Masonry contractor in San Leandro, CA - brick, block and stone work that lasts
Liberty San Leandro Concrete & Masonry is a masonry contractor based in San Leandro. We repair old brick and chimneys, fix leaning walls and build new walls, steps and walkways for homes across the city.
Masonry in San Leandro, where we started
I started out laying brick on weekends for neighbors here in San Leandro, mostly steps and garden walls, and the calls didn't stop, so I got licensed and made it full time. Most of our work still comes from people who saw a job of ours down the street, and we bring the same work to Castro Valley, San Lorenzo and the other cities around us.
Plenty of the houses we work on here are older raised-floor homes, the kind the city's home-strengthening course is aimed at because they weren't built to today's earthquake standards, and the state and the city have both added earthquake requirements to the building code. The price of a job mostly turns on how far the damage runs, how much brick or block has to come out, how easy the spot is to reach and how hard the old material is to match, and the estimate spells out what each part covers. The schedule turns on the weather, curing time and permits, because when a job needs one, we get it through the city's Permit Center or the county, whichever covers your address, and we don't start until it's issued. On houses this age, foundation and wall work starts with how the house sits and moves, not just how the brick looks.
What we do for San Leandro homes
Foundation repair
On older raised-floor homes here, we repair cracked foundation masonry after tracking down what's moving it, usually water, settling or an old repair that never fit.
Chimney repair
Brick chimneys on the city's older houses take the weather and the shaking for decades, so we repair cracked caps and failing joints before bricks start coming down.
Tuckpointing
When the mortar on your older brick has turned to sand, we grind out the bad joints and refill them with mortar matched to that brick.
Brick repair
Cracked, flaking or loose bricks get cut out and replaced with the closest match we can find, so a repair on an older house doesn't stand out.
Driveway pavers
Pavers make sense for driveways here because one cracked or sunken spot can be lifted and relaid, not broken out along with the whole slab.
Retaining wall construction
Walls that stay where we put them are what we're known for here, built on a solid footing with drainage behind so water doesn't push them over.
Masonry restoration
Older brick fronts, steps and garden walls around the city often carry decades of mismatched patches, and we take those back to sound brick and joints that match.
Fireplace installation
For a new fireplace in an older house, we build the firebox and surround in brick or stone and fit them to the chimney you already have.
Stone veneer installation
We put up stone veneer, a thin stone facing, over house fronts and block walls, with a drainage gap behind it so trapped water doesn't rot what's underneath.
Concrete block walls
Block walls along property lines here take a beating from cars, roots and the odd quake, so we reinforce them and size the footing to the wall.
Foundation block wall installation
When an older raised-floor house needs new foundation walls, we lay block on a proper footing, fill it with steel and grout and work around the house above.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
We build outdoor counters and grill surrounds in brick, block or stone for backyards here, leaving room for the gas and power lines other trades bring in.
Walkway construction
Old front walks here tend to heave over roots and settle, so we dig out, pack a solid base and then lay brick, stone or pavers on top.
Brick wall installation
We build brick garden and front walls on a poured footing, with mortar picked to suit the brick, so they look like they belong on an older street.
Stone masonry
Stone steps and walls on older properties here usually loosen at the joints, so we reset loose stones and repoint the joints instead of smearing cement over everything.
Brick pointing
For small runs of worn joints, we point the bad sections and match the old joint's shape and color, since the neighbors usually spot a bad patch first.
What signs mean your San Leandro masonry needs a look?
Older brick and block here take years of winter rain and the occasional quake, and most trouble starts small, where water gets in or a joint lets go.
- Mortar crumbling out of the joints
- Stair-step cracks in a brick wall
- White chalky stains on brick
- Loose or missing chimney bricks
- A garden wall starting to lean
- Gaps where steps meet the house
If you spot one of these, call or send the form and I'll come take a look and tell you plainly whether it can wait.
Should you repair the masonry or rebuild it?
On San Leandro houses I decide by finding the cause first, because a crack from a leaking downspout gets fixed differently than a wall that's moving off its footing.
When a repair will do
If the brick is sound and the wall still stands straight, a repair usually covers it. We stop whatever is letting water in, replace the bad joints or bricks and match the old mortar so the fix holds up and blends in.
When rebuilding makes sense
If a wall leans, has no real footing or has been patched so often the patches have patches, rebuilding usually costs less over time than patching it again. We take it down to sound ground and build it back on a proper footing.
What San Leandro homes ask of masonry
I look at every job myself and stay on site with our crew while the work gets done, so the person who wrote your estimate is the one checking the joints.
Cause found before repairs
I track down the water or movement behind a crack before we touch the joints, so the repair isn't just a cover.
Mortar matched to older brick
Soft old brick gets a mortar soft enough to go with it, because hard mortar cracks the brick instead of the joint.
Licensed and insured on every job
We're licensed and insured, and the city requires a business license from anyone working inside its limits, so ask whoever you hire.
Honest about what can wait
If a crack is old and not moving, I'll tell you it can wait rather than sell you a job.
Satisfaction guaranteed on every job
That's our promise on every job, from a few cracked bricks to a new garden wall.
Call about your San Leandro masonry job
Our phone hours run into the evening and through the weekend, so call (510) 264-7154 after work and tell me what you're looking at.
Not on the list? Give us a call
If your city has its own page below, start there, and if it doesn't, call (510) 264-7154, since we work in plenty of places in between.