Masonry contractor in Chico, CA - repairs that fix the cause and match the brick
Cornerstone Chico Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Chico, CA. We repair and build brick, block and stone, from old chimneys and downtown storefronts to foundations, walls and walkways, starting with what caused the damage.
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Chico's old brick and newer block walls
Chico is home for us, and the work here runs two ways. Around downtown and the older streets near the Chico State campus, I'm mostly looking at old brick: houses with their original chimneys, storefronts with their first walls still standing, and years of patch jobs layered over each other. In the newer neighborhoods farther out, the calls lean toward block walls along the property line, paver driveways, walkways and backyard work.
People up in Paradise and over in Oroville call us for the same kinds of jobs, but most of my days start here. On the older Chico houses, the job usually turns on matching what's already in the wall, because a patch that doesn't match the old brick and mortar tends to fail or stick out.
Working in Chico: permits, licenses and what moves the price
Inside city limits, the city's Building Division issues permits for building and repair work on houses and other structures, and when your job needs one, the start date waits on it. We take care of that paperwork as part of the job. Before you hire anyone for masonry in Chico, ask for two numbers: their California State Contractor's License number and their City of Chico business license, because the city requires that license of any business working within city limits and a contractor needs both numbers to pull a city permit.
Downtown storefront jobs sit right next to sidewalks people use all day, so setup and cleanup take some planning, and older lots near campus often have tight side yards where everything goes in by wheelbarrow. What moves the price is mostly what we find behind the face of the wall, how hard the old brick and mortar are to match, how easy the wall is to reach and whether a permit is involved. The schedule usually turns on the weather and the permit, and your written estimate spells out what's included. We do the same work south of town in Durham and in the other cities around Chico.
What do brick houses in Chico need most?
Chico gets ground tremors, and the city places itself in a seismic design category tied to a high risk of earthquakes. Shaking finds the weak spots in old masonry first, usually a chimney with tired mortar above the roofline or brick that's come loose from the wall behind it, so on an older house I check those before anything else and we rebuild or refill the joints wherever things are loose.
The other thing I see on a lot of older Chico houses is the wrong fix from years ago. A smear of hard cement over soft old mortar looks fine for a while, but it holds water in the brick until the face starts to flake, so we take the bad patch out and put back mortar that suits the brick.
- Call (530) 399-1517
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–10 PM
- Chico, CA 95928
Masonry work we do around Chico
Foundation repair
Settling under older Chico houses usually shows up as a sticking door or a stair-step crack. We find what moved before any foundation repair starts.
Chimney repair
Old brick chimneys here usually fail first at the crown and the roofline, where water sits. We rebuild the loose rows of brick with mortar that matches.
Tuckpointing
Mortar joints on older Chico brick wear thin and let water in behind the face. We rake out the loose mortar by hand and refill the joints.
Masonry restoration
Older brick storefronts and homes around downtown need repairs that disappear into the wall. We match the brick, the mortar color and the joint shape.
Brick repair
Cracked or loose brick on steps, planters and garden walls is a common call on older Chico lots. We cut out the bad brick and set in one that matches.
Concrete block walls
Newer Chico subdivisions lean on block walls along property lines and side yards. We set them on a solid footing with steel where the wall needs it.
What happens when you call us in Chico
Call and tell me what's happening
Call (530) 399-1517 any day from 7 AM to 10 PM, or send the form, and I'll ask what you're seeing and how long it's been going on. Then we set a time for me to come out.
I look before I price
I come out myself and figure out what's really causing the crack or the leak before I put a number on anything. You get a written estimate that spells out what's in it, so nothing in the price is a mystery.
We sort out the office
We find out whether the city or the county covers your address, since that decides who reviews the job. If the city has to review it, the start date waits on that review.
Our crew works, I'm there
Our own crew does the work with me on site, so the person who priced the job is the one watching the mortar go in. When it's done, we walk the finished job together.
Get a written masonry estimate for your Chico property
We reply within one business day to set a time, and I come out to your Chico property myself to look and write the estimate. The estimate is free, done on site, and there's no pressure to book.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Phone
- (530) 399-1517
- Location
- Chico, CA 95928
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–10 PM
Questions about masonry work in Chico
Does Chico have a city permit for foundation repair?
Yes, foundation repair is one of the residential repair permit types the City of Chico offers on its permits page. I plan for it when I price a foundation job, and I'll tell you what yours involves once I've seen it.
How do I find out what's wrong with my foundation before committing to a repair in Chico?
The city has a Residential Exploratory Only permit for opening things up to look, and it's marked as needing a future permit for the actual repair. That fits foundation work, because the cause often sits below grade where nobody can see it. I learn what I can from the outside first, and if we have to dig to know for sure, we'll talk about it before anything gets opened.
How do I apply for a building permit in Chico?
The city takes all permit applications, plans and documents in digital form, and plan check correspondence comes back by email, so there's nothing to drop off on paper. When we're doing your job, that paperwork is ours, as I mentioned above.
Who handles asbestos around an old fireplace or chimney in Chico?
Butte County does, even for addresses inside Chico, because the city says asbestos remediation falls under the county. If I spot something around an old fireplace or flue that might be asbestos, we leave it alone until it's been checked.
What is the best way to restore an old brick storefront in downtown Chico?
Start by checking with the city early if there's any chance your building is on a historic list, before anyone picks a brick or a mortar. After that, the best way is slow and careful, raking out failed joints by hand instead of with a fast grinder and matching the color and shape of the old joints. That's the kind of puzzle I like, so send a few photos through the form and I'll come take a look.
How much does masonry repair cost in Chico?
There's no single number, because a Chico masonry job is priced on what's actually wrong, and I won't know that until I've looked. Beyond the things I listed above, two more push the price around a lot: an old patch job that has to come out before the real repair, and how early you call, since a loose joint costs far less to fix than the brick it eventually lets go of.
Get your Chico masonry looked at in person
A photo shows the crack, but I usually find the cause standing next to the wall, so call (530) 399-1517 or send the form and I'll come out.
Request an estimateCall (530) 399-1517