Masonry Contractor in Livermore, CA - Brick and Stone Set on Solid Footings
Quality Tracy Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor working in Livermore, CA. From our base in Tracy, we repoint worn brick, rebuild tired chimneys, and build retaining walls, patios and paths for Livermore homeowners.
Livermore: older brick and newer backyard walls
Livermore is a short drive west of our base in Tracy, and I'm out there often for the same kinds of calls we get from Dublin next door. Closer to the historic downtown, the houses tend to be older, with brick chimneys, front steps and garden walls whose mortar has worn soft over the years. Out in the newer neighborhoods it's more often block walls along the property line, paver patios and paths, and retaining walls where a backyard slopes.
Old house or new, what's under the masonry decides how long it lasts. When a wall leans or a chimney cracks, I look at the footing and where the water goes before I say a word about brick, because patching the face without fixing the cause just brings the crack back.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Masonry work we do in Livermore
Tuckpointing
Older brick near downtown often has mortar joints worn soft and sandy. We rake out the bad mortar and fill fresh joints matched to your brick.
Chimney repair
Older chimneys take the winter rain on the concrete cap and top rows of brick. We repair cracked caps, loose brick and open joints before water gets inside.
Masonry restoration
Older brick and stone homes near the historic downtown need repairs that blend in. Our masonry restoration work cleans, patches and rebuilds worn sections to match the original.
Concrete block walls
Property-line block walls start to lean when the footing was skimpy or water sits at the base. We build ours on full footings, reinforced with steel.
Retaining wall construction
Sloped yards often need a wall to hold the soil back. We set ours on a solid footing with drainage behind, so winter water has a way out.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
Livermore backyards get a lot of use once the weather warms up. We build grill islands and counters on a real footing so the top stays level.
Working in Livermore: permits, licenses and timing
When a Livermore job needs a permit, the city's building department handles the plan review and the permit, and since it no longer issues permits over the counter or offers rush review, the city's turnaround usually sets the start date more than our crew does. Before you hire anyone for that kind of work, make sure they hold a California contractor's license and an active Livermore business license, which the city asks contractors to have in place before they apply. We're fully licensed and insured, and when your job needs a permit, we apply for it with the city and set up the inspections, or if you'd rather pull it yourself as the owner, I'll tell you what we need from you.
Price and timing come down to the same few things wherever we work, here or over in Brentwood: how much old masonry has to come out, how deep the footing needs to go, how far we have to run drainage, the brick, block or stone you pick, and how easily a crew and materials can get into your yard. Winter rain can push back footing and mortar work, so I'll talk through timing at the estimate along with the price, both written out in plain words.
Get a free masonry estimate for your Livermore home
Tell us about your Livermore project and we'll reply within one business day to set a time to come out. I'll look at the job myself, answer whatever you want to ask, and write the estimate out in plain words, free and with no obligation.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Masonry ideas for Livermore homes
Masonry questions from Livermore homeowners
When does California require a masonry contractor to be licensed?
California's Contractors State License Board requires a license whenever a job needs a building permit, uses any workers, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials combined. Work can only be done without a license when it needs no permit, uses no employees and stays under $1,000, all at the same time, and even then the person can't advertise as a licensed contractor. Most masonry jobs cross at least one of those lines, so ask about the license at the estimate.
Why can't water pipes run under a concrete slab in Livermore?
The city's code changes, as the ordinance summary puts it, prohibit water distribution piping under concrete floor slabs inside buildings, because soil in various parts of the city corrodes that piping. For masonry work, that mostly comes up on additions with a new slab or block foundation, where the water lines have to be routed another way before anything gets poured. Your plumber and the city's plan review settle the route, and we build around it.
What causes brick walls and chimneys to crack in Livermore?
Most cracks come from movement under the masonry, like a footing that settled or soil that got soaked and shifted, more than from the brick itself. The whole Livermore Valley also gets ground tremors from large quakes on the San Andreas, Hayward and Calaveras faults, and the active Greenville Fault runs through the valley beside the city, though that's a valley-wide fact and says nothing about any one lot. Once I've seen the crack, I'll tell you whether it needs repointing, a partial rebuild or just watching.
What is the best way to keep a retaining wall from failing in Livermore?
Give the water behind it a way out, because a wall holding back wet soil carries a lot more pressure than one that drains. Most of Livermore's rain falls between October and April and summers usually stay dry, so the soil behind a wall goes from soaked to dry every year. We set walls on a solid footing with gravel and a drain behind them, and we try to get the footing and backfill in during a dry stretch.
How much does masonry work cost in Livermore?
Nobody can price a Livermore masonry job fairly without seeing it, because a lot of the cost sits in what's hidden under the surface. Repointing a few worn joints costs far less than tearing out and rebuilding a leaning wall, and natural stone usually runs more than block or brick. Call (209) 237-1005 or use the form, and I'll come out and write your figure down.
What do I need on site for a building inspection in Livermore?
You need the printed permit documents and the job inspection card on site, where the inspector can see them. On permits that don't go through the city's electronic plan review, the receipt and permit papers come by email once payment goes through, so they have to be printed from there. When we pull the permit, we print them and keep them on the job, and if you apply online yourself, just hand them to me before we start.