Masonry Contractor in Compton, CA - Repairs That Fix the Cause
Advanced Carson Concrete and Masonry is a Carson-based masonry contractor working in Compton, CA. We repair and build block walls, brick, chimneys and stone here, fixing what's causing the damage and not just the crack you see.
Compton homes come with walls that already have a history
Compton is mostly single-family houses on their own lots, with shops and businesses along the main boulevards. A lot of the homes we work on here have been lived in for decades, and the masonry shows it. Block walls run along the property lines, brick planters sit out front, and the older houses have chimneys that have ridden out a few earthquakes. Plenty of it has been patched before, and not always well.
We're based nearby in Carson and do the same work in West Rancho Dominguez and the other cities around it. Not every call is a repair, and when the backyard has room we also build outdoor kitchen masonry. On older houses like these, the job usually starts with finding what moved the wall or let the water in, because patching over an old repair just hides the problem again.
What a Compton job involves before we lay a block
If your job needs a permit, it comes from the city's Building and Safety department, which issues permits for repairs, alterations and new work on existing houses, and the work can't start until it's issued. Before you hire anyone here, check two things. Most jobs need a contractor with a California state license, and anyone doing business in Compton needs a current city business license, which the city requires on every permit application.
We pull the permit and set up the inspections, and if your address turns out to be under the county instead of the city, we'll sort out which office handles it. Price moves with how much is damaged, what's causing it and how hard the yard is to work in, and the schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and what we find once the old work is open. Plenty of houses here front busy streets, so getting block and mortar in takes some planning, the same as it does on our jobs in Long Beach. I'll put what I'd do and the price in a written estimate, so you know what you're paying for and why.
Masonry work we do in Compton
- Foundation repair
- Chimney repair
- Tuckpointing
- Brick repair
- Driveway pavers
- Retaining wall construction
- Masonry restoration
- Fireplace installation
- Stone veneer installation
- Concrete block walls
- Foundation block wall installation
- Outdoor kitchen masonry
- Walkway construction
- Brick wall installation
- Stone masonry
- Brick pointing
Water and shifting ground cause most damage here
The closest weather record is Long Beach's, about 12 inches of rain a year over roughly 35 days, so your walls sit dry most of the year and then take all their water in a few storms. That water runs off wall caps, soaks into cracked joints and softens the soil at the base of the footing. We fix the cap, the joints and the drainage together, because a sealed crack that water keeps reaching won't hold for long.
Most of the walls we look at here are old, and some went up with little steel inside and a shallow footing. Add tree roots and a few earthquakes and you get leaning block, cracked brick and loose chimney tops. Sometimes the fix is new mortar and sometimes the wall comes down. I'll tell you which, and if it can wait, I'll say so.
Get a free on-site masonry estimate in Compton
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Compton house myself, look at the job and put what I'd do in writing. The estimate is free, and there's no obligation.
How a masonry job in Compton goes, start to finish
Call or send the form
Call (424) 286-2220 or use the form and tell us what you're seeing. Photos of the crack or the lean help me know what to look for.
I come out to look
I come to the house myself, look at the wall or chimney and find what's causing the damage. It helps if you can show me where water runs off the roof and yard when it rains.
You get a written estimate
I put what I'd do and why in writing, including whether the job needs a permit. If something can wait, the estimate says that too.
We handle any permit
City Hall is open Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed every Friday, so permit trips run on those days. We take care of the permit and set up the inspections.
Our crew does the work
Our own crew does the work while I run the job on site, and we clean up when it's done. Then I walk the finished job with you.
Block, brick and stone work
Questions about masonry work in Compton
Can I apply for a masonry permit online in Compton?
No. Compton's permit process is done in person, with no online submittals or payments. A short list of other jobs, like a like-for-like window replacement or a water heater change out, can be applied for online, but those are still issued and paid for at the counter, and masonry isn't on that list. We make the counter trips for you.
Does a contractor need a City of Compton business license to work on my house?
Yes. Compton requires everyone doing business inside city limits to hold a city business license, from big companies down to one person working alone, and it has to be renewed every year. A contractor without a current one can't apply for your permit, so it's worth asking.
When does a masonry job in California need a licensed contractor?
A state contractor license is required if the job needs a building permit, uses employee labor, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials together. The state licensing board says a job may be exempt only when there's no permit, no employees and the total stays under $1,000. Most wall or chimney repairs cross that line, so ask to see the license. We're licensed and fully insured.
How do I find out if my Compton lot is in a liquefaction zone?
Ask the city about your address. The state geological survey has mapped zones for liquefaction, when shaking makes loose wet soil act like liquid, and for surface fault rupture, and those zones cross parts of Compton's planning area. Projects on property inside one may be required to investigate and deal with the hazard during permitting. For a new wall or foundation work, I'd want that answered before we plan anything.
What is the best way to fix crumbling mortar on an older Compton house?
Rake out the loose mortar and repoint the joints, after you've stopped whatever water is getting in. Older brick usually needs a mortar a bit softer than the brick, so the joint gives instead of the brick cracking. Hard modern mortar smeared over old joints looks fine for a year or two, then the brick faces start popping off.
How much does block wall repair cost in Compton?
I can't give you an honest number until I've seen the wall, because the price is set by how much is damaged and what's causing it. Length and height, footing work, matching old block or brick, access to the yard and any permit all move it. A cracked cap and a few bad joints cost far less than a wall that has to come down and be rebuilt.
Call about your Compton wall, chimney or brick
Call (424) 286-2220 or send the form, because a crack caught early usually means less wall to tear out.