Masonry Contractor in Lomita, CA - Brick and Block Repairs Matched to Your House
CJ Redondo Beach Concrete & Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Redondo Beach, CA, working in Lomita on brick repair, repointing, block walls, walkways and chimneys for the houses and yards across the city.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Lomita homes and the masonry we find on them
Most of what we work on in Lomita is houses that have been standing a good while, single-story places on modest lots with a brick planter out front, a chimney, a concrete block wall along the side or back property line and a front walk that's settled over the years. The houses and yards look a lot like what we see next door in Torrance, so the calls are familiar ones, usually crumbling joints, a leaning wall or a chimney that needs work.
Yards here don't leave much room around a wall or a walk, and those pieces sit right on the ground, so how that ground has moved and where the water runs decide whether I suggest a patch or a rebuild.
Masonry services we bring to Lomita homes
- Foundation repair
When a corner of the house drops or the foundation cracks open, we find out how the ground has moved before choosing a repair that fits it.
- Chimney repair
Older Lomita chimneys often show loose bricks near the top and a cracked crown, the concrete cap that sheds rain. We rebuild what's failing and repoint the rest.
- Tuckpointing
When joints on a brick house or planter turn sandy and recessed, we rake out the worn mortar and refill with a mix soft enough for older brick.
- Brick repair
Cracked or flaking bricks on steps, planters and walls get cut out one at a time and replaced with brick we match for size and color.
- Driveway pavers
On a short Lomita driveway, pavers over a packed base replace cracked concrete and let us lift and reset one section later instead of tearing everything out.
- Retaining wall construction
Where a yard steps up toward a back fence, we build retaining walls with drainage behind them so water can get out instead of pushing on the wall.
- Masonry restoration
For older brick fronts, planters and chimneys that have worn unevenly, we clean, repair and repoint the whole piece so it reads as one wall again.
- Fireplace installation
We build brick and stone fireplaces for living rooms and backyard patios, sizing the firebox and the chimney to the room and to the house around it.
- Stone veneer installation
Thin stone veneer gives a plain block wall, stucco planter or fireplace face the look of stone without the weight of full stone, set over proper backing.
- Concrete block walls
Block walls along property lines are common on Lomita lots, and when an old one leans or cracks, we rebuild it on a proper footing.
- Foundation block wall installation
For additions, garages and raised floors, we lay block foundation walls on a poured footing, with the hollow cores filled and reinforced to carry the structure above.
- Outdoor kitchen masonry
We build the block base, counters and grill surround for backyard kitchens, laid out around your gas and water lines and finished in brick or stone.
- Walkway construction
Front walks on older Lomita houses often sink or tip slab by slab. We replace them in brick, pavers or stone over a packed base that drains.
- Brick wall installation
A low brick wall along the front yard or patio gives the lot a clear edge, and we set it on a real footing with joints tooled to shed water.
- Stone masonry
Natural stone for walls, steps, planters and fireplace faces suits yards that want something heavier than brick, and we lay it with mortar chosen for the stone.
- Brick pointing
When only a few joints are cracked or missing, we point just those, matching the color and hardness of the old mortar so the wall wears evenly.
Get a free on-site masonry estimate in Lomita
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, look at the job with you and give you a free estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
Call (424) 265-1368Working in Lomita with county plan check and inspections
Lomita is its own city, but an earlier city report says it contracts with Los Angeles County for building and safety, so county staff handle plan check, their review of your drawings, and the inspections on building permits for the city. When your job needs a permit, that review has to clear before we start, so it can set the start date as much as our calendar does. We check the permit steps with the city or county office before work starts and take care of the permit when the job needs one, and we're licensed and fully insured. Your price moves with the size of the job and what we find once the old work is open, and the estimate gives you the figure for your own job.
Lomita is compact, so getting the crew and materials around the city is quick, though houses on busy roads like Pacific Coast Highway and Lomita Boulevard take some planning for where the mixer and the brick pallets sit. We're a masonry contractor based in Redondo Beach, CA, and we do the same work across the cities around it, from Lomita up to Del Aire.
What wears out masonry on Lomita properties
Chimneys take more weather than anything else on the house because they stand above the roof in summer sun and winter rain, so the top bricks and the crown usually go first, and I'd rather fix loose brick up there before it falls.
Property-line block walls are the other thing we're called about most. Older ones were often built on a small footing with few of their hollow cores filled, so years of settling and tree roots tip them or crack them along the joints. We look at the footing before anything else, and we won't stack new block on one that's already failing, because the new wall would follow it right over.
What happens after you call us about masonry in Lomita
Here's how a job runs from your first call to the last joint, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
Call (424) 265-1368 or send the form, and tell us what you're seeing, like crumbling joints, a leaning wall or a loose chimney. We'll set a time that suits you for me to come look.
I look at it myself
I come out myself, walk the job with you and answer whatever you want to ask, so it helps if you're home. You get the price and the reasons behind it before you decide anything.
We handle the permit steps
If you go ahead, we check the permit steps with the city or county office and take care of the permit when the job needs one. Any county plan check has to clear before our crew starts.
Our crew works, I check
Our crew does the work and I check it on site as it goes, looking at the mortar, the joints and the footing before they're covered up. When a permit is involved, the county inspection is part of finishing the job.
Questions about masonry work in Lomita
Which building codes does Lomita follow for masonry work?
Lomita follows the county's building codes, taking them as its own city rules, and a city report says it adopts the county's updated codes every three years. So the code that applies to your wall, chimney or footing follows the county's updates, and I check what's in force when we plan your job instead of going by how it was built years ago.
What weather and soil conditions affect building in Lomita?
In proposed code changes, the city describes hot, dry summers that often bring drought, strong Santa Ana winds that often bring fire danger, and heavy winter rains that often leave expansive soil, ground that swells when wet and shrinks as it dries, and it calls the area geologically unstable. Those are the city's general findings and your lot has its own conditions, so I look at the ground and the drainage on site before suggesting footings or repairs.
What is the best way to repoint old brick on a Lomita house?
The best way is to rake out only the worn mortar and refill the joints with a mix no harder than the old one, so the mortar gives before the brick does. A hard modern mix looks fine at first but can crack or flake the brick around it, which is why I check the old mortar's color and hardness before we mix anything.
How much does masonry repair cost in Lomita?
Masonry work in Lomita is priced job by job, by how much there is to do, the material and how much repair the old work turns out to need. Matching older brick, digging and pouring a new footing, hauling away a wall we take down, tight access in a narrow side yard and any permit work all add to it, while repointing sound brick costs less than rebuilding. I price your job on site, so you have a real number to decide with.
How long does a masonry job in Lomita take from estimate to finish?
The schedule turns on two things, whether the job has to go through county plan check before we start and how much repair we find once the old work is opened up. On site, the size of the work and the weather decide the rest, and I'll tell you at the estimate what I expect and what I won't know until the wall is open.
Where can I see drought-tolerant landscaping in Lomita before redoing my yard?
The city's Demonstration Garden, just southeast of City Hall next to the parking lot, shows a yard redone with efficient irrigation and drought-tolerant plants, and the city says it has cut water use by over 70%. Signs name each plant, so it's a good place to get ideas before we lay out a new walkway, planter or wall, and planting that needs less water also means less sprinkler spray soaking the base of your masonry.
Redondo Beach, CA
Ask about your Lomita masonry project today
We answer the phone seven days a week, from early morning to late evening, so you can call (424) 265-1368 or send the form whenever it suits you.