Masonry restoration in Salinas CA - worn joints renewed, old brick kept whole

Most people call when they notice sand on the ground under a wall, joints they can scrape out with a key, or a chimney that looks patchy. Often the bricks themselves are still fine, and if the worst of it is up on the roofline, chimney repair is usually where we start. The price depends on how much wall needs cutting out, how deep the joints are worn, how high we have to work and whether any brick needs replacing. The schedule mostly depends on the size of the job and how easy the wall is to reach. For your own figure, I'll write an estimate that lists the work, the materials and the reason for each, so you can compare it fairly with other bids.

I start by walking the wall with you and checking which joints are soft, how deep the wear goes and whether any brick is cracked, because that decides how much of the wall actually needs work. On older walls we're careful about cleaning, since harsh blasting takes some of the surface along with the dirt. We stick to gentler methods that leave the brick face alone. Our crew then cuts the worn mortar back to sound material and packs the joints with new mortar mixed weaker than your brick, because mortar that's harder than the brick around it makes the brick faces flake off. We shape each joint to match the old ones and clean up as we go. If your wall doesn't need a sealer, I'll tell you instead of adding one that could hold moisture in.

Restoration often runs into the work next to it. A worn brick fireplace sometimes isn't worth patching, and then a new fireplace installation built to sit with the old brick makes more sense. On a wall whose surface is past saving, stone veneer installation gives it a new face without tearing it down.

In Salinas, the city's Permit Services office reviews, issues and inspects permits. Its list names building, simple, sign and demolition permits without mentioning repointing, so the list alone doesn't settle whether your job needs one. That office is the place to ask, and if I'm not sure about your job, I'll find out. When a job does need a permit, we handle the application and the inspections with the city or county office that covers your property, and we keep you posted on where it stands. If your house is an older one, the city's Historic Resources Board gives property owners guidance on restoring and maintaining historic buildings, and it's worth talking to them while you plan. When you sign a home improvement contract, state law also lets you ask the contractor to list any subcontractors, with each one's name, contact information, license number and classification.

We're based in Salinas and work in the cities around it, and the calls look much the same across them: older brick chimneys, garden walls and porch steps with joints that have worn back over the years. We handle that work the same way on jobs in Monterey and Hollister. If your city isn't on our list, call and ask.