Masonry Contractor in Manhattan Beach, CA - Walls and Repairs Built for Tight Lots
CJ Redondo Beach Concrete & Masonry is a masonry contractor working in Manhattan Beach, CA, repointing tired brick, repairing chimneys and building block walls, retaining walls, walkways and fireplaces for homes across the city.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Manhattan Beach homes as we see them on the job
As a masonry contractor based in Redondo Beach, CA, we're a short drive from Manhattan Beach, the next city up the coast past Hermosa Beach and our home base in Redondo Beach. Down near the sand, lots are narrow and houses sit close to their neighbors. Many of them are newer builds or big remodels, with an original brick chimney, garden wall or front step left here and there from an older house. Farther inland the streets climb, and the yards there often step down the slope behind retaining walls.
That mix shapes most of our work here. On the newer houses it's usually walls, walkways and stone veneer, and on the older ones it's repair that has to suit brick and mortar laid decades ago, while the sloped lots keep retaining walls on the list.
Masonry services for Manhattan Beach homes
- Foundation repair
When an older Manhattan Beach house shows cracks in its foundation, we work out what's moving first, then repair the masonry instead of just patching the crack.
- Chimney repair
Original brick chimneys on older homes here take damp air year after year, and a cracked cap or open joints let water down into the house.
- Tuckpointing
Near the beach, mortar joints often go soft before the brick does, so we rake them out and refill with mortar the brick can live with.
- Brick repair
Cracked, flaking or loose bricks in an older garden wall, front step or chimney get cut out one at a time and replaced with brick we pick to match.
- Driveway pavers
Narrow lots here often mean a short, tight driveway, and pavers let us fit curves and edges neatly while giving you pieces that lift out for repairs.
- Retaining wall construction
Sloped yards here often need a wall to hold back soil, and we build each one with drainage behind it, since trapped water usually tips walls over.
- Masonry restoration
When brick or stone on an older home here shows years of patches, we clean, repair and repoint the whole face so old and new read as one.
- Fireplace installation
Cool, damp evenings near the water make a fireplace worth having, and we build masonry fireplaces and surrounds that fit the room and how you use it.
- Stone veneer installation
Stone veneer, a thin layer of stone, dresses up a stucco front, chimney or block wall on a remodel here without the weight of full stone.
- Concrete block walls
With houses this close together, a block wall along the property line gives you privacy and a solid edge, and we can finish it in stucco or stone.
- Foundation block wall installation
When an addition or rebuild needs a new foundation wall, we lay reinforced block on a sound footing, which matters on sandy ground near the coast.
- Outdoor kitchen masonry
Mild weather here means a lot of cooking outside, and we build grill islands and counters in block, brick or stone sized to fit a compact yard.
- Walkway construction
Side yards here are often narrow, so a well-laid brick, stone or paver walkway turns a dirt strip into a path you can actually use.
- Brick wall installation
A new brick garden wall or planter suits the older homes here and ties in with existing brick when we match the size, color and joints.
- Stone masonry
Natural stone walls, steps and planters hold up well near the water, and we set each stone by hand so the wall carries its weight properly.
- Brick pointing
When a few joints on the damp side of a house crack or fall out, we fill them with fresh mortar before water gets behind the brick.
Get a free on-site masonry estimate in Manhattan Beach
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day. I come out myself to look at your wall or chimney, answer your questions and give you a free estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
Call (424) 265-1368Permits and local know-how for Manhattan Beach jobs
Masonry permits here go through the city's Community Development department, which takes permit applications for any construction, repair, remodel, alteration or demolition project, starting online. Because the permit has to be issued before work begins, that step usually sets your start date more than the masonry does, so I check the permit steps with the city before we plan anything and take care of the permit when your job needs one. If you want to check a contractor's city business license, the city's Finance Department handles business licensing, and we're licensed and fully insured.
What moves the price here is usually access and age more than size. On a narrow lot, brick, block and mortar often travel down a side yard by hand, a sloped yard means digging and drainage before a wall goes up, and matching the brick and mortar on an older wall takes time. Parking and staging on the busy streets near the beach shape how we plan deliveries, too. You get the figure for your own house at the estimate visit, and it's the same work we do inland in Gardena, where the main difference is usually more room to work.
Ocean air, slopes and older brick in Manhattan Beach
The air off the ocean keeps brick and mortar damp much of the year, and on older houses here the mortar usually goes first, turning soft and sandy until the joints open and water gets in behind the face. The fix I trust is mortar a little softer than the brick around it, because a joint that's too hard forces the brick to take the movement and crack instead. So we look at how the old wall was built before we mix anything, and we repoint to suit it.
Lots here are narrow and many yards slope, so property-line walls and retaining walls do a lot of work. When one leans or cracks, it's usually water building up behind it, and we rebuild with drainage so the soil has somewhere to shed it.
How a masonry job runs when you call us in Manhattan Beach
Here's how a masonry job in Manhattan Beach usually goes, from your first call to the day our crew cleans up.
Call or send the form
Phone (424) 265-1368 or use the form and tell us what you're seeing, whether that's crumbling joints, a leaning wall or a chimney that needs work. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I come out to look
I walk the job with you, look at how the wall was built and answer any question you've got, small ones included. You get my price and the reasons behind it before you decide anything, so it helps if you're home to go over it together.
We sort out the permit
Once you decide to go ahead, we work through the permit steps with the city for you. Our crew's start date follows the city issuing the permit.
Our crew builds, I check
Our crew does the work while I check it on site as it goes, so the mortar, the joints and the finish match what we talked about. When we're done, we clean up so your yard is ready to use.
Questions about masonry in Manhattan Beach
Do I need a permit for masonry work in Manhattan Beach?
Some masonry work clearly does, because the city's permit list names sandblasting and most excavation, which cover jobs like blasting old brick clean or digging footings for a new wall. For anything else, I check with the city before we start rather than guess. If the work builds or changes a sidewalk, alley or street, the city says permits may also be needed from Traffic Engineering or Public Works, which can come up with driveway aprons and walkways.
Which building codes apply to new masonry plans in Manhattan Beach?
Plans submitted to the city now fall under the 2025 California Building Codes, which the city says are in effect as of January 1, 2026. If your wall, fireplace or foundation job needs plans, they have to meet those requirements, and that's what we build to.
When can work and inspections start on a Manhattan Beach permit?
Work and inspections start only after the city has approved and issued the permit. After that, only an active contact listed on the permit can ask for inspections, and the city allows up to three inspections a day on a project.
How long does a Manhattan Beach plan check or permit stay valid?
A plan check expires if no permit is issued within 12 months of the application, and an issued permit goes invalid if work doesn't start within 12 months after it's issued. The city takes extension or reinstatement requests through an online form, but it's simpler to plan the job so neither clock runs out.
How do I handle demolition waste from a masonry project in Manhattan Beach?
On all demolition projects, the city's construction and demolition waste program requires at least 65% of the waste to be recycled, and the same goes for new homes and for additions or remodels that add conditioned area, volume or size. The waste plan goes in before the permit is issued. Old brick, block and concrete add up fast, so we plan where the debris goes before anything comes down.
How much does masonry work cost in Manhattan Beach?
Your price comes from what's in front of us, mainly how big the job is, how much old brick or block has to come out, and whether it needs digging, plans or a permit. Matching old brick and mortar takes extra time, and a sloped or narrow lot adds labor. I give you the figure for your own job at the estimate visit, and you can call (424) 265-1368 to set it up.
Redondo Beach, CA
Book your Manhattan Beach masonry estimate
Call (424) 265-1368 or send the form, because catching soft joints or a small lean early usually keeps the repair smaller than waiting.