Masonry contractor in San Luis, AZ - yard walls built on solid footings
J&L Yuma Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Yuma that builds block yard walls, retaining walls and walkways in San Luis, AZ, and repairs cracked brick and crumbling mortar on homes already lived in.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
San Luis homes and the walls around them
Most of the calls we get in San Luis come from family homes, a short drive south of our base in Yuma. The houses are mostly block and stucco, many in newer neighborhoods, and nearly every lot is closed in by a block yard wall. So a lot of our work here is building, extending or fixing those walls, along with the planters, steps and walkways inside them.
The ground is mostly flat and dry, which makes it easy to dig. It also means a wall depends on a good footing and on keeping sprinkler and roof water away from its base, and that's where I start on almost every job here.
Masonry services we offer in San Luis
Foundation repair
When the edge of a slab or a foundation wall cracks, we find out why first, since dry ground soaked by a leak or sprinkler often moves.
Chimney repair
Chimneys here take years of hard sun, so we reset loose brick and rebuild a cracked crown, the concrete cap on top, before the next rain gets in.
Tuckpointing
When the mortar between bricks turns sandy after years of heat, tuckpointing, grinding out the worn joints and packing in fresh mortar, keeps the wall sound.
Brick repair
Brick with its face flaking off or cracked through on planters, steps and porch walls is a common call here, and we replace just the bad ones.
Driveway pavers
Pavers hold up well on hot driveways here when they sit on a well-packed gravel base, and a cracked one lifts out without tearing up the rest.
Retaining wall construction
Most lots here are flat, so retaining walls usually go in where one yard sits higher than the next, and we build drainage in behind them.
Masonry restoration
Older brick and block walls here can often be cleaned, repointed and patched back to sound shape, which usually beats tearing them out and starting over.
Fireplace installation
Outdoor fireplaces get good use here on cooler winter evenings, and we build them in brick, block or stone to match your house and yard walls.
Stone veneer installation
Stone veneer, thin stone set over an existing wall, dresses up plain stucco fronts, columns and yard walls here without the weight of full stone.
Concrete block walls
Block yard walls close in most lots here, and we build new ones or add on to old ones, matching height and block as closely as we can.
Foundation block wall installation
For additions, garages and casitas, we lay the block foundation walls that carry the framing, set on footings sized for the ground we find.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
Backyards here get used much of the year, so we build grill islands and counters in block, then finish them in stone, brick or stucco to suit.
Walkway construction
A paver, brick or stone walkway gives a clean path from the gate or driveway to your door, and a packed base under it keeps it from sinking.
Brick wall installation
When you want something warmer than plain block, a brick wall or a block wall with a brick cap suits the front yards and entries here.
Stone masonry
Natural stone planters, wall caps and borders hold up to the sun here, and we set each piece by hand to fit its neighbors.
Brick pointing
When only a few joints have cracked or fallen out, brick pointing, filling them with fresh mortar, is a smaller fix that keeps the damage from spreading.
Get a free masonry estimate for your San Luis home
Send the form or call, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out myself, walk the job with you and explain what I see, then write up a free estimate with no pressure to book.
(928) 271-5129- Based in
- Yuma, AZ 85364
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–10 PM
Working in San Luis: permits, licenses and what moves the price
Building permits inside San Luis come from the City of San Luis, and the city's building safety office inspects construction sites against local, state and federal rules. If you're not sure whether your project needs a permit, that office is the place to ask, and when it does need one, we handle the application and set up the inspections, so your schedule turns on when the permit is issued and when inspections land. San Luis also keeps its own business licensing in the city code, so it's fair to ask any contractor you're weighing about theirs, and we're fully licensed and insured.
San Luis is a short drive south of us, past Somerton, so getting a crew and a load of block here is routine. The price moves mostly with the size of the job, how deep we dig for footings, the block, brick or stone you choose, whether an old wall has to come out first and how easy it is to get material to the back of the lot. Timing depends on the permit, when material arrives and the summer heat, and when I walk the job I'll write up your own figure and tell you what your timeline hangs on.
What sun and water do to walls here
Years of hard sun bake mortar joints until they turn sandy and start dropping out, and a lot of the wall bases we see sit in a strip of grass or plants that gets watered every day. That water soaks into the block, leaves white salt on the face and softens the ground under one end of the wall, which is how a long yard wall ends up with a crack running up from the footing. We fix the joints, and just as important, I show you where the water is coming from so the repair holds.
The city puts all of San Luis in Seismic Design Category D0, which is the code's earthquake design class. A new wall here gets designed and built to that class, with the steel and grout the plans call for.
How a masonry job runs when you call us in San Luis
Here's how a job goes from your first call to the finished wall, so you know who you'll talk to and when.
Call or send a message
Call (928) 271-5129 or use the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time to come out. Tell us a little about the wall or project so I know what to look at.
Walk the job together
I come out myself, walk it with you and explain what I see, like why a joint cracked or where water is getting in, so it helps if you're home. Then I write up the estimate, so you see the full price before you decide anything.
Permits first, then the work
When the job needs a permit, my crew and I take care of the application and the city inspections before and during the work. I work alongside my crew once we start, so the person who estimated your job is on it.
Finish and walk it again
As each stage wraps up, I tell you what comes next, and when the last joint is done we clean up and go over the finished work with you. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Questions about masonry work in San Luis
What happens if masonry work starts before a permit in San Luis?
The city charges an investigation fee on top of the regular permit fee when work starts before a permit is issued, and it applies even if a permit is never issued. The building official sets the amount by how serious the case is, starting at $100.00. That's why, when your job needs a permit, we get it in hand before we dig.
How do I find out which building codes apply to my project in San Luis?
San Luis builds to the International Building Code and the International Residential Code, with its own local amendments, and you can see the list in the city's building regulations chapter. For masonry, the amendments we watch most are the footing depth and the earthquake design class.
How deep does a footing need to be for a block wall in San Luis?
Under the city's amendments, every exterior footing has to sit at least 12 inches below undisturbed ground, the native soil no one has dug up or filled, or 12 inches into an engineered pad, a compacted fill pad designed by an engineer. That's the minimum, and taller walls and retaining walls often need a deeper, wider footing, which I size before I write the estimate.
How does the San Luis heat affect mortar and new block work?
It dries mortar out fast, because Yuma, just up the road, averaged 76.0°F over the year and only 3.28 inches of rain a year from 1991 to 2020. Mortar needs to keep its water for a while to cure hard, so in summer we lay block early in the day and keep fresh joints damp.
How much does a block wall cost in San Luis, AZ?
A block wall is priced mostly by its length and height, the footing it needs, the block and finish you pick and how easy it is to get material to the spot. Tearing out an old wall, matching existing block or adding a stucco or stone finish adds to it, while plain block on an open lot keeps it down. I give you your own figure after I walk the job with you.
How do I know if a cracked block wall in San Luis needs repair or replacement?
If the wall still stands straight up and the cracks follow the mortar joints, it can usually be repaired by repointing and patching. When it leans, the crack runs through the block itself or the footing has dropped, rebuilding that section is usually the better use of your money. I'll show you which one you have when I come out, and why.
Other areas we serve
Yuma, AZ
Get your San Luis wall project started
Call or send a message before anyone digs, since footing and permit questions are cheaper to settle on paper than in the ground.