About our masonry contractor company in Salinas
How I came to masonry
I spent close to twenty years keeping farm equipment running before I started over as a mason's helper in my forties. I learned the trade on the job beside an experienced mason, and in 2020 I opened Blockworks Salinas Concrete and Masonry here in Salinas. Machines taught me that the part you can't see usually decides whether the rest holds up, and masonry works the same way.
Most of our calls come from homeowners in Salinas and the cities around it with worn mortar joints, a tired chimney, or a wall, walk or patio they want built right. We're best known for careful mortar work on older brick, where the new mix has to suit the old wall. I care most about the footing, the base and the mortar, because nobody sees them once the job's done. If a smaller repair will do, I'll tell you, and if I'm not sure about something, I'll say so and find out.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Brick, block and stone work
What working with us is like
You meet the person who writes your estimate
I come out to look at every job myself and write the estimate, so the person sizing up your job is the one who answers for it. It lists the work, the materials and the reason for each, so you can compare it fairly with other bids. To set one up, call (831) 243-7031 or use our contact page.
We'll tell you when a smaller repair is enough
If repointing the worn joints or rebuilding one section will fix the problem, that's what we'll recommend instead of talking you into a rebuild. You pay for the work your house needs and nothing past it.
We handle the permit when there is one
When a job needs a permit, we take care of the application and the inspections with the city or county office that covers your property, and we keep you posted on where it stands. In Salinas that's the city's Community Development office, and you can look up permit records yourself on the city's permit site.
Licensed the way California expects
We're fully licensed and insured. The Contractors State License Board licenses contractors in California, and it only lets an unlicensed person take on minor work up to $1,000, when the job needs no permit and they have no one working for them on it.
How we go about the work
Look first
We look over the whole wall, chimney or walk before we talk about fixes, because the crack you see usually starts somewhere else.
Plain words
We explain each step before we start, so you know what you're paying for and what's going on at your house.
Ground up
We put our time into the footing, the base and the mortar mix, because those decide how well everything above them holds.
Checked as built
Our crew does the work and we check it as it goes, with me on site looking at the level and the joints.
Straight answers
When something needs a closer look, we say so and find out before we go on, instead of guessing.