Masonry restoration in Chico CA - original brick that stays sound and dries out
Crumbling joints, flaking brick or old paint on the wall? We clean gently and repoint with soft mortar so your original brick and stone stay put.
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What does restoring an old brick or stone wall involve?
Masonry restoration in Chico is repairing and cleaning old brick and stone so the wall stays sound and keeps its original face. Most of the work is redoing worn mortar joints and taking off dirt, soiling or paint.
Maybe the mortar is sandy and falling out of the joints, someone patched it with hard gray cement years back, or there's old paint you'd like gone, and you're wondering how to fix it without hurting brick that's been there for decades. The price mostly turns on how much wall needs work, how high it goes and how much paint or soiling has to come off, and the schedule turns on whether the city needs to weigh in first, so your written estimate is where you'll see exactly what's included for your wall.
How we handle masonry restoration on older walls
Once I know why the wall is failing, whether it's the mortar, a gutter dumping water on it or a hard patch trapping moisture, we clean first, and we start with the gentlest method that works, because grit blasting, grinders and sanding discs usually take some of the brick's face off along with the dirt or paint. Preservation guidance for historic masonry says to begin at very low pressure, even a garden hose, and raise it only as needed, which is the same direction we come from. Then we cut out the worn mortar and repoint with a mortar soft enough to let the wall dry out, since new mortar has to let moisture and vapor move out and evaporate or the brick itself takes the damage. The goal is keeping your original brick and stone, so I'll walk you through the reasons for each choice before we start, and the work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Chimney work often leads inside, and if you want a fire going again we handle fireplace installation with the same crew. Where a section can't be saved, or newer block needs to match an old stone front, stone veneer installation is often the practical fix.
Masonry restoration on older Chico buildings
In Chico, the rule that can change a restoration job is historic review. The city's Architectural Review and Historic Preservation Board reviews building proposals that may affect buildings on the city's Historic Resources Inventory, so whether your home or storefront is on that list decides whether the board gets involved at all. If there's any chance it is, I'll suggest checking with the city early, before we settle on a cleaning method or a mortar, because it's a lot easier to plan around a review than to stop partway through for one.
We're based in Chico and work across the cities around it, and a lot of what we see is old brick patched with mortar much harder than the wall around it. We run into the same thing on jobs in Oroville and Durham, and we fix it the same way, by cutting out the hard patch and repointing to suit the old brick.
- Call (530) 399-1517
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–10 PM
- Chico, CA 95928
What happens when you call Cornerstone Chico Concrete and Masonry in Chico?
Call or send the form
Call (530) 399-1517 or send the form, tell me what's bothering you about the wall, and we'll set a time for me to come out. We take calls 7 AM to 10 PM every day, so evenings and weekends work.
I come out and look
I figure out what's really going on before I price anything, because a crumbling joint usually has a reason behind it. I'll look at the old mortar, where water's getting in and how the brick faces are holding up.
Read your written estimate
You get a written estimate that spells out what's in it, including the cleaning method and the mortar we plan to use, so nothing on the bill is a surprise. We also sort out whether the city or the county covers your address.
We work, then walk it
Our crew does the work with me on site, and taller walls or chimneys usually mean scaffolding, so we'll plan where it goes around your house and yard. When we're done, we walk the finished wall together.
Why Chico owners of older brick call Cornerstone Chico Concrete and Masonry
The owner prices and supervises
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate myself, and I'm on site while our own crew does the work. That means the person who explained the soft mortar is the one watching it go into your joints.
Commercial training, in Chico since 2020
I learned masonry on commercial crews laying brick, block and stone on buildings much bigger than a house, and I started this business in Chico in 2020. On those jobs I saw good brick ruined by the wrong mortar or a fast tool, and that's exactly what I watch for on your wall.
Licensed and insured in California
We're fully licensed and insured. The state licensing board puts brick, block and stone work, along with the cleaning that goes with it, under its masonry contractor license, so that's the license to look for on any restoration job.
Puzzles other crews pass on
We're known for the jobs nobody else wants to figure out, like a leak no one has tracked down or an old wall that needs a careful match. Owners of older brick homes and storefronts call us for that, because a wrong guess on an old wall is hard to undo.
On an old wall the first decision matters most, so tell us what you're looking at and I'll come take a look.
Request an estimateGet a written estimate for your masonry restoration
We reply within one business day, and then I come out for a free quote on site, with no pressure to book. You get a written estimate that shows the cleaning method, the mortar and everything else that's included.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Phone
- (530) 399-1517
- Location
- Chico, CA 95928
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–10 PM
Questions about masonry restoration in Chico
What does repointing a brick wall involve?
Repointing means removing the deteriorated mortar from a wall's joints and replacing it with new mortar. The care goes into getting the old mortar out without chipping the brick edges and into matching the new mortar to the wall, which is where most of the time on the job goes.
What is the best mortar for an older brick building in Chico?
Lime mortar is often the right choice for an older building, because it's soft and porous and changes little in volume as temperatures shift. Ask any crew which mortar they plan to use and how it lets the wall dry out, and I'll tell you which one suits your wall once I've seen the old mortar.
Do I need a permit for masonry restoration in Chico?
Check with the city before work starts, because Chico requires a basic building permit to repair any building or structure, and masonry restoration isn't on the list of work it exempts. We find out whether the city or the county covers your address and take care of the permit paperwork as part of the job when one's needed.
Does a historic building in Chico need extra approval for masonry work?
It can, if the building is on the city's Historic Resources Inventory. A Certificate of Appropriateness is what the city's board issues to approve specified exterior alterations to a listed property, so finding out whether yours is listed is the first step.
How much does masonry restoration cost in Chico?
The cost comes down to how much wall needs work, how deep the mortar has worn, whether paint or heavy soiling has to come off and whether we need scaffolding to reach it. Repointing only the worst joints costs less, but on a front wall I usually suggest doing a full section so you don't end up with a patchwork, and your written estimate will lay out both if you want to compare.
How do I know if my old brick is worth restoring?
If the brick faces are mostly whole and it's the mortar that's crumbling, it's usually worth restoring, because you keep the original brick and only replace what's worn out. When a lot of bricks are cracked through or their faces have flaked away, I'll tell you straight and talk about rebuilding that section instead.
Other work that goes with restoration
Fireplace installation
If the chimney's been restored and you want a fire again, we can build a new fireplace that fits the old masonry around it.
Stone veneer installation
When an addition or newer wall sits beside old stone, a veneer can carry the same look across without rebuilding the whole wall in solid stone.
Get your old brick wall looked at
Have a rough height for the wall or chimney and whether the building is on the city's historic list, and call (530) 399-1517 or send the form so I can come out with the right questions.
Request an estimateCall (530) 399-1517