"Awesome company, amazing job from the crew that worked on the brick walls of our home. My husband and I were aware of everything that was going on at all times, and Tony has been wonderful, along with the crew who was very respectful and friendly. The work is outstanding and exceeds our expectations. We will definitely keep them in mind for future projects and highly recommend G.I. Masonry."
"The best contractor ever. Very professional with an upbeat friendly personality. He did everything he said he would and more. His crew was the same. I highly recommend Andrew Cotter of Cotter Concrete."
"They were amazing and very quick to get done. My lawn looks amazing! It’s so pretty that it looks like a beautiful picture from a book. All my sprinklers are all working again and my valves are not leaking anymore. I’m very happy with the results."
"I recently hired Just Stamping Concrete for a landscaping project, and I must say that I was blown away by their work. Their team is highly skilled and knowledgeable, and they truly transformed my outdoor space into a beautiful oasis."
"José was extremely helpfully. I needed concrete for the foundation of our ADU and he was very quick to get estimates for everyone over to me and got us our pour date and time without any issues."
Landscape boulders, especially porous stones like sandstone or granite, can crack or break over time. Cracks occur when water seeps into the surface of the stone and freezes. The risk is highest when it rains during the day and temperatures freeze overnight since the moisture has time to penetrate deeper into the rock before expanding.
According to the Earthquake Country Alliance—a public and private alliance in California that works to improve earthquake and tsunami readiness—reports that unreinforced masonry, such as stone, bricks, and hollow clay tiles, is more susceptible to earthquake damage. The mortar between bricks isn’t as stable as other building materials and methods.
Brick spalling—which refers to the crumbly, flaky, or pitted appearance that can develop over time—is caused by a few different conditions. These include:
Climates with constant freeze-thaw cycles
Use of non-breathable sealants
High-pressure water cleaning
Improper installation
While you can’t do anything about the weather, you can preserve your bricks by cleaning them with soapy water and a good old-fashioned scrubbing. Pressure washers may be satisfying to use, but they can eventually wear away the surface of your bricks. If you don’t have advanced-level DIY skills in masonry, you can hire a reputable masonry contractor in your area for your project.
Some older brick material is extremely hard, making it tough to create a hole. Rather than using a typical wood drill bit, always use a masonry drill bit when drilling into brick. For extremely hard brick, using a power drill with a hammer function may give you better results. The drill bit will heat up as it goes into the extremely hard brick, so you may need to stop after a few minutes and allow the bit to cool before starting to drill again.
You will repoint over a fraction of the old mortar, but you should scrape away 1/2 to 1 inch of mortar from the joints before repointing. Otherwise, the repointing is only masking the weakened mortar instead of actually replacing it, which could put your chimney at risk of bigger, more expensive damages later on.
The Quail Valley, CA homeowners’ guide to masonry services
From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.
Door or window lintel replacement costs $400 on average, but there are ways you can save. On the other hand, complicated work will increase costs considerably.
This guide features information on the costs to repair a brick wall, whether or not you need a brick mason to complete spalling, tuckpointing, or a full restoration.
Need to repoint brick in your home to make your home look fresh and new? Use this guide to repointing brick cost to price out your project before starting.
Discover the wide variety of masonry materials for your next home upgrade project. Our guide covers the different types of materials to choose from and more.
When it comes to masonry versus concrete, it can be easy to confuse the two. Use this guide to learn about the differences in appearance, strength, and more.
