Masonry contractor in San Leandro, CA - repairs that match your older brick
Bedrock Hayward Concrete and Masonry is a Hayward masonry contractor working in San Leandro. We repair old brick, chimneys and foundations, repoint mortar to suit the wall, and build retaining walls, walkways and paver driveways.
How we see San Leandro from the job site
San Leandro is a short drive up the road from our home base in Hayward, on the way to Oakland, and most of what we do there is on houses people have lived in for a long time. A lot of the streets are lined with older single-family homes, many of them on raised floors, with brick chimneys, front steps and garden walls that have taken decades of weather and a few good shakes. There are newer houses and busy commercial roads mixed in, but our calls here come mostly from homeowners looking after what they've got or building out the back yard.
That housing shapes the job before anyone picks up a trowel. Older brick usually wants a softer mortar than a modern bagged mix, and a yard that's been regraded a few times over the years shows you where the water's headed, so I look at both before I price anything.
Services in San Leandro, CA
Tuckpointing
Older brick here often loses its mortar joints before the brick itself wears. Our tuckpointing cuts out soft joints and refills them with mortar matched to the wall.
Chimney repair
Brick chimneys on older houses take the worst of the weather and the shaking. We climb up, check the cap and the joints, and repair or rebuild what's loose.
Foundation repair
Lots of houses here sit on raised floors over older foundations that crack and settle with age. We find what's causing the movement before we patch or rebuild.
Retaining wall construction
Back yards that step up a grade need walls that hold the soil and let water out. We size each one to the slope and put drainage behind it.
Driveway pavers
Older driveways here are often cracked slabs that have heaved or sunk. We dig out, pack a firm base and lay pavers you can reset later.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
Plenty of San Leandro back yards have room to build out a spot for cooking. We lay up block and stone counters and grill surrounds on solid footings.
Permits, licenses and pricing on San Leandro jobs
In San Leandro, the city's Building Official issues the permit to build, alter or repair a structure, and applications go through the city's Permit Center. When your job needs a permit, the city's review sets the start date more than our calendar does, so I check with the city early and tell you what I find. Anyone doing business inside San Leandro needs a city business license before starting, which makes it a fair thing to ask any contractor about, along with their license and insurance. We're fully licensed and insured, and when a permit's required we handle the paperwork and the inspections.
What moves the price is how much old work has to come out, how tall or long the new work runs, and whether the job needs a permit or an engineer's design. The schedule turns mostly on permit review and a stretch of dry weather so the mortar can set, and your estimate puts your own number on all of it. We take the same approach on this side of the bay and over in San Mateo, but here it's the older brick and the sloped back yards we plan around.
What San Leandro houses and yards ask of us
The city runs a course for owners of older raised-floor homes that weren't built to modern seismic standards, and plenty of the houses we work on here fit that description. Brick is heavy and doesn't flex, so on those houses I look at the chimney and the foundation first, checking for cracked joints, a chimney leaning away from the house or a footing that's settled, and I'll tell you plainly when something needs a closer look.
The other thing we see a lot is water. Soft old mortar lets rain into the wall, and a wall with no drain behind it pushes water where it does damage, so we repoint with mortar that suits the brick and build every new wall with a way for water to get out.
Get a free on-site masonry estimate in San Leandro
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set up a visit to your San Leandro address. I come out myself and give you a free estimate on site, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
What happens when you call us about a San Leandro job
Call or send the form
You call (510) 264-7015 or send the form with a few lines about the job. We get back to you to set a time for a visit.
I look the job over
I come out to your house myself, look at the brick, the ground and the drainage, and ask what you've noticed. Then I give you a free estimate right there.
We sort out any permits
Once you say yes, we file any permit the job needs and line up the inspections. If one's required, the start date waits on the city's review.
Prep the site, then build
Like a kitchen before the rush, we prep first, covering plants and paths and staging material where it won't block your driveway. Then our crew and I do the work and keep the site clean as we go.
Walk the finished job together
I check the work before we call it done, the same way you taste a dish before it goes out. Then we walk it with you and clean up.
San Leandro masonry questions we hear
How do I find out if my retaining wall in San Leandro needs a permit?
It may not need one, since the city's FAQ lists retaining walls as needing no building permit when they're no more than 4 feet from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall and aren't holding back extra load, like a driveway or slope above them, or flammable liquids. That FAQ isn't dated and the city's codes changed this year, so I confirm with the city for your address before we dig, and a taller wall or one carrying a load goes through the permit process.
How do I know if my masonry project in San Leandro needs a grading permit?
The city's grading permit, which covers moving soil, comes into play when a job moves 50 cubic yards or more, about six dump truck loads, or digs a hole or trench 5 feet deep or more, and the city's code lists other conditions too. Most walls and walkways come nowhere near that, but a big retaining wall or a deep cut into a slope can, so I size up the digging at the estimate.
Do I need a city permit for masonry work that reaches the street in San Leandro?
Yes, any work on a street or roadway in San Leandro needs an encroachment permit from the Engineering Division of the city's Public Works Department. That's separate from a building permit, so if your new driveway or walkway ties into the street, we plan for both before we start.
Who can get a building permit in San Leandro?
The city issues building permits only to a California-licensed contractor or the property owner. City rules apply only inside city limits, and the city's building page lets you check whether your address is in San Leandro, which matters because some nearby addresses fall under the county instead, and we check with whichever office covers yours.
Which building codes apply to masonry work in San Leandro now?
The city's current codes took effect on January 1, 2026, based on the 2025 California Building Standards Code with local amendments. The state and the city added requirements for local conditions, including changes to the structural rules for earthquake design, which matters for heavy work like chimneys, block walls and foundations. If your job calls for a design from an engineer, I tell you at the estimate and we build from that design.
What makes a masonry job cost more in San Leandro?
Matching what's already there usually adds the most, because old brick has to be found or salvaged and the mortar has to be mixed to suit it rather than poured from a bag. Height and access come next, since a tall chimney or a back yard you reach through a narrow side gate means more labor, and I'll walk through each of those with you at the estimate so you can see where the money goes.
Tell us about your San Leandro project
Call (510) 264-7015 any day from 7 AM to 11 PM or send the form, and a photo of the wall or chimney helps me show up with the right questions.