Brick wall installation in Torrance CA - a wall sized for the job it has to do
Want a brick wall around the yard, or one that holds back a slope? We plan it around that job first, footing and all.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What does it take to build a brick wall in Torrance?
Brick wall installation in Torrance means building a new brick wall on a solid footing. It's either a garden wall that stands on its own and carries nothing but its own weight, or a retaining wall that holds back soil, and that difference shapes everything else about the job.
Most people call us about a yard that needs closing in, or a slope that keeps spilling onto the patio. The price moves with the wall's length and height, whether it holds back soil, how deep the footing has to go, and the brick and cap you pick, so two walls the same length can land far apart. The schedule mostly turns on paperwork, because a retaining wall that needs engineered plans waits on the city before we dig, and if yours needs a permit, we handle that application for you. Your written estimate spells out the scope, so you can see exactly what the price covers.
How we handle brick wall installation
The first thing I ask is whether the wall will hold back soil, because that changes the whole plan, from how deep the footing goes to whether the city needs to see drawings. Then we lay out the line, dig and pour the footing, lay the brick course by course, set the cap and clean up. If you want to reuse old brick, I check it before we build with it, since a lot of salvaged brick isn't fit for an outside wall.
A new brick wall often sits near other masonry. If you'd like stone piers or a stone cap to set off the brick, that's our stone masonry work, and if an older brick wall on the lot has joints wearing out, brick pointing brings it back in line with the new one.
Pier and panel garden wall
Thin brick panels run between thicker brick piers spaced along the wall, which makes it easier to build and easier on the budget than a solid wall. It also steps up and down with the ground, so it suits a yard that changes level.
Brick retaining wall
When the wall holds back a slope, it gets a heavier footing and the planning a retaining wall needs. If the yard needs more height than one wall should carry, we lay it out as shorter walls stepped up the hill.
Building a brick wall in Torrance
If the wall holds back soil, the City of Torrance requires a permit once it's taller than 4 feet, measured from the top of the wall to the bottom of its footing, or when it holds up extra weight behind it, like a driveway or more slope. A wall between 4 and 5 feet needs zoning clearance, engineered plans and structural calculations, and some zoning areas add a soils report. A retaining wall too small for its own permit still has to be shown on the grading or building permit for the job. We handle the application with the city and tell you what we learn before any work starts.
Parts of Torrance sit in what the city calls its Expansive Soil Study Zone, where clay ground swells when it's wet and shrinks when it dries, and the city publishes standard footing details for building there. Ask whether your lot is in it, or I'll check before we plan the footing. We're based in Torrance and do the same work in many of the cities around it, including Redondo Beach and Lomita.
Why Torrance homeowners call AJ Torrance Concrete and Masonry for brick walls
I do every estimate myself
I come out to look at the wall myself and tell you what I see, including what can wait. That way the person pricing your wall is the one who answers for it.
Laying brick in Torrance since 2013
I spent years at a masonry supply yard hearing how jobs went after the trucks left, then learned to lay it myself and started this business in Torrance in 2013. Those stories are a big part of why we build the way we do.
Licensed and insured in California
We're licensed and insured, which California's contractor licensing board expects even on small jobs once they need a permit or hired help. Our own crew does the work, with a lead mason running the site and me stopping by to check on it.
No bigger than it needs to be
We don't build a wall taller or heavier than the job calls for, because extra wall is extra cost and usually its own set of problems later. Satisfaction guaranteed, and I'd like the next mason who sees it to have nothing to complain about.
Not sure yet whether your wall will hold back soil? That's fine. It's the first thing I'll sort out when I come out, so get in touch and we'll set a time.
Request a quoteGet a written estimate for your brick wall
We reply within one business day to set a time, and I come out to your property for a free estimate with no obligation. After that you get a written estimate with the scope spelled out, and the decision is yours.
What happens after you call about a brick wall in Torrance?
Call or send a request
Call (424) 318-3093 or use the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. Mention whether the wall holds back soil, since that's my first question anyway.
I look and write it up
I walk the line of the wall, look at the slope and the ground, and tell you what I see. You get a written estimate with the scope spelled out, so you know what the price covers before you decide.
We build, then I check
If you hire us, we take care of any permit steps with the office that covers your address, and our crew builds the wall. I look it over before we call it done.
Frequently asked questions
How tall can a brick retaining wall be in Torrance?
Torrance caps a single retaining wall at 5 feet, so holding back more than that means stepped walls, each one 5 feet or less. If your yard is steep, it's easier to plan the steps from the start than to redesign after the first wall is drawn.
How much does a brick wall cost in Torrance?
Brick and masonry work in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $11 to $34 per square foot. That's the going rate around here, not our price, and a tall retaining wall with a deep footing usually lands higher than a short garden wall. Your written estimate gives you the figure for your wall.
Can I use reclaimed brick for a garden wall?
Sometimes, if it meets the SW grade the brick industry sets for walls that face the weather. Used brick often falls short because it was fired unevenly, so I check yours before we plan around it.
Does a new brick wall need to be painted?
No, clay brick gets its color from the firing, so it runs all the way through and the wall needs no paint or coating. You can paint brick for looks, but most paint authorities say painted outdoor masonry then needs repainting every three to five years.
What is the best cap for a brick garden wall?
Natural stone, cast stone, slate, terra cotta, metal and brick all work as a cap, so the best one is the one that suits your brick and your house. The cap changes the look of a wall more than most people expect, and we'll talk it through at the estimate.
What causes a brick garden wall to crack or fail?
Gaps in the mortar joints and a weak footing are the usual causes, and the brick industry warns that any defect in an exposed garden wall can lead to deterioration and possibly failure. Its guidance calls for every joint completely filled and a footing set in undisturbed earth, reinforced where the soil moves. We fill the joints as we lay each course, and I look at the ground before we plan the footing.
Other masonry work that goes with a brick wall
Stone masonry
If you'd like stone piers, a stone cap or a stone wall nearby to go with new brick, this page covers how we lay natural stone in Torrance yards.
Brick pointing
When an older brick wall or planter on your lot has joints that crumble when you scrape them, pointing replaces the worn mortar with a mix that suits the brick.
Torrance, CA
Send us your wall's size and photos
Call (424) 318-3093 or use the form with the wall's length, height, a few yard photos and whether it holds back soil, so I come out already knowing what to look for.