Masonry Contractor in Mentone, CA - Brick Repair and Walls Built for Big Yards
Prestige Redlands Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor working in Mentone, CA. We repair older brick, chimneys and crumbling joints, and build block walls, retaining walls, walkways and paver driveways on a solid base.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Mentone homes, big lots and what's underneath
Mentone sits just east of Redlands, and on our jobs it feels like Redlands with more elbow room. We mostly see single-family homes on good-sized lots, with older houses that have brick chimneys and planters mixed in among newer stucco ones. There are block walls along the property lines and backyards waiting to become a patio, a path or an outdoor kitchen.
Most of Mentone runs on septic tanks and leach fields instead of a sewer line, though your lot may be different. Before we dig a footing or roll in heavy equipment, we find out where your tank and field sit and keep our work clear of them.
Masonry services we offer in Mentone
Foundation repair
When a crack opens in the low wall your house sits on, we find out what moved it, usually water or loose fill, before we patch anything.
Chimney repair
Older homes here often have brick chimneys with loose caps and washed-out joints near the top, where weather hits hardest. We rebuild what's failing and keep what's sound.
Tuckpointing
On older brick fronts, tuckpointing refills worn joints and adds a thin, crisp line of contrasting mortar, so the wall looks sharp again without new brick.
Brick repair
When bricks crack or their faces flake off near a downspout or a sprinkler, we swap in a close match and deal with the water behind it.
Driveway pavers
Long concrete driveways on bigger lots tend to crack. Pavers sit on a packed gravel base, so a sunk spot gets lifted and reset, not torn out.
Retaining wall construction
Sloped backyards need walls that hold soil and let water out. We put drain rock and small weep holes in them, because trapped water tips walls over.
Masonry restoration
We repair joints, chimneys and broken brick on Mentone's older homes in matching mortar and materials, so the house looks its age instead of looking patched.
Fireplace installation
Bigger yards here have room for an outdoor fireplace. We build the firebox and chimney in brick or stone and size them so smoke goes up, not sideways.
Stone veneer installation
Stone veneer dresses up a plain stucco front or a block wall. We prep the backing first, because thin stone only holds as well as what's behind it.
Concrete block walls
Block walls along property lines lean and crack when the footing is too shallow. We dig a proper footing and run steel and grout through the block.
Foundation block wall installation
Large Mentone lots leave room to add on. We lay the block foundation wall on a solid footing, with steel and grout where the plans call for it.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
An outdoor kitchen starts as a block frame on a slab, faced in brick or stone. We leave openings for the grill and for any gas or power lines.
Walkway construction
Long paths to a side gate or a patio are common here. We set brick, stone or pavers on a packed base, so nobody trips on a heaved edge.
Brick wall installation
A brick garden wall or entry pillars suit an older house better than plain block. We build them on a footing and cap them so rain runs off.
Stone masonry
Stone walls, planters and steps fit the rockier yards toward the foothills. We set each stone for how it sits, not just how it looks.
Brick pointing
When mortar goes sandy and sinks back from the brick, we grind out only the failing joints and refill them so the wall sheds water again.
Your free masonry estimate for a Mentone home
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come out. After I walk the job, you get a free written estimate with no obligation.
(909) 488-7148- Based in
- Redlands, CA 92373
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
Working in Mentone means working with the county
Mentone is an unincorporated community, so there's no city hall in the picture. Permits come from San Bernardino County's Building and Safety office, and on a job that needs one, the county's review sets when we can start. The county doesn't issue a general business license for unincorporated areas like Mentone and has no countywide one. That makes the contractor's state license from the Contractors State License Board the license worth checking. We're licensed and insured. If your job needs a permit, I'll tell you at the estimate and we'll handle the application with the county.
The price moves with the size of the wall or patio, how much digging and base work the ground needs, how far we haul block and stone from where the truck can park, whether old masonry comes out first, and the brick or stone you pick. The schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and on how much ground prep happens before the first block goes down. My written estimate spells out what we'd do and what we'd use, so you're not guessing. We do the same work nearby in Yucaipa and Calimesa.
What wears out masonry on Mentone properties
Water is behind most of the failed masonry we look at around here. Sprinklers that hit a block wall every morning, downspouts that dump at the base of a chimney, and yards that slope toward the house all keep the mortar wet. Once mortar goes soft, the brick and block start to move. Bad mortar doesn't fix itself. It just waits for the next soaking. So we fix where the water comes from first, because new mortar in a wet wall only fails again on a slower clock.
Age does the rest. A lot of the older brick here was laid with soft mortar that's had decades to wear, so we check the joints one by one and repoint only the ones that have given up. The sound ones stay.
How a masonry job runs when you call us in Mentone
Here's how it goes from the first call to the last walk-around, and you deal with me the whole way.
Call or send us a message
Call (909) 488-7148 or send the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. It helps if you're home so you can show me what's bothering you.
I walk the job myself
I look at the masonry, what's around it and where the water goes, because that usually tells me why it failed. Then you get a written estimate that says what we'd do and what we'd use, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts.
Our crew does the work
Once you say go and any permit is in hand, our crew digs, sets the base and builds, and I'm on site with them. We keep the yard as tidy as a job site allows.
We walk it together
When it's done, we walk the job together so you can look at every joint and ask whatever you want. We haul off the scraps, so your yard looks the way it did, plus a wall.
Questions about masonry work in Mentone
How do I find out if my masonry project in Mentone needs a permit?
Ask the county's Building and Safety office, because it issues permits for Mentone and has the final word on the rules for your lot. Its list names structural repairs, additions and alterations, and new structures over 120 square feet. It also says other work not on the list may need a permit, so check on a wall or a chimney rebuild instead of guessing. Whether you need a permit or not, the county still requires you to keep your setbacks, the minimum distances a structure has to sit from your property lines.
Do I need grading approval to build a retaining wall on a slope in Mentone?
You need grading plans approved by Building and Safety if the work moves 100 cubic yards or more of soil, counting cut and fill, or disturbs a slope steeper than 2:1, which is a foot of rise for every two feet across. In general, every project also needs some kind of erosion control before the ground is disturbed. If no grading plans or building permit are required, you have to get a separate erosion control permit before work starts. Another county page lists a different grading figure, so confirm the number for your own lot with Building and Safety.
How long does a building permit last in Mentone?
A county permit expires if work hasn't started within 12 months of when it was issued, or if work stops for 12 months. The building official can grant a 180-day extension in writing, but only when you ask in writing and have a justifiable cause. If your project might sit a while, tell me at the estimate so we can plan the start around it.
Can I take out my own permit for a masonry project in Mentone?
Yes, property owners can take out the permit themselves, and so can a state-licensed contractor or an agent for either. The paperwork has to be current each time a permit is taken out, and the county also takes applications through its EZ Online Permitting site.
How much of a down payment can a contractor ask for on a Mentone home project?
A contractor's down payment can be no more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the total contract price, whichever is less. The state license board applies that rule to all home improvement projects, so it covers a block wall or a chimney rebuild in Mentone the same as anywhere else in California.
What affects the cost of a retaining wall or block wall in Mentone?
Height, length and how much soil the wall holds back set most of the cost. A taller wall needs a deeper footing, more steel and real drainage behind it. On a Mentone lot, the steepness of the slope and whether the county wants grading plans or erosion control can add to it too. My written estimate breaks all of that out line by line, so you can see where the money goes.
Redlands, CA
Get your Mentone masonry estimate started
Call (909) 488-7148 or send the form, and I'll come look before a small crack turns into a rebuild.