Masonry Contractor in Salinas, CA - Tight Joints and Straight Walls
Quality Gilroy Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Gilroy, CA, and we work in Salinas too, repointing older brick, fixing chimneys and steps, and building new block walls, retaining walls, walkways and paver driveways.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Salinas houses, from older brick to newer tracts
Salinas is a bigger city than the ones closer to Gilroy, and on our jobs there we mostly see two kinds of houses. Near downtown it's brick chimneys, front steps and porch walls that have been patched more than once, often in a mortar that never matched. Out in the newer neighborhoods it's stucco houses with block walls around the yard and paver or concrete drives out front.
The work feels a lot like what we do in Hollister and Prunedale, and since most Salinas lots sit fairly flat, the job usually turns on getting water away from the wall or the base rather than holding back a hillside.
Masonry services we do for Salinas homes
Foundation repair
When a foundation crack shows up on an older Salinas house, we work out what moved before we patch it, since the cause is the real repair.
Chimney repair
Brick chimneys on older houses lose mortar at the top first, where nothing shelters them. We rebuild loose brick and redo the concrete cap to keep water out.
Tuckpointing
If the mortar on your brick front or yard wall is sandy and sunk back, we grind out the worn joints and pack in new mortar that matches.
Brick repair
Cracked or flaking brick on steps, planters and porches is common on older houses. We swap out the bad brick and fix what caused the damage, usually water.
Driveway pavers
A paver driveway can be fixed a few stones at a time. We dig out and pack the base carefully, because that's what decides whether pavers stay level.
Retaining wall construction
Where a yard steps up at the back fence, we build retaining walls with drainage behind them, because trapped water is what tips walls over.
Masonry restoration
For an older brick or stone house that's had years of quick fixes in the wrong mortar, we undo the bad patches and make the wall whole again.
Fireplace installation
If you're adding a masonry fireplace to a family room or remodel, we build the firebox, hearth and surround in brick or stone sized to the room.
Stone veneer installation
Stone veneer, a thin stone facing, dresses up a plain stucco front or porch column. We set it with drainage behind it so the wall can dry.
Concrete block walls
Block walls along side and back property lines are common here. We build new ones on a solid footing with steel inside, and rebuild ones that lean.
Foundation block wall installation
For an addition, a garage or a raised floor over a crawlspace, we lay block foundation walls on the footing so the framing starts level and square.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
If your backyard has room for a grill station, we build the counter base, grill surround and seating walls in block, brick or stone to match the house.
Walkway construction
A front walk that's cracked or trips people is worth redoing. We build walkways in brick, pavers or stone on a packed base, sloped so water runs off.
Brick wall installation
For a front wall that suits an older house, we build in brick on a proper footing, because a wall is only as straight as what's under it.
Stone masonry
Natural stone suits planters, garden walls and porch bases on ranch and Spanish-style houses. We fit each stone by hand so the joints come out tight and even.
Brick pointing
Pointing fills joints that have opened in places, a smaller job than tuckpointing a whole wall, and it fits when the brick itself is still sound.
Get a free written masonry estimate in Salinas
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out to Salinas, walk the job with you and write up a free estimate with no obligation.
(669) 205-6449- Based in
- Gilroy, CA 95020
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What to know before a masonry job in Salinas
In Salinas, permits come from the city's Community Development office, and if your job needs one, the start date waits on that office, so I check with them early and we handle the application and the inspections for you. Before you hire anyone, make sure the contractor holds a license from the Contractors State License Board, the state board that licenses and regulates construction work in California. We're licensed and fully insured, and I'm happy to have you check.
Salinas sits at the south end of where we work, a straight run down Highway 101 from Gilroy, and it's the same crew that handles our jobs up in Santa Clara. What moves the price is the size of the job, the material and how much old work has to come out first. The schedule turns on any permit review, on finding brick or stone that matches, and on the crew's calendar, and when I walk the job I'll tell you what I see and what I'd do, then put it in writing.
What wears out on Salinas brick, block and pavers
A lot of the older houses in Salinas have brick chimneys, steps and planters that are well past their last repointing, and that mortar was always meant to wear out before the brick does. Once the joints go sandy, water works into the wall behind them, so we fix where the water is getting in, not just the joints you can see, and I'll show you the signs so you can catch it early next time.
Newer neighborhoods bring different calls, like block walls along the back fence that have started to lean and paver drives with low spots. Usually the cause is underneath, a footing that's too small or a base that was never packed, so that's where we start.
How a masonry job runs when you call us in Salinas
Here's how a job goes from your first call to the last walk-through, so you know who you'll talk to and what you'll get at each step.
Call or send the form
Tell us what you're seeing and we'll set a time for me to come out. A photo or two of the crack, wall or patio helps me show up with the right questions.
Walk the job together
I come out myself, point at what I see and ask how you use that wall, chimney or yard, since that changes what I'd do. It's best if you're home, and you get the scope and price in writing before anyone picks up a trowel.
Our crew does the work
Our lead mason runs the crew on site, and I check in while the job is going. If your project has a permit, the city's inspections fall in this stage and we set them up.
Walk the finished job
When it's done, I walk it with you and point out what to keep an eye on, like a joint near a downspout or a paver that starts to settle. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Questions about hiring a masonry contractor in Salinas
(669) 205-6449You apply online through the City of Salinas permit site, which the city's Community Development office runs. You set up a public account first, since you need it before you can pay fees, then use Apply for Permits, and inspections get booked on the same site. If we're doing your job, that paperwork is on us.
Only on small jobs that fall under the state's minor work exemption, and that limit is $1,000, up from $500 before. It also only applies when the work needs no permit and the person doing it has nobody working for them on the project. Anything past that calls for a licensed contractor.
In Salinas, only the city's exclusive franchise hauler can collect and haul construction debris, and whoever creates it has to contract with that hauler unless an exception applies. One exception covers debris a licensed contractor removes as part of its own job, though a debris box hauled off a truck doesn't count, and another covers debris you load into your own truck and take straight to a real processing facility. Our crew usually hauls off our own broken brick and block as part of the job.
Yes, on projects the city's construction debris rules cover, all inert solids, which on a masonry job means mostly broken concrete, brick and block, have to be kept out of the landfill. At least 65 percent of the rest of the debris has to be diverted too, with some exceptions the city lists, and the rules hold the owner responsible along with the contractor. We keep broken masonry separate on site so it can go to recycling.
The honest number comes from a walk-through, because the cost depends on what I find once I'm looking at your wall, chimney or drive. Repointing an older wall goes slower than laying new block because the old joints have to be cut out first, and hunting down brick or stone that matches adds time. A permit, inspections, hauling under the city's debris rules and how easily we can get a mixer to the work all show up in the written estimate.
You search the same city permit site where applications go in, which lets you look up permits, projects and properties. That shows you the permit records on file before you start a new job, and the site has a contractor search as well.
Gilroy, CA
Plan your Salinas masonry project with us
Call (669) 205-6449 or send the form before you buy brick, block or pavers, because a quick look at the job usually saves you from ordering the wrong material.