Masonry contractor in Apple Valley, CA - solid block walls and sound brick joints
D&L Hesperia Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Hesperia. In Apple Valley we build block walls, retaining walls and pavers, and we repoint and repair the brick on older houses.
Homes and yards across Apple Valley
Apple Valley is mostly houses, and a lot of them sit on bigger lots than you see in a typical tract. We work on ranch-style homes from several decades, newer subdivisions, and properties with room for horses, a shop or a long back fence line. Most of our calls here are for the walls around those lots and the brick on the older houses. That's the same work we do next door in Victorville and Spring Valley Lake.
That spread changes the job. A long property-line wall means more footing to dig and more block to set. Rocky, uneven ground usually has to be leveled and packed before the first course, the bottom row of block, goes down.
What working in Apple Valley involves
Apple Valley issues its own building permits through the Town of Apple Valley's Permit Center. That's the office we check with before a footing goes in, and a job that needs a permit doesn't start until the permit is issued, so the permit often sets the start date. Before you hire anyone, ask for two things: their California contractor's license and their Apple Valley business license. A contractor has to show the state license to get the city one.
When a permit's needed, I apply for it as your licensed contractor. We handle it the same way here as we do in Oak Hills and back home as a masonry contractor in Hesperia, CA. The price moves with how long and how tall the wall is, what's under it, how much digging and leveling the ground needs, and whether old block or brick has to come out first. The schedule mostly turns on the permit and the site prep. Your estimate gives you your own number in writing, with the scope spelled out.
Services in Apple Valley, CA
Concrete block walls
Bigger lots here often have long block walls on the property line, and older ones lean or crack. We rebuild them starting with the footing.
Tuckpointing
Brick on older houses here wears out at the joints before the brick itself does. Our tuckpointing cuts out the soft mortar and packs in new joints.
Retaining wall construction
Sloped and rocky lots need walls that hold back soil without tipping. We build retaining walls with drainage behind them so water doesn't build up there.
Chimney repair
Plenty of older homes here have brick chimneys with loose bricks or a cracked crown, the concrete cap on top. We reset the bricks and redo the crown.
Driveway pavers
Long concrete driveways crack and settle when the base underneath is thin. We dig out, pack a solid base and lay pavers you can reset later.
Brick repair
Cracked or spalled brick, where the face flakes off, shows up on older planters, steps and fireplaces here. We cut out the damaged bricks and set matching ones.
What Apple Valley lots ask of a wall
Plenty of the houses here have brick planters, chimneys and wall caps that have been up for decades. The mortar joints usually go first. They turn soft and sandy until water gets in behind the brick. We cut the bad mortar out and repoint with a mix that suits the brick, because mortar harder than the brick can crack the face right off it. It's slower than smearing new mortar over the old, and it's the part I won't skip.
Sloped and uneven lots bring retaining walls and level pads into the job. Apple Valley requires a grading permit before any grading, though digging for a structure permitted under the code is one of the exceptions. We work out which applies to your lot before the first shovel goes in.
Get a free estimate for your Apple Valley wall or brick job
We'll reply within one business day to set up a visit, and I'll come out to your Apple Valley property myself. The estimate is free and done on site, and you're under no obligation.
How an Apple Valley job goes
Call or send a request
Call (760) 983-7937 or use the form, and we'll set a time to come out. You don't have to be home to show me an outside wall, but it helps if you are.
I look, measure and photograph
I come out myself to look at the job, measure and take photos, and I'll tell you plainly what I'd do and what I wouldn't. Then you get a written estimate with the scope spelled out, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts.
Sort the permit, then build
Before any digging, we check with Apple Valley's Permit Center and apply for the permit as your licensed contractor when the job needs one. Then our crew builds it, and I'm on the job with them while the work gets done.
Walk the finished job together
When it's done, we walk it with you so you can see the joints, the caps and the cleanup. Our work is satisfaction guaranteed.
Apple Valley masonry questions
How do I get a building permit in Apple Valley?
You request one from the Permit Center online or with a downloadable form, and its staff answer code questions, take fees and schedule inspections. The city's own examples of work that needs a permit are building a house, adding a room, and electrical or plumbing work. Those examples don't settle it either way for a wall or other masonry, so ask about your job at your address before anything is built.
How do I know if my contractor needs a California license?
In California, a contractor needs a state license from the Contractors State License Board when the job needs a building permit, uses any hired help, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials. Any masonry job with a crew crosses the second line. We're licensed and insured.
Does a contractor from Hesperia need an Apple Valley business license?
Yes, Apple Valley requires a yearly business license for any business working there, including firms based in other cities. It runs $50 to $200 a year depending on how many employees a business has, plus an extra $4.00 fee for local contractors. Contractors have to show a valid California contractor's license to get it, and it renews each year on the date it was issued.
How long does a building permit stay valid in Apple Valley?
An Apple Valley permit becomes invalid if the work stops or sits unfinished for 365 days after it starts. It also lapses 180 days after the last required inspection, and the city can grant one extension of no more than 180 days. We plan the work so it moves from start through inspections without long gaps.
How much does a block wall cost in Apple Valley?
It comes down to the length and height of the wall, what it sits on and how much finish work it gets. Plain block costs less than split-face block or stucco, and caps, pilasters and gate openings add to it. A tight side yard where we can't get equipment in means more hand work. The fastest way to a real number is the free estimate, where I measure on site and write it up with the scope spelled out.
Do repairs to an older wall in Apple Valley have to meet current code?
Usually, yes. Under Apple Valley's building code, repairs and alterations have to meet the rules for new buildings unless the code says otherwise. Apple Valley builds to the current California codes with its own local changes, so we plan a repair to today's rules instead of copying how the old work was done.
Talk to us about your Apple Valley project
We pick up any day from 8 AM to 9 PM at (760) 983-7937, or you can send the request form whenever it suits you, and I'll look at what's under the wall before I put a number on it.
