Masonry Contractor in Mountain Brook, AL - Brick and Stone That Fits the House
Caliber Hoover Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor working in Mountain Brook, AL. We repoint and repair older brick and stone, rebuild chimneys and leaning walls, and build new walls, walks and drives on hillside lots.
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Masonry work on Mountain Brook homes
Mountain Brook is mostly homes, with a few small village shopping areas, and on our jobs here we're usually working on older brick or stone houses set on wooded lots that rise and fall with the hills. A lot of what we do is careful repair, repointing joints and resetting walls that were laid long before anyone living there now, along with new walls and walks built to sit beside the old ones. We're a masonry contractor based in Hoover, AL, and we work all over the Birmingham area, from Homewood and Vestavia Hills next door up to Fultondale on the north side.
What moves the price and the schedule here is mostly what's under and behind the work, and I'll go through it with you when I come out to look. On these lots, water runs downhill against walls and foundations, tree roots lift walks, and decades-old brick has to be matched by eye before we lay a single new one.
Masonry services for Mountain Brook homes
Foundation repair
On a sloped lot, water runs toward the downhill side of the house, so that's where I look first for foundation cracks and settling.
Explore Foundation repairChimney repair
Older chimneys here catch more weather than any other brick on the house, so we rebuild loose tops and repoint before water gets in.
Explore Chimney repairTuckpointing
Crumbling joints show up on a lot of the older brick here, so we rake out the worn mortar and repack it to match.
Explore TuckpointingBrick repair
When a few bricks have cracked or flaked apart, we find replacements that match the size and color of brick laid decades ago.
Explore Brick repairDriveway pavers
Steep drives here need a base that holds, so we dig deep, pack it in layers and lock the pavers in with an edge.
Explore Driveway paversRetaining wall construction
Hillside yards here lean on retaining walls. We build ours with drainage behind them, because trapped water is what tips most walls over.
Explore Retaining wall constructionMasonry restoration
On older brick and stone houses, the goal is a repair you can't pick out, so we match brick, mortar and joint style first.
Explore Masonry restorationFireplace installation
Adding a fireplace to an older house here means fitting it to what's there, so we pick brick or stone that suits the home.
Explore Fireplace installationStone veneer installation
Thin stone veneer can tie an addition to the stone on many houses here, and we set drainage behind it so water gets out.
Explore Stone veneer installationConcrete block walls
Block is the plain, strong choice for a wall cut into a Mountain Brook slope, and we reinforce and fill the cores so it holds.
Explore Concrete block wallsFoundation block wall installation
For an addition on a sloped lot, we lay the foundation wall in block on a footing sized for the soil and the grade.
Explore Foundation block wall installationOutdoor kitchen masonry
Backyards here often step down a hill, so we set an outdoor kitchen on a level footing and build it in brick or stone.
Explore Outdoor kitchen masonryWalkway construction
Front walks here often climb from the street to the door. We build them with steps and a slight pitch so rain runs off.
Explore Walkway constructionBrick wall installation
On an older house here, a new brick wall should look like it came with the place, so we match the brick and mortar.
Explore Brick wall installationStone masonry
Stone walls are part of many yards here, so we reset loose stone and build new walls from stone that sits beside the old.
Explore Stone masonryBrick pointing
On brick homes here, worn joints often start under a gutter or downspout, so we point that section and match it to the rest.
Explore Brick pointing
What Mountain Brook's hills and old brick need
I learned this trade on a city crew, where somebody else lives with your work for years. I give the estimate myself and then run the work on site with our crew, so the person who priced your job is there while it's built.
You know what you're paying for
At the estimate I walk the job with you and explain each part of the price and why it's needed, so you know what you're paying for before we start.
Built for the water a slope sends
On sloped yards, water pushes on everything downhill, so we put gravel and drains behind retaining walls and pitch walks away from the house. That's the part nobody sees, and we don't rush it.
Permit questions handled with the city
Before work begins, we check with the city about what your job needs, and when a permit is required we handle it with them.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Mountain Brook masonry job
Tell us what you're seeing or planning, like crumbling joints or a leaning wall, and your Mountain Brook address. We reply within one business day, then I come out to look at the job and give you a free estimate with no obligation.
Mountain Brook masonry questions
Do I need a permit for masonry work in Mountain Brook?
Many masonry jobs in Mountain Brook do need a permit, because the city requires one for construction, renovation, addition, alteration or repair to residential structures, and its list also names driveways, fences and accessory structures. The city says not every project needs one, and routine or emergency maintenance may not, but work beyond that may. The city's building inspections division issues the permits, and we sort out what your job needs with them before any work starts.
Do I need a permit in Mountain Brook if I do the work myself?
Yes, the city says owners building or renovating their own homes need a permit too. If you start before applying for a permit the job requires, the city doubles all the applicable permit fees, so it's worth asking the building inspections division before you pick up a trowel.
Does my masonry contractor need a license to work in Mountain Brook?
Yes, the city requires anyone performing work in Mountain Brook to hold a city business license. On bigger jobs the state also has a say, because the Home Builders Licensure Board licenses residential builders every year, and that covers paid work on someone else's home of up to three floors and four units when the job costs over $10,000. Ask any contractor you're considering about both before you sign anything.
How do I find out if my Mountain Brook home is in a flood zone?
Contact the City Building Official, who the city points homeowners to for flood zone questions, or search your address on the state's AlabamaFlood map, which carries FEMA's floodplain data. It's worth knowing before foundation or retaining wall work, because the same city division that issues building permits also handles storm water and flood plain rules.
What causes mortar joints to crumble on older Mountain Brook homes?
Water and time cause most of it. Mortar is supposed to wear out before the brick does, and on houses that have stood for decades, runoff from gutters, downspouts and splash near the ground washes the joints out a little at a time. We repoint with a mortar no harder than the old brick so the joints wear and the brick doesn't, and when I come out I'll tell you which walls need it now and which can wait.
How much does masonry work cost in Mountain Brook?
Most of the price on a Mountain Brook masonry job comes from three things: how much old brick or mortar has to come out, how hard the brick or stone is to match, and how much a steep or wooded lot slows the digging and hauling. The schedule mostly turns on finding matching brick, the weather for laying mortar and the permit if the job needs one. You'll get your own figure once I've looked at the job in person.
Other cities we work in, and yours
Pick another city below to see what we do there. If yours isn't listed, call (205) 236-6688, since we work across the Birmingham area.