Masonry Contractor in Placerville, CA - Straight Walls on Steep Foothill Lots
P&J El Dorado Hills Concrete & Masonry is a masonry contractor building retaining walls, walkways and stone work on Placerville's hillside lots and repairing older brick, chimneys and mortar around town, with our own crew led by a lead mason.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Masonry work on Placerville's hills and older homes
Placerville is an old foothill town, and its masonry shows it. Around downtown and Main Street there's plenty of older brick and stone, and a lot of it has been patched by several different hands over the years. The newer neighborhoods climb the hills with block retaining walls, stone veneer and walks cut into the slope. We come up Highway 50 from El Dorado Hills for this work, just as we head next door to Diamond Springs or down toward Fair Oaks.
Most of what we see here comes back to two things, old mortar and steep ground. On an older house the job is matching what's there so the repair works with the original brick. On a hillside lot, the footing and the drain behind the wall decide whether it stays straight.
What we build and fix in Placerville
Retaining wall construction
Hillside lots here lean on retaining walls. We dig a real footing and drain the back side, so water doesn't build up and push the wall over.
Masonry restoration
Older brick and stone near downtown has usually been patched more than once. Our masonry restoration work undoes bad repairs and matches the original brick, mortar and color.
Brick pointing
Old mortar gives out before the brick does. We rake out the soft joints and repoint with a mix that's gentle on old brick.
Chimney repair
Older chimneys here often crack at the cap and loosen near the roofline. We rebuild the cap and the top few rows so water stops working into the brick.
Stone veneer installation
Many hillside homes here wear stone veneer on the front. We set it over a drainage layer so moisture behind it can get out.
Walkway construction
On a sloped lot, the walk to the front door usually needs steps. We pack a solid base and set each step level so it stays put.
What Placerville's slopes and older brick need
Slope and age shape most of the masonry we do here. On a hillside lot, a wall or a set of steps is up against gravity and the water running down behind it, and gravity works weekends. So we put our effort into the parts you won't see later, like the footing, the drain rock and pipe behind the wall, and weep holes, the small gaps along the bottom that let water out. Near downtown the issue is old brick. The mistake I see most is an earlier repair done with mortar harder than the brick, which makes the brick crack and flake when the joint should have taken the wear. I'll tell you straight when a patch is worth doing and when a section should come down and go back up right.
The City of Placerville's rules apply to addresses inside its city limits, and the city has an online check that tells you whether yours is one of them, so that's the first thing we look up. Price here mostly follows the ground, how much soil has to move, how tall the wall goes and what old work comes out first. The schedule turns on any permit and inspections, and you get your own figures in the written estimate I send after the visit.
Get a free estimate for your Placerville masonry job
Call (916) 260-2151 or send the form, and we'll reply within one business day. I come out to your Placerville property, look the job over with you and follow up with a written estimate. It's free, with no pressure and no obligation.
Placerville masonry questions
Here's what Placerville homeowners ask us most about permits, grading and cost. If your job doesn't fit one of these, call and I'll talk it through with you.
Do I need a permit to build a retaining wall in Placerville?
A wall taller than 4 feet, or one holding back extra weight, goes through a building permit with the city. The city's exemption list covers retaining walls up to 4 feet measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, as long as they don't support a surcharge, which is extra load like a driveway or a slope sitting above. Because the footing counts, a wall that looks short from the yard can still be over, so we check the design with the city and handle the application and inspections when it needs one.
Does a brick or block fence need a permit in Placerville?
Fences up to 7 feet high are on the city's list of residential work exempt from a building permit. A taller wall, or a fence that also holds back soil, is a different question, so we confirm the details with the city before we build.
How do I know if my yard work needs a grading permit in Placerville?
Grading inside Placerville city limits needs a permit from the city engineer unless it's minor, with cut or fill slopes less than 2 feet deep, and even then only when every condition on the city's list is met. Cutting into a hillside for a wall or a level patio can pass that quickly, so we size up how much ground has to move during the estimate. If a failing wall means work has to start right away to protect the house, emergency work can begin first, but the city engineer has to be told promptly and the permit applied for within 10 calendar days.
How do I apply for a building permit in Placerville?
You apply through the city's online permit portal or in person at City Hall, 3101 Center St, (530) 642-5200, and the city's Building Division page is the place to start. When a job we're building needs a permit, we handle the application and the inspections as part of the job.
Is an El Dorado County business license valid in Placerville?
No, a county business license isn't valid inside Placerville city limits. Every business working within the city needs a City business license, with the tax paid, before it starts, so it's a fair question to ask any contractor bidding your job.
How much does masonry work cost in Placerville?
There's no single price, because on most Placerville jobs the ground and the access move the cost more than the brick or stone does. A steep lot that's hard to reach, a lot of soil to dig and haul, a deeper footing, drainage behind a wall, the material you pick and old work that has to come out first all push the number up. I come out, look it over with you and follow up with a written estimate for your job.
Walls, walks and brickwork
Other cities we work in
Choose a city from the list to see what we do there, or call (916) 260-2151 and ask about yours, since we work in many cities without their own page.