AJ Torrance Concrete and MasonryAJ Torrance Concrete and Masonry

Masonry Contractor in Compton, CA - Repairs That Match the Wall They're In

AJ Torrance Concrete and Masonry repairs brick, rebuilds worn mortar joints and builds block and retaining walls for houses in Compton, CA. We're based nearby in Torrance, and I come out to look at every job myself.

Request a quote(424) 318-3093
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  • Free estimates at your property.
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About Compton, CA

Most of our work in Compton is on house lots. The homes are mostly single-story houses from the middle of the last century, with a block wall around the back yard, brick steps up to the porch and a low wall out front. The bigger roads have shops and industrial buildings, but the calls we get here mostly come from homeowners.

The ground is flat, so tall retaining walls don't come up much, and it's the same story in nearby Paramount and Carson. The work is walls, steps and chimneys that have stood for decades, and a wall that old needs a repair that suits it, not the hardest mortar on the truck.

Services in Compton, CA

  • Concrete block walls

    Block walls on back and side property lines here are often the oldest masonry on the lot, and they start to lean or crack. We repair the bad sections or rebuild a run when it's past saving.

  • Brick repair

    Brick steps and front planters on older houses here crack and shed bricks with age. We cut out the bad ones and set replacements matched to the size and color around them.

  • Tuckpointing

    Mortar joints on walls built decades ago turn sandy and start washing out. We grind out the loose mortar and repack the joints with mortar that matches the old.

  • Chimney repair

    Many older houses here still have original brick chimneys, and the concrete cap on top cracks first. We rebuild loose brick and repair or replace that cap so water stays out.

  • Stone veneer installation

    Plain stucco fronts and porch columns here are a common spot to add stone. We do stone veneer installation over a backing built for it, so the stone stays on the wall.

  • Walkway construction

    Front walks on older lots crack and heave where tree roots lift the slabs. We pull the broken sections and lay a new brick or paver walk over a packed base.

What to know before masonry work starts in Compton

In Compton, permits come from the city's Building and Safety department, which issues them for new construction and for repairs and alterations to existing structures. When a job needs one, the permit usually sets the start date, because the work waits until it's issued. If yours does, we handle the application and tell you what we learn before any work starts. Before you hire anyone here, check two things about them, a California contractor license and a current City of Compton business license.

Most jobs here are on house lots, so our crew brings block and brick in through the driveway or a side yard, the same as on our jobs in Lynwood next door. What moves the price is how much wall or brick is involved, how much old work has to come out first, how hard it is to get material to the back of the lot and whether a permit is part of it. The schedule turns mostly on that permit and the weather, and your written estimate spells out the scope for your job.

Compton, CA properties and local conditions

Compton is dry most of the year. Weather records for nearby Long Beach show about 12 inches of rain a year, spread over roughly 35 days, with mild temperatures all year, so masonry here isn't fighting freezes. What it fights is water in small doses, from sprinklers soaking the base of a block wall every morning to winter storms that find a cracked chimney cap. We fix the cap or wall top so water runs off, and we'll point out a sprinkler that's aimed at the wall.

Plenty of the low front-yard walls we see here were somebody's weekend project, built straight on the dirt with nothing under them. They lean, and no amount of fresh mortar fixes a wall with no footing, the concrete strip a wall sits on. We pour a footing sized for the wall and rebuild it no bigger than it needs to be.

Get a written estimate for your Compton masonry job

Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your Compton property. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation.

What happens after you call us about a Compton job

  1. Call or send a request

    Call (424) 318-3093 or use the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. For an outside wall you don't have to be home, but it helps if you are, so we can walk it together.

  2. I look and write it up

    I check the wall, what's under it and the old mortar, and tell you what needs fixing now and what can wait. You get a written estimate with the scope spelled out, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts.

  3. We handle the permit steps

    If the job needs a permit, we take care of it with the city before any work begins. City Hall is open Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed every Friday, so we plan any in-person permit steps around those four days.

  4. Our crew builds, I check

    Our own crew does the work with a lead mason running the site, and I stop by while it's going. I look it over before we call it done, and we clean up before we leave.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for a building permit online in Compton?

No, Compton handles building permits in person only, with no online submittals or payments. Plan on dealing with the city face to face, not through a website. When we take a job that needs a permit, those trips are ours to make.

Does my contractor need a City of Compton business license?

Yes, the City of Compton requires everyone doing business inside city limits to hold a business license, renewed every year. Every permit application also needs a current one, so a contractor without it can't apply for your permit. The number the city lists for business license questions is (310) 605-5508.

How do I know if a masonry contractor needs a California license?

A contractor needs a state license when the job needs a building permit, uses employee labor, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials combined. That's the rule from the Contractors State License Board, which licenses those who build or alter structures in California, and a job is exempt only when it needs no permit, uses no employees and stays under $1,000 in all. We're licensed and insured.

Is Compton in a liquefaction zone?

Parts of it are, because the state geological survey has mapped liquefaction zones and surface fault rupture zones that cross the city's planning area. A project on a lot inside one of those zones may have to investigate and address the hazard during permitting, so check with the city about your own lot before you plan a new wall or foundation work.

How much does masonry repair cost in Compton?

Your cost depends on what I find on site, so you get a written figure after I've looked, not a guess over the phone. Fixing the bad section of a wall usually costs a lot less than rebuilding the whole run, which is why I tell you what can wait. Matching old brick can add to it, since the right size and color sometimes takes some hunting.

What is the best way to repair crumbling mortar on an old brick wall?

Rake out the loose mortar and repoint, packing fresh mortar into the joints, with a mix no harder than the brick, because the joint is supposed to wear before the brick does. Hard cement patches are the most common mistake we find on older Compton houses, and they leave you with cracked bricks next to a joint that looks perfectly healthy. We match the new mortar to the wall it's going into.

Service areas

Explore the services

Torrance, CA

Tell us about your Compton wall

Call (424) 318-3093 or send the form while it's still a repair, because a leaning wall caught early usually means rebuilding a section, not the whole run.

Request a quote(424) 318-3093
(424) 318-3093Request a quote