AJ Torrance Concrete and MasonryAJ Torrance Concrete and Masonry

Masonry contractor in Hawthorne, CA - repairs that match the brick you have

AJ Torrance Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor working in Hawthorne. We repair brick, chimneys and worn mortar joints, and build block walls, fireplaces and pavers on the houses and lots here.

Request a quote(424) 318-3093
A stone outdoor kitchen under a wooden pergola features a pizza oven, grill, metal cabinets and a central fire pit.
  • Licensed and insured.
  • Free estimates at your property.
  • We reply within 1 business day.

About Hawthorne, CA

Hawthorne is mostly built out, with streets of older single-story houses on compact lots, apartment buildings along the bigger streets, and shops and offices on the main boulevards. It sits close to Inglewood and Gardena, and from a job site it's hard to tell where one city stops, because the houses run much the same across the line.

On our jobs here we see a lot of stucco houses with a brick chimney, brick planters out front and block walls between yards, with tight side yards that leave little room to work. That shapes the job, because it decides how we stage material and how much of the old brick we can save and reuse.

Services in Hawthorne, CA

  • Chimney repair

    Older Hawthorne houses often have their original brick chimney, with a concrete cap on top that cracks first. We rebuild loose top courses and recast the cap so rain stops getting in.

  • Brick repair

    Brick planters and steps here have often been patched before, not always well. We swap out damaged brick for a close match in size and color.

  • Tuckpointing

    Mortar joints on older brick here often go sandy and sink back after decades of sun. We grind out worn joints and refill them with a mix soft enough for the old brick.

  • Concrete block walls

    Block walls run along many property lines on Hawthorne's compact lots, often shared with a neighbor. We rebuild leaning sections or build new walls no bigger than the job needs.

  • Fireplace installation

    Some homeowners here want a fireplace or outdoor fire feature that fits a compact lot. We handle fireplace installation in brick, block or stone, sized to the room or yard.

  • Driveway pavers

    Short, narrow driveways on Hawthorne lots often crack across the slab from age and roots. We dig out, pack a solid base and lay pavers that can be lifted and reset later.

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

Permits and plans in Hawthorne go through the city's own Department of Building and Safety, which reviews plans for code and sends inspectors out to check the work against them. If your job needs a permit, we handle the application and tell you what we learn before any work starts, and the city's review and inspections set much of the pace from there. The city's Licensing Department issues business licenses, so it's fair to ask any contractor working on your house whether they hold one, and we're licensed and insured.

Hawthorne is a short drive up from our base in Torrance, so getting the crew and a load of brick or block here is simple, and we do the same kind of work east of here in Compton. What moves your price is the size of the job, how much old brick or mortar has to come out, how close we can match what you already have, and how far material has to travel from the street to the wall. I put all of that in writing on your estimate.

Hawthorne, CA properties and local conditions

Many Hawthorne houses have a brick chimney or planter that's sat out in the sun and the marine air for decades, and the mortar between the bricks wears out first, which is how it's supposed to work. Trouble starts when someone patches it with hard cement mortar, because the patch won't give and the old brick next to it cracks and sheds its face instead. Stronger isn't better on old brick. We match the new mortar to the wall it's going into, so the joints keep doing their job.

Block walls between yards take a beating here, with sprinklers soaking the base and roots pushing from one side. When one leans or cracks, we check whether it's the block, the mortar or the footing under it before we suggest anything, since rebuilding a whole wall that only needed one section reset is money you didn't need to spend.

Get a free written estimate for masonry work in Hawthorne

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 Hawthorne property. The estimate is free and done at your property, and there's no obligation to hire us.

How it goes when you call us about a Hawthorne job

  1. Call or send a request

    Call (424) 318-3093 or use the form with a short note on what you're seeing, like a leaning wall or a chimney dropping mortar. We get back to you and set a time for me to come out.

  2. I come out and look

    I look at the job myself, tell you what's wrong and what can wait, and send a written estimate with the scope spelled out. You know what the work covers before you spend anything.

  3. We handle any permit steps

    If your job needs a permit, we handle the application with the city and tell you what we learn before work starts. The city's permit office is open Monday through Thursday and closed Fridays, so that's when permit steps move.

  4. Our crew works, I check

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

Frequently asked questions

How do I contact Hawthorne Building and Safety about a permit?

You can call the office at (310) 349-2990. If you'd rather go in about plans, the plan check counter is open from 8 to 11 in the morning on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with no counter hours on Wednesday. If we're handling the permit for your job, you can just call us and we'll tell you where it stands.

Can I apply for a building permit online in Hawthorne?

Yes, you can apply for permits and plans online through the city's Citizen Self Service portal. The same site lets you check a record's status and review plan submittals. When we file for your job, you can still look up the status there yourself.

How do I schedule a building inspection in Hawthorne?

You schedule it through the city's online inspection request on the same self service portal. If your permit was issued before July 2022, you call the office to schedule instead. On our jobs, inspections are part of the permit steps we take care of.

How much does masonry work cost in Hawthorne?

There's no set price for masonry work in Hawthorne, because every wall and chimney here wears differently. Repointing goes by how much wall there is and how deep the joints are worn, a chimney costs more when the damage runs below the top few courses, and a block wall turns on its length, its height and whether the old one comes out first. I'll give you a written figure for your job after I've seen it, at no charge.

How do I know if my brick chimney in Hawthorne needs repair?

Look for loose or missing brick near the top, a cracked cap, mortar sand collecting on the roof or in the firebox, and white staining on the brick. On older houses here the top usually goes first, because it takes the most weather. If you see any of that, have it looked at before more water works its way down.

What is the best way to match new brick to an old wall in Hawthorne?

The best way is to match the brick's size, color and texture side by side against the wall, not from a catalog. Older brick here is often a size or shade you won't find on a shelf today, so we compare samples on site and sometimes reuse sound brick from a hidden spot on the same property. A patch that's a shade off looks like a patch for as long as the wall stands.

Service areas

Explore the services

Torrance, CA

Get your Hawthorne masonry job looked at

Call (424) 318-3093 or send the form, and I'll tell you what needs fixing now and what can wait.

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