Masonry Contractor in Lucerne Valley - Walls Built for Desert Storms
D&L Hesperia Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Hesperia that builds and repairs block walls, retaining walls, brick, stone veneer and chimneys on homes and lots across Lucerne Valley.
Desert homes and big lots in Lucerne Valley
Lucerne Valley is a long drive out past Apple Valley from our base in Hesperia, and it's a different kind of job site. Homes sit far apart on big lots, plenty of them with room for horses, open desert on one or more sides and a long property line that somebody eventually wants walled in. The houses run from older places that have been added onto over the years to newer builds, and most of the masonry I'm asked to look at is a block wall, a retaining wall or a chimney that's been taking sun and wind for a long time.
That spread-out ground shapes the work. Walls run long, footings sit in loose desert soil, and getting block, sand and a mixer to the back of a lot takes planning before the first trench is dug.
What to know before masonry work in Lucerne Valley
Permits for work in Lucerne Valley go through San Bernardino County Building and Safety, in person or on the county's EZ Online Permitting site. Before we start, I check whether your job needs one, and when it does we apply for it as your licensed contractor, so the start date waits on the county's timing. The county doesn't issue a business license that covers the whole county, so the license worth asking any contractor about is the state one from the Contractors State License Board, and we're licensed and insured.
What moves the price out here is mostly what's underneath the work and how far everything has to travel. A wall's length and height, how deep the footing has to go in loose ground, whether there's a slope to hold back and how close a truck can get all change the number, and so does the drive from Hesperia. Doing the footing right costs a bit more up front, and I'd rather tell you that than come back to patch the same wall. Up in Wrightwood the fight is snow and freeze, but here it's sun, wind and dry ground, and your written estimate spells out the scope so you can see what you're paying for.
Services in Lucerne Valley, CA
Concrete block walls
Long property lines on open lots are why many Lucerne Valley calls are for block walls. We set each one on a footing sized for loose desert soil.
Retaining wall construction
Sloped pads on desert lots need a wall that holds dirt and lets water out. We build retaining walls with drain rock and weep holes behind them.
Stone veneer installation
Faded stucco and plain block take a beating from desert sun. Our stone veneer installation puts a stone face on walls, columns and house bases.
Brick pointing
Dry wind and hard sun wear mortar joints until they're recessed and sandy. We grind out the loose mortar and repoint with a mix that matches your brick.
Chimney repair
Wind loosens the top brick on a chimney and cracks its concrete cap. We reset the loose brick and pour a new cap so water stays out.
Foundation repair
Storm water running under a house can settle a footing and crack the block above it. We find where the water went before we fix the crack.
What Lucerne Valley storms and sun do to walls
Rain is rare out here, averaging under 4 inches a year, but one storm can drop more than an inch and send a flash flood across your lot. That water finds the low side of a wall, washes soil out from under the footing and leaves a crack that opens a little more every season. Before we build, I walk the lot to see where water runs, then we set the footing below the loose top layer and give retaining walls a way to drain so they don't act like a dam.
The rest of the year it's sun and dry wind, and that wears on mortar long before it wears on block or brick. Joints go soft, water gets in on the rare wet day, and a wall that looked fine starts losing pieces, which is why I'd rather repoint early than rebuild later.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Lucerne Valley job
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll drive out to Lucerne Valley, look at the job, measure and take photos, then you get a written estimate with the scope spelled out. The estimate is free, and there's no obligation.
How a Lucerne Valley job goes
Call or send a request
Call (760) 983-7937 or use the form, and tell us what you're seeing and where the work sits on your lot. We set a time for me to come out.
I measure and photograph it
I look at the job, measure and take photos, then tell you plainly what I'd do and what I wouldn't. You get a written estimate with the scope spelled out, so you know what the price covers before you decide.
We sort permits, then build
We check with the county building office before we start and apply for any permit your job needs, so the start date follows the county's timing. I'm on the job with our crew while the work gets done.
We walk the finished job
When it's done, we walk the finished work with you and go over what we built. Satisfaction guaranteed, and if you have a question, that's the time to ask it.
Lucerne Valley masonry questions
How do I find out if my masonry project in Lucerne Valley needs a permit?
Ask the county by calling its desert-area line at (760) 995-8140, or let us check for you before we start. The county's permit list names work like structural repairs and additions and alterations, work that isn't on the list may still need one, and setbacks, the open space required around buildings, have to be kept either way. When your job needs a permit, we apply for it as your licensed contractor.
Can I build a small block shed in Lucerne Valley without a permit?
Only if it's 120 square feet or smaller, one story, detached, with no utilities, under 14 feet tall and keeping the minimum setbacks, which is the county's limit for a shed, storage building or playhouse built without a permit. It also has to go with a legal house or use on the same lot under the same owner, and on bare land the county allows one only with a Temporary Use Permit. Anything bigger, or with power run to it, goes through a permit.
Do I need erosion control before digging footings in Lucerne Valley?
In general, yes, because the county's residential guide says nearly all projects need some kind of erosion control before construction or land disturbance. A project with no grading plans or building permit needs its own erosion control permit first. We sort that out when we check permits, before we put a shovel in the ground.
What causes block walls to crack in Lucerne Valley?
Most cracked walls we see out here trace back to the footing, either one too shallow for loose desert soil or one that storm runoff has washed out from under. A long wall built without control joints, the planned breaks that let block move, will also crack on its own line. We check what's under the wall before we quote a fix, because patching a crack without fixing the cause just means patching it again.
How much does a block wall cost in Lucerne Valley?
We price each wall from what I measure on your lot, and you get it as a free written estimate with the scope spelled out. Your choices move the number too, since plain gray block costs less than split-face block or a stone veneer face, and a tall wall with a cap and columns costs more than a low, plain run. I'll tell you where spending more matters and where it doesn't.
How much can a contractor ask for up front on a home project in California?
No more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. After that, every payment has to be listed in the contract and tied to work done or materials delivered. The state board applies these rules to all home improvement projects.
Get your Lucerne Valley wall looked at
We're open every day from 8 AM to 9 PM at (760) 983-7937, or you can send a request, and a crack caught before the next big storm is a smaller fix than a wall that's come down.
