Masonry contractor in Hollister, CA - repointing, repairs and new walls
Quality Gilroy Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Gilroy that works in Hollister, repointing and repairing older brick, building new block, brick and stone walls, and laying paver driveways and walkways for homeowners here.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Hollister homes, from older brick to new tracts
Hollister is a short drive from our base in Gilroy, and the calls we get here cover a wide spread of houses. Near downtown there are older homes with brick chimneys, front steps and garden walls that have taken a lot of sun and winter rain. Farther out you'll find newer subdivisions where people want block walls, paver driveways and backyard kitchens. Past those are ranch and rural lots that call for stone walls and longer retaining walls.
It's much the same mix we see in San Martin, and the house usually decides what the job is about. On the older homes, it's matching the brick and the softer mortar that's already there. On the newer ones, it's getting the base and the footing right the first time, because that's the part you can't see or fix later.
Masonry services we offer in Hollister
Foundation repair
When a brick or block foundation on an older Hollister house shows stair-step cracks or a sinking corner, we find what moved it before we patch anything.
Chimney repair
Brick chimneys take a beating from shaking ground and winter rain here, so we fix loose crowns, cracked brick and open joints before water gets inside.
Tuckpointing
If the mortar on an older Hollister brick house is sandy or recessed, we grind out the worn joints and refill them with mortar that suits the brick.
Brick repair
Flaking, cracked or loose bricks usually show up where sprinklers soak a wall day after day, and we replace the damaged ones with a close match.
Driveway pavers
A paver driveway suits the wider lots in Hollister's newer neighborhoods, and the packed base underneath is what keeps it flat under parking, so we don't skimp on it.
Retaining wall construction
On sloped lots toward the hills, a retaining wall needs real drainage behind it and a solid footing, because trapped water is what usually pushes walls over.
Masonry restoration
For older brick and stone buildings around Hollister, we clean, repoint and repair in a way that keeps the original look and deals with where water gets in.
Fireplace installation
Cool winter evenings in Hollister make a wood fireplace worth having, and we build the firebox, hearth and chimney in brick or stone with the inspection in mind.
Stone veneer installation
Stone veneer gives a plain stucco front the look of real stone, and how well water drains from behind it decides how long it lasts.
Concrete block walls
Block property walls are common between Hollister yards, and we set steel and grout in the hollow cores so the wall holds together better when the ground shakes.
Foundation block wall installation
For additions, garages and new outbuildings on larger Hollister lots, we lay reinforced block foundation walls on a footing sized for what sits on top.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
Long, warm evenings make the backyard the main room for a lot of Hollister families, and we build grill islands and counters in block, brick or stone.
Walkway construction
A brick, paver or stone walkway fixes the muddy winter path across the side yard, and we slope it slightly so rain runs off instead of sitting there.
Brick wall installation
A brick garden or front wall suits the older streets near downtown Hollister, and we build it on a real footing with joints shaped to shed water.
Stone masonry
Fieldstone and cut-stone walls fit the ranch and rural properties around Hollister, and we lay them dry or mortared depending on the height and the ground.
Brick pointing
When a few joints have cracked or dropped out on a chimney, steps or a garden wall, we point just those areas instead of redoing the whole surface.
Get a free written estimate for your Hollister masonry job
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set up a visit. I come out, walk the job with you and put a free estimate in writing, with no obligation to hire us.
(669) 205-6449- Based in
- Gilroy, CA 95020
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
Working in Hollister: permits, licenses and what moves the price
Building permits here come from the City of Hollister, and its code covers repairs, alterations and rebuilds as well as new construction, so a chimney rebuild or a new wall may need one just like an addition does. If work starts before a required permit is in hand, the city charges double the normal permit fee, so we don't start a permitted job until the permit is issued, and that approval is often what sets the start date. When your job needs a permit, we check with the city and handle the application and the inspections for you. Before you hire anyone, look the contractor up with the Contractors State License Board, the state office that licenses contractors in California to protect homeowners. We're licensed and fully insured.
Price moves with how much has to come out and be hauled away, how easy the spot is to reach and what you're building with, and the schedule mostly turns on the permit and the weather. I'll put your own figure in the written estimate after I've walked the job. We run the same crews down to Prunedale and over to Watsonville, so the drive out to your place is never the reason a job waits.
Shaking ground and water are hard on Hollister masonry
Two major faults come together just north of Hollister, and years of shaking can show up in masonry as stair-step cracks in brick, chimneys pulling away from the house and block walls leaning at a joint. Brick with no steel in it is the most at risk. On a repair, we look at whether a crack is old and stable or still moving before we fill it. On new work, we put steel and grout in the block and tie veneer back to the house.
The other thing we see on almost every house is water. Sprinklers hitting the same wall every morning and roof runoff with no gutter to catch it soak into brick and wash out mortar, so I'll ask how your yard gets watered before I suggest fixing the joints.
What happens when you call us about a Hollister job
Here's how a job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
Call (669) 205-6449 or send the form with a few lines about the wall, chimney or patio, and a photo if you have one. We get back to you and set a time to come out that works for you.
Walk the job together
I come out myself, show you what's causing the problem and explain what I'd do about it. You get a written estimate that spells out the work, so you can compare it fairly with anyone else's.
Get the permit if needed
If your job needs a city permit, we file the application and schedule the inspections. Work starts once the city has issued the permit, and you don't need to be in the office for any of it.
Build it, then walk through
Our lead mason runs the crew on the work, and I check in while it's going, so you don't need to be home every day. When it's done, I walk the finished job with you and point out what to keep an eye on.
Questions about masonry work in Hollister
(669) 205-6449The city has to approve a plan for handling the construction or demolition waste before it issues the permit, and the permit holder has to keep at least 50 percent of that waste out of the landfill. On a masonry job that's mostly old brick, broken block and concrete from a tear-out, which can usually be recycled. We put the plan together with the permit application and sort the debris on site.
Hollister uses the California building codes in full, along with its own local changes, and they're the only rules for new construction as well as repairs, alterations and rebuilds. The adopted codes are on file at City Hall if you want to read them yourself. We build to them, and on a permitted job the city's inspector checks the work.
The state licensing board says a down payment on a home improvement job can be no more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. Any other payments have to be listed in the contract and tied to work completed or materials delivered. If someone wants more than that before starting, ask them why.
Type your address into the state's EQ Zapp map, which shows whether the property sits in a mapped earthquake hazard zone. It also tells you when the state hasn't evaluated the hazards in your area yet. Tell me what it says when I come out, because it helps me judge how much reinforcing a chimney or wall should get.
Water is usually the cause, soaking into the joints from sprinklers, roof runoff or wet ground and slowly washing out the mortar. Old mortar also wears out with age, and a patch with mortar harder than the brick can make the brick crack around it. That's why we find where the water comes from before we repoint, or the new joints just go the same way.
The biggest factors are how much old material has to come out, how easy the spot is to reach and what you're building with, since natural stone and matched old brick cost more than standard block. On a sloped lot, a retaining wall needs a deeper footing, more steel and drainage behind it, and a permitted job adds fees and the waste plan. I'll give you your number in writing after I've seen the job.
Gilroy, CA
Tell us about your Hollister masonry project
A cracked chimney or leaning wall is usually cheaper to fix now than after another winter of rain gets into it, so call (669) 205-6449 or send the form.