Masonry Contractor in Santa Cruz - Repairs That Respect Old Brick and Stone
J&L Santa Cruz Concrete & Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Santa Cruz. We repoint and repair older brick and stone, build retaining walls, and handle the block, paver and fireplace work the city's houses ask for.
Masonry contractor in Santa Cruzfor older homes and coastal lots
Santa Cruz is home base, and most of our calls here come from people with older houses who want the brick, stone or block done right and not done twice. We also cross the hill to Scotts Valley and head along the coast to Capitola.
Price mostly turns on how much old work has to come out, how easy the site is to reach and what we're matching. The schedule turns on the weather and on any permit. Your written estimate says what we'll do and why.
If a wall, chimney or set of steps has you wondering, call (831) 201-6259 and I'll come take a look.
What we do in Santa Cruzfor the houses and yards here
In Santa Cruz we handle everything from repointing an old chimney to building new walls, walks and outdoor kitchens.
- Foundation repair Cracked or settling foundations show up on older houses here, and we fix what's failing and leave what isn't.
- Chimney repair Brick chimneys here take salt air and rain from every side, so the top courses and the cap usually go first.
- Tuckpointing When joints go sandy, we rake them out and pack in fresh mortar so water stays out.
- Brick repair Spalled or cracked bricks swapped for matching ones, set in mortar soft enough to spare their neighbors.
- Driveway pavers Pavers suit tight city driveways, because one sunken patch can be lifted and reset without tearing up the rest.
- Retaining wall construction Lots here often slope, and a retaining wall with drainage behind it keeps the yard where it belongs.
- Masonry restoration For older brick and stone, we repair what's there and match the original instead of covering it over.
- Fireplace installation A new masonry fireplace sized to the room, with the firebox and hearth laid out right from the start.
- Stone veneer installation A stone face for a plain wall or chimney, with the backing and drainage behind it done right.
- Concrete block walls Block walls for side yards and property lines, reinforced and capped to stand up to wet winters.
- Foundation block wall installation New block foundation walls for additions and rebuilds, laid on a footing sized for the ground underneath.
- Outdoor kitchen masonry Outdoor kitchens in brick, block or stone, built for a backyard that gets used most of the year.
- Walkway construction Front walks and garden paths in brick, stone or pavers, laid on a packed base that drains.
- Brick wall installation New brick garden walls, with the brick and mortar picked to sit well beside an older house.
- Stone masonry Stone steps, walls and borders laid by hand, the kind of work that suits a sloped or rocky yard.
- Brick pointing Spot pointing where a few joints have failed, done before water gets in behind the brick.
Why Santa Cruz calls uswhen the brick is old
I come out to every job myself and work beside my crew. Most of our calls come from older homes, and I'll tell you when a job isn't worth doing.
I look at every job myself
The person who writes your estimate is the one on site while my crew does the work, so nothing gets lost between the visit and the job.
Repairs that don't start the next problem
Old masonry lasts if you don't fight it, so we match mortar and brick to what's there instead of sealing it in with something harder.
Licensed and insured in California
The state licensing board wants a licensed contractor before the bid on jobs of $1,000 or more in labor and materials, or any job needing a building permit. We're licensed and insured.
In business since 2013
We're best known for repointing and repair on older brick and stone, and for retaining walls that hold a slope where it is.
A call gets me out there
Satisfaction guaranteed. If your brick, stone or block has you wondering, call (831) 201-6259 and I'll come take a look myself.
How a job runsfrom your call to the walkthrough
I keep it simple. You deal with me from the first look to the last walkthrough, and the written estimate says what we'll do and why before anything starts.
You call or write
Call or send the form and tell me what's going on with the wall, chimney or yard. I come out to look at the job myself.
A written estimate
You get a written estimate saying what we'll do and why. If the job needs a permit, we find out whether the city or the county covers your address and pull it.
We do the work
My crew and I do the work, with me on site the whole way. When there's a permit, we line up the inspections so you don't have to chase them.
We walk it together
Before we call it finished, I walk the job with you, so you can see what we did and ask about anything that doesn't look right.
What Santa Cruz asks of masonrynear the coast and on old lots
Coastal weather, older houses and the city's coastal plan all shape what a masonry job here involves.
Salt air and winter rain
Salt air and winter rain wear down mortar joints and chimney caps, so we catch open joints before water gets behind the brick.
Older brick, softer mortar
Older brick usually sits in softer mortar, so we repoint with a mix that matches instead of a hard one that cracks the brick.
Bluffs, habitat and views
Work under the city's coastal plan must protect sensitive habitat, bluffs and their buffers, coastal access and public views, so we plan around them.
Your Santa Cruz estimate, freewritten up after I see it
Tell us what you're seeing, your address and a good time to reach you, and we'll get back to you within one business day. The estimate is free, done at your property, and there's no obligation to book.
Our work around Santa Cruzhome base for our crew
We're based in Santa Cruz and work across the cities around it, from the coast over the hill into the South Bay and plenty of places between. Here in the city it's mostly older houses, brick chimneys, stone steps, garden walls and sloped yards that need holding back.
Working in the city also means a city business license from the Finance Department. Most businesses pay a basic $145.15 a year plus $2.55, $4.95 or $7.40 per employee, depending on the type of business, and it's separate from the state contractor's license.
Not your city? Give us a call
If one of the cities below is yours, its page has more. If not, call (831) 201-6259, because these are just the cities with a page, not the only ones we work in.