Stone masonry in Redlands CA - walls repaired gently and built on a solid base
Crumbling joints, loose stones or a yard that needs a wall? We fix why the stone failed and leave your yard clean.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Do I need a stone mason for my wall in Redlands?
Stone masonry in Redlands, CA covers building and repairing walls, fences and paving in natural or manufactured stone, set with mortar or laid dry. It also includes repointing, the job of cutting worn mortar out of the joints and packing in fresh.
Most calls start with mortar turning to sand between the stones, a stone that's come loose, or a bare slope that needs a wall. Mortar that crumbles in your hand has retired, and it isn't coming back. The price moves with how big and tall the wall is, whether we're repairing or rebuilding, how much of the old mortar is actually bad, which stone you want, how easy the spot is to reach and whether the wall holds back a slope. The schedule mostly turns on the size of the job and how soon the stone comes in. After I walk the job you get a written estimate that says what we'd do and what we'd use, so you're working from your wall's numbers and not a guess.
How do you know your stone wall needs work?
Mortar crumbling out of joints
If you can scrape a joint out with a key, or the mortar sits well back from the face of the stone, it's worn out and water is getting into the wall. Leave it long enough and the stones start to loosen, which turns a joint repair into a rebuild.
Stones loose or flaking
A stone that rocks when you push it, or one whose face is flaking off, usually means water is trapped in the wall or the mortar around it is the wrong mix. Every stone that drops out lets more water in behind its neighbors.
Wall leaning or bulging
A stone wall that leans or bows out in the middle is usually being pushed by water or weight behind it, or it's sinking at the base. Get it looked at soon, because leaning walls don't straighten themselves out and they get harder to save the further they go.
How we handle stone masonry, old and new
On a repair, I find out why the wall failed first, and it's usually water, because patching over the cause just buys you the same crack next year. On older stone, including the arroyo stone Redlands is known for, our crew repairs gently instead of rebuilding, cutting out only the joints that have gone bad and repointing with a mortar that lets the wall dry out. I'd rather leave a sound old joint alone than replace it to pad a bill. On a new wall we dig out, pack a solid base and lay the stone, and on new stone facing I'll tell you whether we're bonding it to the wall or anchoring it and why before we start. We clean up as we go, so the yard looks like we were never there, minus the mess.
Stone work often sits next to other masonry. If your house mixes stone with brick, brick pointing takes the same care with the mortar, and a stone wall that's cracking because the house is settling may need foundation repair before any stone goes back up.
Repair and repointing on older stone
This suits a wall that's mostly sound but has worn joints or a few loose stones. We keep the original stone and match the joints, so an old wall still looks like itself when we're done.
New stone walls and facing
This suits a new garden or retaining wall, or stone facing on a wall you already have. We build on a solid base because a wall is only as good as what it sits on, and we pick bonded or anchored facing for your wall and explain the choice.
Get a written estimate for your stone wall
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The on-site estimate is free, you get it in writing, and there's no obligation.
(909) 488-7148- Based in
- Redlands, CA 92373
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call about your stone wall?
Here's how a stone job runs with us, from your first call to the walk-around at the end.
Call or send a message
Call (909) 488-7148 or use the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. A few photos of the wall help me show up with the right questions.
I look the wall over
I look at the wall, what's around it and where the water goes, because that's usually why stone fails. Then you get a written estimate that says what we'd do and what we'd use, so the price isn't a mystery.
Our crew works, we walk it
If you go ahead, we sort out any permit the job needs, and I'm on site while our crew does the work. When it's done, we walk the job together so you can see every joint before we call it finished.
Why Redlands homeowners call Prestige Redlands Concrete and Masonry for stone work
The owner looks at your wall
I come out and look at the job myself, and I'm on site with our crew while they work. The person who wrote your estimate is the one watching the joints go in.
Licensed and insured for stone
We're licensed and insured. The FAQ below explains which state license covers stone work, so you know what to ask any mason you're considering.
Five years of careful repair
We've been in business since 2021, and I learned stone from an old mason who wouldn't let a bad joint slide. We're best known for careful repair on older masonry, the kind of stone walls you see all over Redlands' older streets.
The joint you can't see matters as much as the stone you can. Tell us about your wall and I'll come take a look.
Stone masonry and retaining walls in Redlands
If your stone wall holds back a slope, Redlands code requires it to be engineered to resist all the weight and pressure pushing against it, so put engineering in the plan and the budget from the start, not after we've dug in. The height and guardrail limits are in the questions below. If your job needs a permit, I'll tell you at the estimate and we'll handle the application with the city or county office that issues it, and for questions about the rules on your own lot, that office has the final word.
Plenty of older Redlands houses have arroyo stone walls and pillars, the rounded river stone the city is known for, and the city's historic design guidelines ask owners to put preserving those features first and to choose the gentlest repair that works, with repointing on the list. That's how we'd rather work anyway. Cutting old mortar out with hand chisels and hammers is slow going, but in most cases it's the least risky way to treat old stone and it gives the best-looking result. We see the same kind of older stone on jobs in Mentone and Highland, and we treat it the same way.
Questions about stone masonry in Redlands
What is the best way to keep stone masonry costs down in Redlands?
The best way to keep the price down is to repair what's failing instead of rebuilding what isn't. Repointing the bad joints on a sound wall usually costs far less than taking it down, and manufactured stone generally runs less than natural. I'll put your number in a written estimate after I've seen the wall.
What is repointing, and why does the mortar matter?
Repointing is removing the worn mortar from a wall's joints and replacing it with new mortar. The mix matters because mortar that keeps moisture from moving out of the wall and drying off ends up damaging the stones themselves. Ask any mason which mix they plan to use and why, and I'll tell you mine at the estimate.
How tall can a retaining wall be in Redlands?
Redlands caps retaining walls at six feet, or 30 inches in a front yard, though a wall needed to build a driveway next to it can reach six feet anywhere on the property. Any retaining wall taller than 30 inches also needs a protective fence or guardrail at least 36 inches high. Tell me where the wall goes and how tall it needs to be, and I'll plan around both.
Should my stone veneer be adhered or anchored?
The right method comes down to the project, how the wall is built to carry the stone, the loads it will see, the type of stone and the local climate. Adhered stone is bonded to the wall, and anchored stone is tied to it with metal anchors. Ask your installer which of those points decided it for your wall, and I'll spell out mine in the estimate.
What license covers stone masonry in California?
In California, stone work falls under the masonry contractor classification at the Contractors State License Board. That classification covers natural and manufactured stone, walls and fences with or without mortar, and paving, so ask whether a contractor's license covers masonry before you hire.
How do I keep water from getting behind stone veneer on my house?
On a framed wall that needs a weather wrap behind manufactured stone, trade guidance says to put it on in two separate layers, lapped like shingles from the bottom up. Ask your installer how that barrier will be layered behind your stone before the first piece goes on.
Other masonry work near your stone wall
Brick pointing
If your house mixes stone with brick, those joints wear out the same way, and fresh pointing keeps water out before bricks start to loosen.
Foundation repair
When cracks in the stone follow a line or a wall keeps settling, the trouble is often underneath, and fixing the foundation first saves repairing the same crack twice.
Stone masonry in Redlands and nearby cities
Prestige Redlands Concrete and Masonry is based in Redlands, CA, and we take stone work in the cities around it, from Yucaipa over to Riverside. The 12 cities below have their own pages, Redlands included, and they aren't the only places we work.
Redlands, CA
Get your stone wall looked at
Have a few photos, the wall's rough height and whether it sits in the front yard ready when you call, so the visit gets straight to what your wall needs.