Masonry Contractor in Emeryville, CA - Solid Brick and Mortar on Tight City Lots
Anchorstone Oakland Concrete and Masonry repairs and builds brick, block and stone in Emeryville, from worn mortar joints and old chimneys to walls, walkways and outdoor kitchens on the city's tight residential lots.
- Foundation repair
- Chimney repair
- Tuckpointing
- Brick repair
- Driveway pavers
- Retaining wall construction
- Masonry restoration
- Fireplace installation
- Stone veneer installation
- Concrete block walls
- Foundation block wall installation
- Outdoor kitchen masonry
- Walkway construction
- Brick wall installation
- Stone masonry
- Brick pointing
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Emeryville masonry jobs on dense, mixed city blocks
Emeryville is a small city packed between Oakland and Berkeley, and you feel that on the job. Older houses sit on narrow lots next to live-work lofts, condo buildings and businesses, and a lot of them still have a brick chimney, a block wall or old front steps that have been patched more than once. We're a masonry contractor based next door in Oakland, and it's the same brick and mortar work we do in Berkeley and over the hills in Orinda.
I look at every Emeryville job myself and write the estimate, and your number turns on how much brick or mortar has to come out, how far the damage goes and whether the city needs a permit. The lots shape the schedule as much as the work does, because with walls on property lines and little room for a mixer or a pallet of brick, we plan access and staging before we start.
Emeryville houses and what their brick goes through
- Many older Emeryville houses still have their original brick chimneys and foundations, and the soft mortar in them wears out long before the brick does.
- The city puts Emeryville about 1 to 6 miles from the Hayward Fault and expects earthquakes to hit projects here hard, so loose chimney brick shouldn't wait.
- Flat lots mean water often sits against the base of a brick wall or foundation, and wet brick is where joints crumble and faces start to flake.
- Walls built right on the property line are common here, so repairs usually mean working from one side and planning with the neighbor before we start.
Masonry services we do in Emeryville
Foundation repair
When an older Emeryville house has cracked or crumbling brick or block under it, we find what moved it and repair the foundation, not just the visible crack.
Chimney repair
Old brick chimneys here take a beating from weather and shaking, so we rebuild loose crowns, reset bricks and repoint joints before pieces start coming down.
Tuckpointing
When mortar joints have gone sandy or recessed, we grind out the worn mortar and pack in new mortar matched to your brick, so water stops getting in.
Brick repair
For cracked, flaking or loose bricks on a house front, steps or garden wall, we cut out the damaged units and set matching brick in their place.
Driveway pavers
On short Emeryville driveways and parking pads, pavers set on a packed base give you a surface that can be lifted and relaid if a section settles.
Retaining wall construction
Where a yard changes level next to a neighbor or the sidewalk, we build retaining walls with drainage behind them, because trapped water pushes most walls over.
Masonry restoration
For older brick houses that have had years of patchwork, we sort out what's sound, repair what isn't and match the new work to the old.
Fireplace installation
If you're adding a masonry fireplace to an Emeryville home, we lay out the firebox, hearth and surround to fit the room and build it to code.
Stone veneer installation
Stone veneer, a thin facing of real or cast stone, dresses up a plain front wall or column, and we set it over a backing that sheds water.
Concrete block walls
On narrow city lots, a concrete block wall gives you a solid property-line wall or garden enclosure, built with steel and grout where the wall needs strength.
Foundation block wall installation
When an old foundation is past repairing, we build new block foundation walls, reinforced and grouted, so the house above sits on something solid again.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
A small Emeryville backyard can still fit a built-in grill counter, and we build the block base and finish it in brick, stone or stucco.
Walkway construction
When a front walk has heaved or cracked into a trip hazard, we dig out, build a firm base and lay brick, stone or pavers that sit flat.
Brick wall installation
For a new garden or front-yard wall that matches the older brick on your street, we lay solid brick on a footing sized for the wall.
Stone masonry
For stone steps, wall caps or a natural stone wall, we cut and fit each piece by hand and set it in mortar that suits the stone.
Brick pointing
If only a patch of joints has opened up, say under a window or along a wall cap, we repoint that section instead of the whole wall.
- Request an estimate
Get a free on-site masonry estimate for your Emeryville home
We reply to every call and form within one business day to set a time to come out. I visit your Emeryville property myself, look at the brick and what's behind the damage, and write the estimate, free and with no obligation. If you go ahead, I'm on site working alongside the crew.
(510) 216-0213Emeryville masonry questions we hear most
Do I need a building permit for brick or masonry repair in Emeryville?
Most likely, because Emeryville requires building permits for most construction and repair work. The city's word is "most," so its Permit Counter is the place to ask about your specific job. When a job needs a permit, we handle the application and the inspections with the city.
How do I apply and pay for a building permit in Emeryville?
You apply at the city's Permit Counter in person during its counter hours, or by emailing the PDF of the building permit application form to cbarrett@emeryville.org. Once the city has your completed application, it sends an invoice for the plan review or permit fees, with instructions on how to pay. If we're doing the work, we take care of all of it for you.
Does a masonry contractor in Emeryville need a California license?
Yes, whenever the project needs a building permit, uses any extra workers or costs $1,000 or more, counting labor and materials across one or more contracts. That's the rule from the California Contractors State License Board, which raised its small-job limit from $500 to $1,000. The city also requires any business working in Emeryville, directly or indirectly, to hold a city business license. We're licensed and fully insured.
What causes brick chimneys and walls to crack in Emeryville?
Usually it's water working into worn mortar joints, followed by movement from settling ground or the shaking that comes with living this close to the Hayward Fault. Hard modern mortar patched into old soft brick makes it worse, because the brick ends up taking the stress instead of the joint. I look for where the water and the movement are coming from and fix that along with the crack.
What is the best way to keep rain out of an old brick wall in Emeryville?
The best fix is sound mortar joints, repointed with a mortar soft enough for your brick, plus caps and flashing, the metal strips that turn water away, along the top of the wall. The city's guidance for large projects designs for rain falling at 3 inches an hour and rates the area west of the freeway as more exposed to wind than the east side, and hard rain with wind behind it is what finds open joints. If only part of a wall is letting water in, we repoint that part and leave the rest.
How much does masonry repair cost in Emeryville?
The price comes down to how much has to be rebuilt instead of repaired, how hard your brick and mortar are to match, and how easy the work is to reach on your lot. A tall chimney that needs staging or a property-line wall worked from one side costs more, while catching worn joints before water gets behind the brick keeps it down. Call (510) 216-0213 and I'll come look.
Tell us about your Emeryville masonry job
Call (510) 216-0213 any day until 11 PM, or send the contact form, and tell us what you're seeing on the brick so I know what to look at first when I come out.