AJ Torrance Concrete and MasonryAJ Torrance Concrete and Masonry

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

AJ Torrance Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Torrance that repairs brick, chimneys and worn mortar joints in Long Beach, and builds block walls and retaining walls for homes across the city.

Request a quote(424) 318-3093
Covered patio beside a beige house, framed by white posts and a low stone retaining wall with colorful flower beds.
  • Licensed and insured.
  • Free estimates at your property.
  • We reply within 1 business day.

About Long Beach, CA

Long Beach is a big city, with an older core of bungalows, Craftsman houses and Spanish-style homes near downtown and the beach, and newer postwar tracts spreading north and east. Plenty of streets mix single-family houses with small apartment buildings, with alleys behind them where block walls and garages line up back to back. On jobs here we meet a bit of everything, much like we do next door in Carson and Paramount.

That mix shapes the work. An old bungalow's brick chimney and a postwar block wall fail in different ways, so the first thing I do on any Long Beach job is figure out what I'm standing in front of.

Services in Long Beach, CA

  • Brick repair

    Near the water, salt and damp work into brick until the faces flake off. We cut out the damaged brick, set in a close match and leave sound brick alone.

  • Chimney repair

    Many Long Beach houses keep their original brick chimney, and the top goes first where weather hits hardest. We rebuild loose brick and the cap on top so water stops getting in.

  • Tuckpointing

    Garden walls and brick fences here often have sandy joints in sound brick. We grind out the worn mortar and repoint to match the old joints' color and shape.

  • Retaining wall construction

    Raised front yards here often need a wall to hold the soil. We size each retaining wall to its slope, since an oversized wall just costs more and an undersized one leans.

  • Concrete block walls

    Block walls along Long Beach alleys and property lines take hits from cars, roots and sprinklers. We repair or rebuild them on a solid footing with steel and grout in the cores.

  • Masonry restoration

    Older Long Beach homes have brick porches, steps and planters worth keeping. We clean, repair and repoint them so the original work stays, instead of tearing it out for something newer.

Long Beach permits, licenses and what sets your price

Long Beach issues its own building permits through the city's Development Permit Center, and the city's rule is that most work on a house needs a permit and inspections, repairs included, unless the building official decides a minor job is exempt. The center only issues permits to a contractor with a valid California contractor's license and an active Long Beach business license, so ask any mason you're considering for both before you sign. When your job needs a permit, we handle the application with the city and tell you what we learn before work starts, and the city's review becomes part of the schedule.

We come over from Torrance through West Carson, so Long Beach is close, though parking a truck and a pallet of brick on a narrow street or alley takes some planning. What moves the price is how much brick or block is involved, whether worn mortar has to be cut out first, how easy the wall is to reach and whether the city wants a permit. The schedule mostly turns on that permit review and on how much there is to rebuild, and the written estimate spells out the scope so you can see what you're paying for.

Long Beach, CA properties and local conditions

The city says some parts of Long Beach could flood in a major rainstorm, and on the low streets that water tends to sit against the bottom of garden walls and foundations. Brick and block soak it up from below, so when we work on a wall in a wet spot we look at where the water goes first, set the base where it can drain and keep the small gaps at the bottom open so water has a way out. A wall shouldn't double as a bathtub.

Plenty of the brick here has already been fixed once, and not always well. Gray cement smeared over soft old mortar looks neat for a year, then the brick next to it cracks because the patch won't give. We check what the wall was built with and match it, so the repair wears the way the wall does.

Get a written masonry estimate for your Long Beach home

Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your Long Beach property. The estimate visit is free, I tell you what I see, and you get the scope and price in writing, with no obligation to hire us.

What happens when you call us about a Long Beach job

  1. Call or send a request

    Call (424) 318-3093 or fill out the form, and we get back to you to set a time for me to come see the job. Tell us the address and what you're seeing, a leaning wall or crumbling joints, so I know what to look at.

  2. I look at the job

    I come out myself, look over the brick, block or chimney and tell you what needs fixing now and what can wait. Then I send a written estimate with the scope spelled out, so you know the price before anything starts.

  3. We handle permits and build

    If your job needs a permit, we take care of the application with the city's permit center and tell you what we learn before work starts. Our own crew does the work with a lead mason running the site, and I stop by to check on it.

  4. I check it before we finish

    Once the crew finishes and cleans up, I look the work over myself before we call it done. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my retaining wall needs a permit in Long Beach?

Under the city's rules, a retaining wall four feet tall or less, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, doesn't need a building permit, unless it holds back sloping ground or extra weight such as a driveway, or holds flammable liquids. A wall of any height on ground steeper than one foot of rise for every five feet across, a 20 percent slope, isn't covered by that exemption, and neither is a wall over four feet, so a wall that shows three feet above the dirt can count as more once the footing's included. I check where your wall falls at the estimate, and if it needs a permit, we handle it.

How do I get my own permit for masonry work on my Long Beach house?

The city lets you get an owner permit for construction, alteration or repair on your house and accessory buildings if you live there or will live there. It limits owner permits to certain dwelling types, so check the city's building permits page to see whether yours qualifies. If you hire us instead, the application is ours to handle.

When does a masonry contractor need a California contractor's license?

The Contractors State License Board requires a license when the project needs a building permit, uses any additional workers, or when labor and materials on one or more contracts for the project come to $1,000 or more. That takes in most masonry jobs worth hiring someone for. We're licensed and insured.

How much does it cost to repair brick or block in Long Beach?

The cost comes down to the size of the repair and what we find under the surface, so your number comes from the written estimate after I've seen the wall. Repointing only the joints that have failed costs less than rebuilding a section, and it's often all a wall needs. Matching old brick, salvaged or hunted down, costs more than whatever is on the pallet, but it's the difference between a repair you notice and one you don't.

Are there extra rules for brick work in a Long Beach historic district or coastal zone?

There can be, because the city says additional requirements may apply in historic districts and coastal zones under its zoning rules. We look into what applies at your address before anything starts and tell you what we find. On an older house we'd be matching the original brick and mortar anyway.

Do I need a permit for a dumpster on my street in Long Beach?

Yes, the city requires a Public Works permit to set a dumpster in the street or on the sidewalk, and you apply at the Public Works counter at the Development Permit Center in City Hall. A container on your own driveway or yard doesn't need that permit. When a job of ours calls for a bin, we'd rather find room for it on your property.

Service areas

Explore the services

Torrance, CA

Call us about your Long Beach masonry

We answer from 6 AM on weekdays and 7 AM on weekends until 9 PM, so you can call before work or after dinner.

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