Masonry Contractor in El Rio, CA - Walls, Walkways and Brick Repair
A&B Ventura Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Ventura that works on homes in El Rio, repairing brick and mortar and building block walls, retaining walls, walkways and patios around the yard.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
El Rio homes and yards as we find them
What we work on in El Rio is mostly homes, older single-story houses and some newer ones, on lots that are usually walled in with block along the sides and back. The calls we get here tend to be about that block, about brick steps and planters that have settled, about front walks that have cracked, and about back yard projects people have been planning for a while. It's an easy trip from our base in Ventura, and we come down for these jobs as often as we head up to Ojai.
El Rio's septic tanks were banned over groundwater contamination near the Santa Clara River, and Ventura County moved the community onto a sewer system, so your house has a sewer line running out under the yard. Before we dig a footing for a wall or a walkway, we find where yours runs.
Masonry services for El Rio homes and yards
Foundation repair
When a brick or block foundation on an older El Rio house cracks, we find what's moving it before we repair the masonry, not just the crack.
Chimney repair
Brick chimneys on older homes here usually lose mortar near the top first. We rebuild loose rows and refill the joints with fresh mortar.
Tuckpointing
If the mortar between your bricks is sandy or sunken, tuckpointing cuts out the worn mortar and packs in new so the wall sheds water again.
Brick repair
We cut out cracked or loose bricks on steps, planters and older walls around El Rio yards and replace them with the closest match we can find.
Driveway pavers
A paver driveway suits the short driveways on many El Rio lots, and a cracked paver can be lifted out and replaced instead of breaking up a slab.
Retaining wall construction
Where a yard steps down or a raised bed holds back dirt, we build retaining walls with drainage built in so water gets out instead of building up.
Masonry restoration
On older El Rio homes with years of mismatched patches, we restore the brick as a whole, matching mortar color and joint shape so repairs blend in.
Fireplace installation
We build brick and stone fireplaces indoors or out on the patio, setting the firebox and flue to the maker's instructions before the masonry goes around them.
Stone veneer installation
Stone veneer dresses up a plain stucco front or a block planter without the weight of full stone, when it's set over the right backing.
Concrete block walls
Block walls usually divide El Rio lots, and we repair leaning or cracked sections or build new ones with steel and grout in the hollow cells.
Foundation block wall installation
For an addition, a garage or a raised floor, we lay block foundation walls on a footing sized for the load, ready for framing on top.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
Many El Rio back yards have room for a grill island, and we build the base in block or brick, finished in stone, stucco or tile.
Walkway construction
Front walks here often crack or lift over the years, and we rebuild them in brick, stone or pavers laid on a packed base.
Brick wall installation
A low brick wall along the front of an El Rio lot gives the yard an edge, and we build it on a footing so it stays straight.
Stone masonry
We build stone walls, steps and planters for El Rio yards, fitting each stone by hand so the wall carries its own weight rather than relying on the mortar.
Brick pointing
When only a few joints in a brick wall or step have opened, we fill just those with mortar matched to the old instead of redoing the wall.
Get a free written estimate for your El Rio project
We reply to every call and form within one business day to set a time. I come out, walk the job with you and write up what I'd do and why, free and with no obligation.
(805) 507-9163- Based in
- Ventura, CA 93001
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
Working in El Rio: permits, licenses and price
If your El Rio address is in the unincorporated county, permits come from Ventura County Building and Safety, and the county says most construction work needs one so it can be reviewed, inspected and documented. That review, and the inspections during the job, are usually what set the start date and how quickly a footing or a wall can move along. We check with the office that covers your address, handle the application and set up the inspections, and when it isn't clear whether a job needs a permit, we ask before we start. The other thing worth checking is that your contractor holds a California contractor's license, and we're fully licensed and insured.
Our crew comes down from Ventura for El Rio jobs the same way we head over to Oxnard, so getting masons and a load of block here is easy. What moves the price is mostly the size of the job, whether you choose brick, block, stone or pavers, and how easily we can get the crew and the material into a yard that's walled in on three sides. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and on the weather. Your written estimate spells out what we'd do and why, so you know what the number covers.
What wears on masonry around El Rio homes
Most of the year's rain falls in December, January and February, and summers stay close to dry, going by the long-term records at the Oxnard airport weather station just outside El Rio. Walls and walks bake dry for months and then take a string of storms, so water trapped behind a retaining wall or soaking into open mortar joints does its damage all at once. We build drainage into retaining walls and fill open joints before winter, while there's still dry weather for the mortar to cure.
Older houses here often have brick that's been patched over the years, sometimes with mortar harder than the brick, and then the brick crumbles while the patch holds. We cut out the bad joints and refill them with a mortar softer than the brick, so we're fixing the cause and not just the surface.
How a masonry job runs when you call us in El Rio
From your first call to the last walk-through, here's what happens and what you'll have in hand at each step.
Call or send the form
Tell us your address and what you're seeing or planning, and we'll set a time for me to come out. It helps if you can be home so we can look at it together.
Walk the job together
I look at the wall or the yard with you and answer your questions before I write anything up. Then you get a written estimate that says what we'd do and why, so you can see what the price pays for.
Line up permits and start
Once you're ready, we handle any county permit and set up the inspections, and the county's review decides how soon we can begin. We set a start date that works around it.
Build, check and walk through
Our crew of experienced masons does the work while I run the job on site and check it as it goes. At the end I walk it with you, and our work is satisfaction guaranteed.
Questions about masonry work in El Rio
Do I need a permit to build a retaining wall in El Rio, CA?
When a retaining wall in El Rio needs a permit, it falls under a single trade building permit from the county, the same permit used for structural repairs that don't involve plumbing, electrical or mechanical work. The county code also lists some work that's exempt from a permit, so we check your wall against that list with the county before we start rather than guess.
What happens if my masonry project in Ventura County doesn't need a permit?
Work that's exempt from a permit skips the county's review and inspection, but it still has to be built safely and meet the standards that apply to it. We build an exempt wall or walkway the same way we build one that gets inspected.
When does a masonry contractor need a California state license?
The Contractors State License Board requires a state license for building or altering structures when the job needs a building permit, uses additional workers, or its labor and materials total $1,000 or more. That total counts every contract on the project, and a bigger job can't be split into smaller ones to stay under it. Ask any contractor you're considering for their license before you sign.
How do I apply for a Ventura County building permit online?
The county's building division takes permit applications online through its VC Citizen Access permit portal. If your El Rio job needs a permit, we handle the application for you, so you don't have to file it yourself.
How do I find out if past work on my El Rio house was permitted?
Ask the county's building division, which will search its archived records for the permit history of an existing building on request. It's worth doing before we repair or tie into an older addition, wall or fireplace, because it tells us what was approved there.
How much does masonry work cost in El Rio?
Your price comes from your own wall or yard, so I give it to you in a written estimate after I've seen the job rather than guess over the phone. The biggest swings come from whether a wall can be repaired or has to be rebuilt, how closely new brick has to match old brick, and whether a permit and inspections are part of the job.
Ventura, CA
Send us your El Rio address and project
Call (805) 507-9163 or tell us in the form what you're seeing, and I'll come out already knowing what to look at first.