Masonry Contractor in San Rafael - Fixing Older Brick, Stone and Walls

New permit applications in San Rafael go through the city's OpenGov system, and that's also where inspections get scheduled. The owner or an authorized agent applies, so when your job needs a permit, we file it and track it for you.

It does if it's over 4 feet tall, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, going by the city's older permit handout. A shorter wall needs one too if it holds back a surcharge, which is extra weight such as a driveway or a building sitting above it. Since that handout is older, we confirm with the city before we dig.

The city's older handout exempts fences 7 feet tall or less from a building permit, though the Planning Division may still need to review one. The handout also says Planning, Fire Prevention or Public Works can set conditions on work that needs no building permit, so we check your address before we lay a block.

Building permits issued after January 1, 2023 are good for 2 years, and minor permits for 180 days. If the inspector hasn't given final sign-off by the time the permit expires, the city charges a renewal fee, so we book inspections as each stage of the work is ready.

I do. I look at every job myself and write the estimate, and our own crew of masons does the work with me on site, so the person who found the problem is there when we fix it. We're fully licensed and insured.

Usually, yes. Older brick tends to be softer than modern brick, so we mix a mortar soft enough not to crack it and match the color and joint shape as closely as the old work allows. New mortar often looks a little lighter at first and blends in as it weathers.