Masonry Contractor in West Sacramento, CA - Repairs That Start With the Cause
Signature Woodland Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Woodland that works across West Sacramento, repairing brick, stone and block and building retaining walls, walkways, veneer and outdoor kitchens for homes here.
Older blocks and newer yards in West Sacramento
West Sacramento sits across the river from downtown Sacramento, a short drive south of us in Woodland, where we're based as a masonry contractor. Most of our calls here come from homeowners, and they split two ways. The older houses on the blocks nearer the river have brick steps, porches, chimneys and block walls that have taken decades of weather. The newer subdivisions to the south have wide, flat backyards that people want to finish with a wall, a walkway or an outdoor kitchen.
That split decides most jobs. On the older houses we're saving something, so we have to match what's already there, and on the newer lots we're starting from bare dirt, where the job holds up or doesn't on how well the base and footing go in.
How permits and pricing work in West Sacramento
Building permits here come from the city's Building Division, which checks the work against state and local codes and sends its own inspectors out during the job. City ordinances and state law require a permit where one applies, and the city can fine an owner who skips it, so before we start I check with the division for your address, and if the job needs one we pull it and set up the inspections. A homeowner can pull a permit too, but the city recommends a licensed contractor do the work, and the two things worth checking on anyone you hire here are a state contractor's license and a West Sacramento business license. We're licensed and insured. The price moves most with the size and height of the work, how much old masonry has to come out, the brick or stone you pick and how easily we can get material to the spot. The schedule mostly waits on the permit, when there is one, and on how long a matching brick or stone takes to come in, and your written estimate lays out what's included for your job.
A lot of the older lots here have narrow side yards and a garage off the back, so for a backyard wall or kitchen I work out how block, stone and mortar get in before I price it, because hauling it all by hand changes the labor. The newer subdivisions usually give us easier access but a fence on every side and a neighbor close by, so we plan where materials sit and how we clean up around them. It's the same kind of planning we do on jobs in Citrus Heights and Elk Grove.
Services in West Sacramento, CA
Brick repair
Brick steps and porches on West Sacramento's older blocks crack and flake with age. We find why first, then replace the bad ones with a matching brick.
Chimney repair
Chimneys on the older houses here usually lose mortar near the top, where weather hits hardest. We refill the joints and rebuild the cap so rain stays out.
Retaining wall construction
Raised beds and grade changes between neighboring yards here usually call for a low retaining wall. We build it on a real footing with drainage behind it.
Stone veneer installation
A lot of newer stucco houses here get stone across the front or the columns. Our stone veneer installation puts a proper weather barrier behind it first.
Foundation repair
Foundation cracks and sticking doors on houses here usually trace back to water or ground moving under the footing. We find that cause before we touch the crack.
Walkway construction
Newer houses here often come with a thin builder's path that settles and cracks. We dig out and pack a solid base before laying brick, pavers or stone.
What West Sacramento ground and brick ask for
Groundwater around West Sacramento rises and falls with the region, anywhere from six to sixteen feet below ground, and nobody controls it. That's well below a garden wall footing, but it's one more reason that when a foundation or an older wall cracks, we look at the ground and the drainage around it before we patch anything.
Some of the older brick here was laid with a softer lime mortar than what's sold today. Point it with hard modern mortar and the brick ends up taking the stress and cracking at the face, which is the opposite of what you paid for. So on older walls, steps and chimneys we match the mortar to the brick in front of us, and I'd rather leave a sound old joint alone than grind it out for looks. On the newer houses that worry goes away, and the work is mostly about building a base and footing that suit the yard.
Get a written estimate for your West Sacramento project
Tell us what's going on and send a few photos if you have them, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out to your West Sacramento address, look at the job and give you a free written estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
How a West Sacramento job goes
Call or send us photos
Call (530) 207-3191 or use the form, and a few phone photos of the wall, chimney or yard help me ask the right questions. Then we set a time for me to come out.
I come out and look
I look the job over, ask questions and work out what's really causing the problem, so it helps if you're home for the visit. You get a written estimate that spells out the work, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts.
We sort out the permit
Before we start, we check with the city for your address, and if the job needs a permit we pull it and set up the inspections. If your house may be historic, I'll point you to the city's planning office first.
The same crew finishes it
A crew lead and our masons do the work, and I stop by to check on it as it goes. When it's done, I walk it with you before we call it finished.
West Sacramento masonry questions
Do I need a permit to build a retaining wall in West Sacramento?
You do if it's over four feet tall, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall. The city's list of work that needs no building permit includes retaining walls up to that height, and its permit list names masonry fences and walls over four feet. The footing counts, so a wall that shows three and a half feet above the dirt can still be over the line, and we check with the city for your address before we dig.
Does adding stone veneer to my house need a permit in West Sacramento?
It can, so we check before we order any stone. The city's permit list names siding and alterations to an existing home, and veneer goes onto the outside wall of your house, so we ask the city about your address instead of guessing.
How long does a building permit last in West Sacramento?
A permit expires 12 months after it's issued, and it also expires if 12 months go by with no inspection. On jobs that need one, we set up the inspections as each stage is ready, so the permit isn't left sitting.
Does a masonry contractor from outside West Sacramento need a city business license?
Yes. The city requires a business license for every business operating within the city limits, and that includes non-local businesses, the ones with a location outside West Sacramento that do work here. If you want to check on a contractor, the county lists (916) 617-4645 for West Sacramento business license questions.
How much does masonry work cost in West Sacramento?
The price comes down to the size of the job, the materials and what's wrong underneath, so I give you a figure after I've seen it, not over the phone. Here, a wall that goes past four feet adds a permit and inspections, and repairs on the older houses cost more when we're matching an old brick or mortar color. The written estimate lists what's included, so you can compare it line by line.
What causes brick and block walls to crack in West Sacramento?
Usually it's movement or water, such as a footing too small or shallow for the ground under it, water collecting at the base, or roots pushing from one side. The crack itself usually tells us which, since a stair-step crack through the joints points to the footing and loose mortar with stained brick points to water. We fix that cause first, because a patched crack over a moving footing just opens again.
Tell us about your West Sacramento project
We're open into the evening and on weekends, so call (530) 207-3191 when you're home and can look at the wall with us, or send photos through the form.
