Masonry Contractor in Los Gatos - Walls and Stonework Built for Hillside Lots

The Town of Los Gatos Building Division decides that, and it reviews plans for all new construction, additions and remodels in Los Gatos, so treat a new wall, fireplace or foundation as something to check first. If you're not sure about your project, ask and I'll check with the Building Division. When a job needs a permit, we handle the application, which Los Gatos takes only through its online permitting system, and plan our start around the review.

The California Contractors State License Board says a contractor needs a license when the project needs a building permit, uses additional workers or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials. A bigger job can't be split into pieces under $1,000 to get around that, so most masonry work you'd hire out falls inside the board's rule. We're licensed and fully insured, and you can ask me about it when I come out.

Yes, Los Gatos requires a Town Business License from any business that comes into Los Gatos to do work, not just the ones located there. A contractor also needs a current one to get permits, and these licenses run out on December 31st each year, so it's fair to ask any contractor whether theirs is current.

There's no single price, because the cost turns on the size of the job, the material and how hard your lot is to work on. Natural stone usually costs more than brick and brick more than block, and tearing out old work or adding drainage behind a wall adds labor. A permit adds its own cost and time, and I put all of it in a free written estimate after I've seen your property.

In the wildland-urban interface area, mostly the steep land in southern Los Gatos where homes sit scattered among brush and trees, local rules cover exterior materials, systems and assemblies on new buildings, additions and alterations. Stone, brick and block don't burn, but that alone doesn't settle what applies to your job. If your project changes the outside of the house up there, like new veneer or an addition, I check with the Building Division before we pick materials.

The start date depends mostly on whether the job needs a permit, because permitted work waits on the Building Division's review and we plan our start around it. Once we're on site, the schedule turns on the weather, curing time for mortar or concrete and the hillside access we talked about above. Your written estimate lays out the steps in order so you know what comes when.