AJ Torrance Concrete and MasonryAJ Torrance Concrete and Masonry

Masonry contractor in Paramount, CA - brick and block repairs that match your wall

AJ Torrance Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Torrance that builds and repairs block walls, brick, chimneys and mortar joints for homeowners in Paramount, CA, matching each repair to the wall it goes into.

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 Paramount, CA

Paramount is a small city, and most of it is packed tight. Street after street of single-story houses sits on narrow lots, with industrial blocks and busy commercial strips running between them. A lot of the homes went up in the decades after the war, and the masonry shows it, with block walls on the property lines, brick planters out front and a fireplace chimney on the older ones. Next door in Compton and Long Beach, we see much the same kind of house.

On jobs here, the lots shape the work. With neighbors a few feet away on each side, a wall repair usually means working from one yard without tearing up the other, and a wall two houses share means talking to both owners before we touch it.

Services in Paramount, CA

  • Concrete block walls

    Most Paramount lots are split by block walls that are decades old, and some lean or crack at the joints. We repair or rebuild sections to match the wall already there.

  • Foundation block wall installation

    Room additions on these small lots often start with a short block foundation wall. Our crew sets the footing and does the foundation block wall installation to the plans.

  • Chimney repair

    The older houses here often have a brick chimney with loose bricks or a cracked crown, the concrete cap on top. We rebuild what's failing and leave sound brick alone.

  • Tuckpointing

    Mortar joints on older chimneys and garden walls wear down over the years and start shedding sand. We grind out the worn mortar and refill the joints with a mix that suits the brick.

  • Brick repair

    Bricks on older porches, steps and front planters crack or flake from age and water. We cut out the bad ones and set replacements matched in size and color.

  • Walkway construction

    Short front walks and narrow side yards here crack and settle over the years. We dig out, pack a firm base and build a walkway that sheds water away from the house.

What to know before a masonry job in Paramount

Permit questions and the building code in force go to the City of Paramount, since it's the local government here. If your job needs a permit, we handle the application with the city and tell you what we learn before any work starts, and any review the city does comes before we start. Before you hire anyone, ask for their state contractor license, ours included. We're licensed and insured, and the questions further down cover when the state requires a license.

Price here mostly turns on how much old wall has to come out and get hauled away, whether we're matching existing brick or block, and how tight the access is through a side yard. The schedule turns on any permit review, how long matching material takes to find and our crew's calendar, and the written estimate spells out the scope for your job. It's the same work we do in Lomita and the other cities around our Torrance base, so the crew knows these lots.

Paramount, CA properties and local conditions

The block walls between yards are the first thing we look at in Paramount. Plenty of them were built decades ago, and by now a fair number lean or show cracks that follow the mortar lines. I check the footing before I quote anything, because a new top on a bad footing just leans again, and we rebuild only the sections that need it so the rest of the wall stays put.

Older chimneys and brick planters usually carry somebody's earlier repair, often gray cement smeared over the joints like frosting. Mortar harder than the brick pushes the damage into the brick itself, so we cut those patches out and repoint with mortar that suits the wall.

Get a written masonry estimate for your Paramount home

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 place in Paramount. The estimate is free, done at your property and comes in writing with the scope spelled out, and there's no obligation to hire us.

How a masonry job in Paramount goes once you call

  1. Call or send a request

    Call (424) 318-3093 or use the form, and we set a time for me to come out. You don't have to be home if I can reach the wall, though most people like to walk it with me.

  2. I look at the job

    I come out myself and tell you what I see, what needs fixing now and what can wait. You get a written estimate with the scope spelled out, so you know the price before you decide anything.

  3. Permits first, then the work

    If your job needs a permit, we handle the application with the office that covers your address before we start. Our own crew does the work, with a lead mason running the site.

  4. I check it before we finish

    I stop by during the job and look it over before we call it done. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Frequently asked questions

Does my masonry contractor in Paramount need a California state license?

Yes, if the job needs a building permit, uses employees or other workers, or runs $1,000 or more in labor and materials combined. That rule comes from the Contractors State License Board, the state body that licenses contractors. Contractors also have to be licensed before they submit a bid, so ask for the license when you get the estimate.

Can a handyman do a small brick repair in Paramount without a license?

Only a small one. Under state law, an unlicensed person can take a job up to $1,000 if they don't hire workers and no building permit is needed, and that $1,000 counts labor, materials and every other cost, across one or more contracts. The board doesn't allow a bigger job to be split into smaller ones to get under the line.

How do I check if my Paramount address is in an earthquake hazard zone?

Type your address into the state's EQ Zapp lookup, which shows whether the property sits in any of the state's mapped earthquake hazard zones. The state's rules for building in those zones exempt a single-family frame house of up to two stories that isn't part of a development of four or more units, but a city can set stricter rules, so ask the city before a wall or foundation job if you're in a zone.

Does Paramount have its own changes to the California building code?

It may. The state keeps a list of local ordinances that amend the current state building code, and Paramount has an entry on it. The city is the one to tell you what's in force for your address.

How much does a block wall or brick repair cost in Paramount?

You get a written figure after I see the job, because the price turns on things I can only judge on site. On a wall here the big ones are whether the footing is sound, how many courses have to come down, how hard the old brick or mortar is to match and whether a permit is involved. Fixing a few loose bricks costs a lot less than rebuilding a leaning run, which is why I tell you what can wait.

What causes an old block wall to lean or crack in Paramount?

Usually a footing that was too small or too shallow for the wall, made worse by tree roots, water soaking the base and extra weight like a gate or fence bolted to the top. Cracks that step up along the mortar joints often mean the wall is moving, while a single hairline crack can usually wait. I'll tell you which one you've got and what it takes to fix.

Service areas

Explore the services

Torrance, CA

Get your Paramount wall looked at

Call (424) 318-3093 or use the form, because a crack caught early is usually a repair, and one left alone tends to turn into a rebuild.

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