Masonry Contractor in Prunedale, CA - Walls and Paving Built for Hillside Lots
Quality Gilroy Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor working in Prunedale, CA. We build retaining walls, block and brick walls, paver driveways and walkways, and we repoint and repair the brick, stone and chimneys already on your property.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Prunedale homes sit on hills and long driveways
Prunedale is a spread-out community of homes in the hills of North Monterey County, north of Salinas and inland from Watsonville. Most of what we see here are houses on bigger lots. Older ranch homes with brick chimneys and stoops sit next to newer houses set back up long driveways, and a lot of yards slope away toward brush and oak at the back. We're a masonry contractor based in Gilroy, CA, and the calls we get from Prunedale are usually as much about the ground around the house as the house itself.
That ground shapes the job. On a hillside lot, a wall, a walkway or a paver drive has soil and water pushing on it from the uphill side, so we spend as much time on the footing and the drainage as on the brick, block or stone you'll see.
Masonry services we offer Prunedale homeowners
Foundation repair
When a crack in the foundation of a hillside house keeps widening, we find out whether the ground or water is moving it before we patch anything.
Chimney repair
Brick chimneys on older Prunedale houses usually lose mortar at the top first, so we rebuild the cap and loose bricks before the winter rain gets in.
Tuckpointing
On brick that takes the brunt of winter storms, worn mortar turns sandy, so we grind out those joints and refill them with mortar matched to the old.
Brick repair
Bricks with their faces flaking off get cut out and replaced one at a time, so the steps and walls on older homes here keep their look.
Driveway pavers
Poured driveways on a slope crack across the slab, while pavers on a well-packed base move with the ground and can be lifted and reset in one spot.
Retaining wall construction
Sloped Prunedale yards often need a wall to hold soil, and we build it with gravel and drains behind so water runs out instead of pushing.
Masonry restoration
When an older brick or stone house has years of patched cracks and mismatched mortar, we sort out what's sound and bring the whole face back together.
Fireplace installation
For homes out here that lean on a fireplace through the wet months, we build masonry fireboxes and surrounds sized to the room and the chimney.
Stone veneer installation
Stone veneer dresses up a plain entry or chimney on a North County house, and we put a drainage layer behind it so water has a way out.
Concrete block walls
A block wall along the property line gives a big hillside lot privacy, and we set it on a footing with steel and grout run through it.
Foundation block wall installation
Additions and garages on sloped lots need a solid base, so we lay reinforced block foundation walls on footings sized for the ground they sit on.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
Big Prunedale backyards have room for cooking outside, and we build the block base, the counter and a stone or brick face that stands up to the weather.
Walkway construction
Paths that run from the driveway down to the house on a sloped lot need steps and a firm base, or the stones wash loose every winter.
Brick wall installation
A brick garden or entry wall suits the older ranch homes around here, and we set it on a footing sized for its height and the ground.
Stone masonry
Fieldstone and stacked stone fit the hill country look out here, and we use them for walls, steps and planters that drain instead of holding water.
Brick pointing
When only a few joints have cracked or dropped out, brick pointing fills just those spots, so a small leak in a wall or step gets fixed early.
Get a free written estimate for your Prunedale job
We reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to Prunedale, 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
How county permits and licensing work in Prunedale
Prunedale is unincorporated, so the County of Monterey is the local government here, and county departments issue the permits for work on your property. When a job needs one, we check with the county and handle the application and the inspections for you, and the start date waits on that approval, so a permit job takes longer to get going than a simple repair. When you're checking out a contractor, keep in mind that the county's business license list names hotels, vacation rentals, homestays and cannabis businesses, so for masonry the license to look up is the state one from the Contractors State License Board. We're licensed and fully insured.
Out here, the price moves with the lot. A taller wall, a steeper slope, a long private drive a delivery truck can't climb, or old concrete and block that has to come out first all add time and material, and choosing block over brick or natural stone brings it down. The schedule turns on the weather and on any permit, and I put your own numbers in a written estimate after I've seen the site. We drive down 101 from Gilroy and work the same kind of hillside lots across North County and in Salinas, so steep drives and narrow roads don't catch us off guard.
What wet winters and slopes do to Prunedale masonry
Most of the county's rain comes between October and April, with little to none in summer, and that swing is hard on masonry on a hillside. All winter the soil behind a retaining wall soaks up water and pushes, and in summer the same ground dries out and shrinks, so walls without drainage start to lean and paver drives without a solid base sink in the low spots. We put gravel and drains behind the walls we build and pack the base under pavers in layers, because water moves this stuff long before age does.
On older houses the trouble is usually mortar. Joints on chimneys, porches and garden walls wear down, water gets in behind the brick, and that's when bricks start cracking and flaking. I'd rather repoint a wall while it's just worn joints than rebuild it later, so at the estimate I'll show you which joints matter and which can wait.
What to expect when you hire us in Prunedale
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 a message
Call (669) 205-6449 or use the form and tell us what you're seeing. We get back to you and set a time for me to come out to Prunedale.
Walk the job with me
It helps to be home, because I walk the job with you and show you what's causing the problem and what I'd do about it. You get the estimate in writing, so you know the price before anything goes on the schedule.
Our crew does the work
Our lead mason runs the crew on site, and I check in while the job is going. You don't need to be home every day, as long as we can get to the work area.
Walk the finished job together
When it's done I walk it with you and point out what to keep an eye on, like a drain outlet or a joint near a downspout. That way you can spot trouble early, whoever you call next time.
Questions about masonry work in Prunedale
(669) 205-6449Yes, for most masonry work. The board says anyone who builds or alters a structure needs a license when the project needs a building permit or uses employee labor, or when one or more contracts on it total $1,000 or more in labor and materials. A job with no permit and no employees can be exempt if everything on it comes to less than $1,000, but a larger project can't be broken into smaller contracts to get under that line.
It can under building code language the county has proposed. That text would stop new permits and other approvals on a property once the county's enforcing officer reports a violation there and an application is pending, except permits needed to fix the violation, where those can be issued. If you know of an open issue on your property, tell me at the estimate so we can work out what has to come first.
Most of the cost on a hillside is in the ground, not the block you see. A wall holding back a slope needs a deeper footing, steel, and gravel and drain pipe behind it, and if the lot is up a long or steep driveway, getting material and equipment in takes longer. A lower wall, block instead of stone, or two shorter stepped walls in place of one tall one can bring the number down, and I'll go over those choices when I write your estimate.
Usually it's the base under the pavers, not the pavers themselves. When the gravel underneath isn't packed in thin layers, or water runs down the drive and under the edges, the base washes out and the low spots settle. We dig out enough for a solid base, pack it in layers and lock the edges, and on a slope we work out where the water goes before we lay anything.
Scratch a joint with a key, and if the mortar crumbles to sand or sits back from the face of the brick, it's time to repoint. White powder on the brick and bricks with their faces flaking off usually mean water has been getting in for a while. I'll show you which joints need it at the estimate, and catching it at this stage costs far less than rebuilding.
Late spring through early fall is usually best, because the ground is dry and we can dig footings and pack a base without fighting mud. We do work through the winter between storms, but footings and paver bases are the part I'd rather not rush in wet ground, so it helps to call before the dry season to get on the schedule.
Gilroy, CA
Get your Prunedale masonry job on the schedule
Even if you don't hire us, you'll come away from the visit knowing what's going on with your wall, drive or chimney and what to ask about.