AJ Torrance Concrete and MasonryAJ Torrance Concrete and Masonry

Masonry Contractor in Gardena, CA - Block Walls and Brick Fixed to Match

AJ Torrance Concrete and Masonry is a Torrance masonry contractor working in Gardena, where we repair worn mortar, broken brick and tired chimneys and build block walls, short retaining walls and front walks.

Request a quote(424) 318-3093
A wide tan brick-paver driveway curves beside a house, bordered by landscaping stones and ornamental grasses.
  • Licensed and insured.
  • Free estimates at your property.
  • We reply within 1 business day.

About Gardena, CA

Gardena sits just north of Torrance, so it's a short drive for our crew. Most of the houses we work on here are single-story homes from the decades after the war, on flat, fairly narrow lots, with apartments and condos mixed in and shops and light industry along the big boulevards. A lot of them still have their original brick planters, porch steps and chimneys, and most back yards are closed in with block.

Flat ground means we're rarely fighting a hillside in Gardena. What we deal with instead is access, because side yards are tight and walls are often shared with the neighbor, so plenty of brick and block gets carried in by hand and we sort out whose wall it is before anyone touches it.

Services in Gardena, CA

  • Brick repair

    Older brick planters, steps and porch walls here lose bricks to roots and settling. Our brick repair replaces the broken ones with mortar soft enough to suit the old wall.

  • Concrete block walls

    Many Gardena lots are lined with block walls that lean or crack after decades. We rebuild the bad runs on a proper footing and match the block where we can.

  • Tuckpointing

    Mortar on decades-old brick here wears out before the brick does, and sandy joints let water in. We grind out the worn joints and repoint with mortar matched in color and hardness.

  • Chimney repair

    Older Gardena houses with brick chimneys often show loose crowns and open joints near the roofline. We rebuild the top courses and seal the crown so water stops getting into the brick.

  • Retaining wall construction

    Gardena's flat lots mostly call for short retaining walls at a raised bed or driveway edge. We size the footing and wall to what they hold, and no bigger.

  • Walkway construction

    Cracked front walks lifted by tree roots are a common call on older Gardena streets. We tear out the broken sections, regrade the base and lay new brick, pavers or concrete.

Working in Gardena: permits, licenses and what sets the price

Gardena's Building Services at City Hall issues permits for most home construction, repairs and alterations included, so on a permitted job the start date waits on the city's review. Before you hire anyone, you can check a contractor's state license with the state contractor board and ask for their Gardena business license, which the city requires even from contractors based in other cities. We're licensed and insured, and when your job needs a permit we handle the application and tell you what we learn before any work starts.

The price here moves mostly with how much old work comes out, how far material travels through a side yard and whether a wall needs a new footing, while the schedule turns on the permit and our crew's calendar. I put your number and the scope in writing after I've seen the job. We meet the same older block walls and brick up in Inglewood and over in Hawthorne, so Gardena's houses don't hold many surprises for us.

Gardena, CA properties and local conditions

An earlier city general plan maps a known active fault zone in the northeast part of Gardena, near El Segundo Boulevard and Vermont Avenue. That's one more reason a block or retaining wall belongs on a real footing with steel in it, and that's how we build them anywhere in the city.

The bigger thing we see here is age. Mortar on the older brick and block has had decades to wear, and plenty of walls carry somebody's patch in hard gray cement that's tougher than the brick around it, so the brick cracks instead of the joint. Somebody meant well. We match the mortar to the wall it's going into, softer where the old work is soft, so the next repair is a joint and not a brick.

Get a written masonry estimate for your Gardena property

We reply within one business day to set a time, and I come out to your Gardena property to look at the job myself. The estimate is free, done on site and written with the scope spelled out, and there's no obligation to hire us.

How it goes when you call us about a job in Gardena

  1. Call or send a request

    Tell us what's going on with your wall, chimney or walk, and we set a time for me to come out to your Gardena address. You can call (424) 318-3093 or use the form.

  2. I come out and look

    I look at the job, tell you what needs fixing now and what can wait, and send a written estimate with the scope spelled out. You see the price before you decide anything.

  3. We handle any permit steps

    If the job needs a permit, we take care of the application with the city. The city says typical over-the-counter permits, such as fence permits, usually come back in three business days.

  4. Our crew builds, I check

    Our own crew does the work with a lead mason running the site, and I stop by to check on it. I look it over before we call it done, and we leave the yard clean.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my masonry project needs a permit in Gardena?

Most masonry work in Gardena does, because the city issues permits for repairs and alterations as well as new building. Fences are on the city's list of permit examples while its code exempts fences not over 6 feet, so a block wall along your lot line is worth confirming with Building Services before anyone digs. The city lists open walkways and driveways among its common exceptions, and work started before a required permit gets its fees quadrupled, so we check first.

Do I need a permit for a short retaining wall in Gardena?

The city's code exempts retaining walls not over 3 feet, but that's measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, not from the dirt. The exemption ends when the wall holds back extra load, like a driveway, a slope or a building above it, so a wall that looks short from the yard can still need a permit. I measure it and look at what's behind it before you get a number.

Does a masonry contractor need a state license for a small job in Gardena?

Yes in most cases, because the state contractor board requires a current, valid license for any job that needs a building permit, uses employees, or comes to $1,000 or more in labor and materials combined. A job may be exempt only when it needs no permit, uses no employees and totals under $1,000. The city also lets only licensed contractors, or people the state law specifically exempts, take out a permit.

How much of a down payment can a contractor ask for in California?

Under the state contractor board's rule, a contractor can't ask for or take more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the total contract price, whichever is less. Later payments are listed in the contract and tied to work completed or materials delivered. If someone wants a big check before a single block shows up, keep looking.

How do I replace a front walk that meets the city sidewalk in Gardena?

Your own walk is one job, but any part that builds or changes the sidewalk, alley or street also needs a permit from the city's Public Works Engineering Division, separate from Building Services. At the estimate I look at where your walk meets the sidewalk, so you know before we start whether the city's side is part of the job.

What makes masonry repair cost more or less in Gardena?

The cost comes down to how much has to come out, how closely new work has to match the old, and how hard the site is to reach. Matching an older brick can mean hunting down the right unit, hauling off a broken block wall adds loads, and a narrow side yard means more carrying by hand. Repointing only the joints that have failed costs less than redoing a whole wall, and I'll tell you which parts can wait.

Service areas

Explore the services

Torrance, CA

Tell us about your Gardena masonry project

Call (424) 318-3093 or send the form, and mention if the work sits on a property line or touches the sidewalk so I know which permit questions to bring when I come out.

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