Masonry Contractor in Hoover, AL - Brick, Block and Stone Built to Stay Put

For construction work, yes, because the City of Hoover requires a residential building permit before work starts on new construction, additions or remodels, inside or out. Whether a smaller repair like repointing falls under that is something I check with the city for your address before we start, and when a permit is needed, we handle it with them. If you'd like to ask yourself, the city's Inspection Services Department takes residential questions at 205-444-7522 or permits@hooveralabama.gov, and building without a required permit costs double fees the first time and triple after that.

The price comes down to the size of the job, how much we have to dig out or tear out, the material you pick and how much work it takes to match old brick and mortar, and I'll give you your own figure at the estimate. On a steep lot, how we get material to the work and how much soil has to move show up in the price too, and the schedule mostly turns on any permit and on finding brick that matches. If the city requires a permit, its fee for work on an existing home is $9.00 per $1,000 of construction value plus $51.00, with a $60 minimum, and the state adds a $20.00 flat fee to every residential permit.

Usually water, because soil that stays soaked behind a wall pushes harder than the wall was built to hold, and on a slope there's a lot of water coming down. What we find most often once we dig in is a missing or clogged drain, no gravel behind the block, or a footing too shallow for the height. A wall that's leaned a little and stopped can sometimes wait while we keep an eye on it, but if it's still moving, call (205) 236-6688.

If mortar crumbles out when you drag a key along the joints, or it sits back from the face of the brick, it's due. Sand at the foot of the wall and cracks running along the joints point the same way. It's usually fine to do the worst walls now and the rest later, and our tuckpointing page explains how we match the mortar.

Yes, any work that cuts, digs out, removes or replaces a city street, curb or sidewalk needs a street-cut permit from the city, on top of whatever the driveway itself needs. That usually comes up when we widen a paver driveway or redo the apron where it meets the street, so I check who owns your curb and sidewalk before we plan that edge.

A licensed master electrician or you as the property owner has to do the electrical work, and a licensed master plumber or you has to do the plumbing, such as a sink line. The city requires permits for both, whether it's a repair or a new install. We build the masonry and leave clean openings so those trades can run their lines without cutting into finished work.