Masonry contractor in Santa Clara, CA - repairs that fix the cause, not just the crack

Santa Clara requires a building permit before anyone builds, alters or repairs a structure, and its list names retaining walls over 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, and fences over 7 feet. A shorter wall isn't automatically off the hook, so if you're unsure, ask the city's building division, which issues permits through its Permit Center, or ask us and we'll check. When a permit's needed, we handle the application with the city, and it's all filed online.

Yes, almost any masonry job in Santa Clara calls for a contractor with a California state license. The California Contractors State License Board requires one whenever a job needs a building permit, uses any additional workers or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials. The City of Santa Clara also requires a city business license from any business working inside city limits, including ones based elsewhere, like us in Cupertino. We're licensed and fully insured.

A Santa Clara building permit stays valid for 365 days from the day it's issued or from the last inspection the job passed. If it runs out before the work is finished, work can only start again under a new permit. That's why we plan our start around the city's review and keep inspections moving, so we're not racing the clock on a half-built wall.

The price of a masonry job in Santa Clara comes down to what we're building or fixing and what it takes to do it right, and you'll get your figure in a written estimate after I've seen the site. Brick and natural stone cost more to buy and lay than block or pavers, and a tight backyard with no room for equipment means more hand work. On repairs, the big unknown is what's behind the face, which is why the estimate spells out what we'll do and why.

You'll need one when Santa Clara's rules call for it, which covers new homes, hillside lots, sites with expansive soil or in earthquake fault, liquefaction or landslide zones, and any site where the Building Official asks for one. That report is a geotechnical investigation, a soil study done by an engineer. When your project needs one, the footing design is the engineer's call, and we build to what the report says.

No, not under the city's Reach Codes, which only apply to newly built buildings for now. The city says owners don't have to replace existing gas appliances with electric ones under those codes. If you're building a new fireplace or redoing an old one, we'll talk through your options at the estimate and check what the city requires for your project.