stone walls and steps outlast timber ones here.
Your Rio del Mar estimatewritten up after I've seen it
Put your address and what you're seeing in the form, and we'll get back to you within one business day. I come out for a free estimate at your property, with no obligation to book.
Our work around Rio del Marfrom the bluff down to the sand
Rio del Mar runs from Rio del Mar State Beach up onto the bluff where Seascape Park sits, with Seacliff State Beach nearby. The homes in between range from older beach houses to newer places on the hill, and most of our calls are walls, steps and old brick.
We're based in Santa Cruz and work across the cities around it, so Rio del Mar is an easy drive for us. It's the same work we do everywhere else, just with more slope and more salt air.
Your city not listed? Call us
Pick your city if it's listed below, or call (831) 201-6259 if it isn't, since we work in plenty of places in between.