Masonry Contractor in Elk Grove, CA - Sturdy Yard Walls and Sound Brick Repair
J&M Lodi Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor working in Elk Grove, CA. We repair brick and mortar, fix tired chimneys, and build block walls, retaining walls, paver driveways and walkways for homes across the city.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Elk Grove masonry for newer and older homes
The short answer: J&M Lodi Concrete and Masonry does masonry work all over Elk Grove. We're based in Lodi and work from Sacramento County down toward Manteca and Tracy, so Elk Grove is well inside our area. The calls we get here are mostly older brick, a tired chimney or a yard wall someone's been putting off.
Much of Elk Grove is newer neighborhoods, where the masonry is mostly block fences between back yards, short retaining walls where a lot steps down, and paver or concrete driveways out front. The older part of the city sits around Old Town along Main Street, and the homes closer to it tend to have more brick, older chimneys and mortar that's been patched by a few different hands over the years.
We do the same kind of work just south in Galt and north in Florin. On the newer lots I'm usually looking under a wall, and on the older homes I'm looking between the bricks.
Why Elk Grove yard walls and brick need work
The block fences that divide so many Elk Grove back yards are usually the first thing to show trouble, leaning a little or cracking along a joint, because a shallow footing or a sprinkler soaking the same spot for years lets the ground under them shift. Before we touch a single block, I dig down to see the footing and where the water's going, since rebuilding the top of a wall on a bad base just buys you the same crack again.
On the older houses, the brick itself is usually fine and it's the mortar between it that has gone soft and sandy. We rake out the worn joints and repoint with a mortar softer than the brick, so the joint takes the wear instead of the brick face, and if a chimney is letting water in up top, we fix that first.
Masonry services we offer Elk Grove homeowners
Foundation repair
When a foundation crack shows up or a door starts sticking, we find out what moved before we repair the concrete or block around it.
Chimney repair
For loose brick up top, a cracked concrete cap or a stain creeping down the inside wall, we fix whatever's letting water in before anything cosmetic.
Tuckpointing
When the mortar on an older Elk Grove house turns sandy under your thumbnail, we grind out the worn joints and refill them to match the old color.
Brick repair
Cracked, chipped or loose bricks around steps, planters and walls get cut out and replaced with brick close to the original, set in mortar that suits it.
Driveway pavers
If your concrete driveway is cracked or you want something nicer out front, we lay pavers on a packed base thick enough for cars, not just feet.
Retaining wall construction
Where a yard steps down or soil pushes against a fence line, we build retaining walls with drainage behind them, because trapped water is what tips walls over.
Masonry restoration
For older brick that's stained, patched and repatched, we clean it gently, redo the joints and swap out bad bricks so it looks like one wall again.
Fireplace installation
Want a brick or stone fireplace inside or on the patio? We plan the firebox, hearth and surround with you, then build them course by course.
Stone veneer installation
When a plain stucco or block front needs some character, we install stone veneer over a proper backing and weather barrier so water drains instead of soaking in.
Concrete block walls
For privacy walls and fences along the property line, we set block on a footing sized for the wall's height, adding steel and grout where it's needed.
Foundation block wall installation
For an addition, a garage or a raised floor over a crawlspace, we lay block foundation walls on the footing, keeping them level and square for framing above.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
If the back yard is where you cook half the summer, we build counters, a grill island and a bar from block, then face them in brick, stone or stucco.
Walkway construction
When the path to your front door is cracked, sunken or just muddy, we build a brick, paver or stone walkway on a base that drains.
Brick wall installation
For a garden wall, a low front wall or brick columns at the driveway, we lay brick on a solid footing with joints tooled to shed water.
Stone masonry
For stone steps, planters, seat walls or a fieldstone wall, we pick and fit each piece so the weight sits on stone, not on the mortar alone.
Brick pointing
When only a few joints have cracked or dropped out, we refill just those sections with matching mortar and leave the sound joints alone.
Get a free on-site masonry estimate in Elk Grove
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out to your Elk Grove home, look at the job with you and leave you a free estimate, with no obligation and no pressure to book.
What I check before an Elk Grove masonry job
Elk Grove has its own city government inside Sacramento County, and if your job needs a permit, we apply for it and line up the inspections with whichever city or county office covers your address. Licensing is the state's call, and it's worth knowing before you collect bids. The Contractors State License Board requires a license for anyone building or altering a structure when the project needs a building permit, when employee labor is used, or when the contracts add up to $1,000 or more in labor and materials, and contractors have to hold that license before they submit a bid. We're fully licensed and insured, so that part's settled before I show up with a tape measure.
It's an easy run up Highway 99 from Lodi, where we're based, and we're out in Wilton just east of the city too, so getting to your house is rarely what holds a job up. What moves the price is the size of the job, the material you pick and what I find once I dig down to the base, and the schedule mostly turns on any permit and on materials arriving. Your own numbers come from the estimate, after I've seen the job.
How it goes when you call us about Elk Grove work
Here's how a job runs from your first call to the final walk-through. I like you to know what I'm checking and why before anyone picks up a trowel.
- Step 01
Call or send a message
Call (209) 269-8703 or use the form, and tell us a little about the wall, chimney or patio. We'll pick a time to meet at your house that works for you.
- Step 02
Walk the job together
I come out myself, look at the brick, the base and where the water goes, and tell you what I see in plain words before leaving you an estimate. If I think you don't need the work, I'll tell you that too, and it helps if you're home so you can show me what's bugging you.
- Step 03
Permits sorted, then the work
If you go ahead, we sort out any permit the job needs before we start. I work alongside our crew, so the person who looked at your job is the one building it.
- Step 04
Clean up and walk through
We clean up and walk the finished job with you, including the parts under the surface you won't see later. Satisfaction guaranteed.
Elk Grove masonry questions we hear
Can a handyman do a small masonry job in Elk Grove without a contractor's license?
Only if the job needs no building permit, uses no employee labor, and the labor, materials and every other cost come to less than $1,000. The board also says a larger project can't be broken into pieces under $1,000 to fit under that line, so a block wall split into three small invoices is still one job.
How do I work on my own Elk Grove home without a contractor's license?
As a homeowner, you're exempt from licensing on your own principal residence if the work is done before sale, you've lived there for the 12 months before the work is finished, and you've used that exemption on no more than two structures in any three-year period. Plenty of folks lay a garden border themselves, and I'm glad to tell you which parts are worth calling us for.
How does Elk Grove adopt its building code?
The city adopts the Building Code through its own buildings and construction rules, which also cover land grading and erosion control, flood damage and prevention, and the city's development impact fees. The state Building Standards Commission's list of local amendments shows an Elk Grove ordinance on file, so the city has filed its own changes to the state standards. When we plan a wall, footing or chimney job here, we work to the code the city has adopted.
What counts as high flood risk for a house in Elk Grove?
Nationally, FEMA counts any place with a 1% or higher chance of flooding in a year as high risk, which works out to at least a one-in-four chance of a flood during a 30-year mortgage. FEMA's flood maps show how likely an area is to flood. Water is the thing I watch most on any retaining wall, footing or paver job, so we plan where it goes before we build.
How much does masonry work cost in Elk Grove?
The price of an Elk Grove masonry job comes down to what you're building and what's under it, and you'll get your own number at the estimate. Brick and natural stone usually cost more than block or pavers, a wall on a slope needs more footing and drainage than one on flat ground, and tearing out an old wall adds labor before we lay anything new. Repointing only the bad joints instead of the whole wall is one of the easiest ways to keep a repair bill down.
How long does a masonry project in Elk Grove take?
Small repairs usually move quickly, and bigger walls take longer because mortar and grout need time to set before we load them. Much of the wait tends to come before we start, from a permit if the job needs one and from getting materials in. I'll tell you what your schedule hangs on when I give you the estimate.
Call about your Elk Grove masonry job
A crumbling joint or a leaning wall is usually a small fix when it's caught early and a bigger rebuild later, so call (209) 269-8703 or send us a message.