Masonry contractor in Dublin, CA - walls that hold the slope behind your house
Liberty San Leandro Concrete & Masonry builds retaining walls, paver driveways, walkways and brick and stone work for homes in Dublin, CA, and repairs the masonry already there, from chimneys to cracked steps.
Masonry work on Dublin homes
We're a masonry contractor in San Leandro, CA, and Dublin is a straight shot out the freeway, so we work there the same way we do next door in San Ramon. The calls are different from the old brick we repoint in Alameda, though. In Dublin it's mostly yards, with retaining walls on the hillside streets below Dougherty Hills and walkways, paver driveways and outdoor kitchens on the newer, flatter lots to the east.
The permit side runs through the city. The City of Dublin's Building and Safety Division issues permits for most construction and repair, and its list names patios and garden and retaining walls. A retaining wall up to three feet tall is exempt unless it holds back an added load, like a driveway above it, or a five percent slope. If your job needs a permit, we take care of it with the city and don't start until it's issued. Plan review takes about two to three weeks, and a lot of smaller permits are issued over the counter, so the permit often sets the start date. The city also requires anyone doing business inside its limits to hold a current Dublin business license, including contractors based somewhere else, so it's a fair question for whoever bids your job. Price comes down to how tall and long the wall is, what it holds back, the brick, block or stone you pick and how hard it is to get a crew into the yard, and your own figure comes on the written estimate. On a sloped lot most of the job is below ground anyway, in the footing and the drainage behind the wall, and that's what decides whether it stays put.
What we do on Dublin properties
Foundation repair
Cracks in a foundation on a sloped lot usually trace back to water or soil moving, so I find that before we patch anything.
Chimney repair
On the older west-side houses, the chimney's crown, the concrete cap on top, usually cracks first, and water gets into the brick from there.
Tuckpointing
Plenty of Dublin houses have a brick front or planter that's losing mortar, so we grind out the worn joints and pack in mortar that suits the brick.
Brick repair
Sprinklers that soak a brick planter every day can flake the faces off, so we cut out the bad bricks and set matching ones in.
Driveway pavers
Driveways on Dublin's hillside streets carry cars up a grade, so we dig deep enough for a packed base that helps hold the pavers on the slope.
Retaining wall construction
A lot of Dublin backyards end at a slope, and a wall holding it back needs a proper footing and drainage behind it or it starts to lean.
Masonry restoration
On the older brick and stone in Dublin's earlier neighborhoods, we clean, repair and repoint, matching new mortar to the old so the fix doesn't stand out.
Fireplace installation
If you want a masonry fireplace in a newer Dublin house, inside or out on the back patio, we build the surround and hearth to suit the house.
Stone veneer installation
Stucco fronts are all over Dublin, and stone veneer on the lower wall or columns changes the look, as long as water behind it has a way out.
Concrete block walls
For block walls along Dublin side yards and back property lines, we set steel and grout in the block's hollow cells so a long run stays straight.
Foundation block wall installation
On Dublin's sloped lots, a block foundation wall can step down the grade under an addition, and we build each footing to suit the slope.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
The flatter backyards in east Dublin have room for an outdoor kitchen, and we build the block base and face it in stone or brick.
Walkway construction
Front walks on a sloped Dublin lot usually need a few steps, and we set them at even heights so guests don't trip coming up from the street.
Brick wall installation
A brick garden wall or raised planter suits a Dublin front yard, and we start it on a real footing, because brick on loose soil cracks.
Stone masonry
Natural stone fits the hillside setting here, for walls, steps and columns, and we fit each stone by hand instead of stacking whatever comes off the pallet.
Brick pointing
When only a few joints on a Dublin chimney or front step have washed out, we point just those, which beats redoing the whole face.
Which signs mean your Dublin masonry needs attention?
On Dublin's sloped lots, a small crack or lean usually means soil or water behind the wall is moving, and that's easier to fix early.
- Retaining wall leaning toward the yard
- Stair-step cracks in block or brick
- Mortar crumbling out of the joints
- White crust on brick or stone
- Pavers sinking or drifting downhill
- Cracked or loose chimney cap
If you see one of these, call or send the form, and I'll come look and tell you straight whether it can wait.
Can this be repaired, or does it need replacing?
I start by finding out why it failed, usually water or a footing too small for the slope, because that tells me whether a repair will last.
A repair is enough
If the wall is straight and the footing is sound, worn joints, a few bad bricks or a cracked cap can be fixed on their own. We match the mortar and the brick so the repair blends in, and you keep the wall you have.
Time to rebuild
A wall that's leaning, bulging or cracked clean through usually has a footing or drainage problem from the start. Patching it just buys you a neater crack, so we take it down and rebuild it with a footing and drainage that suit your lot.
What Dublin's slopes ask of a wall
You get me at the first look and on site with our crew through the work, plus a straight answer on what needs doing, even when that's nothing yet.
Cause found before the fix
I look for the water or soil problem first, because new mortar over an old leak just fails again.
Footings sized for the slope
On a hillside lot we dig and pour for the ground behind the wall, not just the wall you see.
Mortar that suits the brick
We match the mortar to the brick, since the wrong mix causes a lot of the cracking we get called about.
Licensed, insured and guaranteed
We're licensed and insured for the work we do in Dublin, and it's satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Work your neighbors have seen
Most of our calls come from homeowners who saw our work on a house down the street.
Tell us about your Dublin project
We answer (510) 264-7154 seven days a week, so call with what you're building and ask what the permit steps look like for your address.
Other cities we work in
If your city has its own page, you'll find it here, and if it isn't listed, call (510) 264-7154, since we work in plenty of places in between.