Stone masonry in South Whittier CA - walls and veneer built to keep water out
Planning a stone wall or stone on your house? We'll help you pick the right kind and plan for water from the start.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What stone masonry covers, and when it fits
Stone masonry in South Whittier usually means a stone retaining wall set in mortar, one laid with open joints and no mortar, or natural stone veneer bonded over an existing wall. At K&L South Whittier Concrete & Masonry, we go over all three with you and tell you straight what each takes to build and to fix later.
Price and schedule turn mostly on the wall type, its height and length, the stone and any permit. An open-joint wall takes far more labor, since every stone gets fitted like a puzzle piece, so it's a longer build. I'll give you your own figure when I come out.
Mortared stone walls
Stones set in mortar make a rigid wall with crisp, modern lines.
Open-joint stone walls
Stones fitted without mortar give the rustic fieldstone look that suits some yards better.
Natural stone veneer
Real stone bonded as a covering over a backup wall that carries all the load.
Stone that suits outdoors
One stone guide advises stone with a record of standing up to local weather.
Stone masonry or something else?
Some of our work builds new walls, paths and fireplaces, and some fixes worn brick, mortar or foundations, so start with which you need.
- Foundation repairThis pageWorth a look when you see foundation cracks or floors that have started to slope.
- Chimney repairThis pageRight for a chimney that leaks, leans or is shedding brick and mortar.
- TuckpointingThis pageA good fit when worn brick joints need refilling with mortar matched to the old.
- Brick repairThis pageFor cracked, chipped or loose bricks you want replaced without redoing the whole wall.
- Driveway paversThis pageChoose this when you want a driveway laid in pavers instead of poured concrete.
- Retaining wall constructionThis pageWhen a slope or raised bed needs holding back with block, brick or concrete.
- Masonry restorationThis pageFor older brick or stone that needs bringing back as a whole, not patched piece by piece.
- Fireplace installationThis pageA fit when you're adding a new masonry fireplace inside the house or out back.
- Stone veneer installationThis pageWhen you want real stone covering an existing wall, column or the front of your house.
- Concrete block wallsThis pagePick block when you want a sturdy, plain wall for privacy or a property line.
- Foundation block wall installationThis pageFor block foundation walls under an addition, a garage or another new structure.
- Outdoor kitchen masonryThis pageWhen you want a grill counter or full outdoor kitchen built in block or stone.
- Walkway constructionThis pageA good fit when you want a solid path from the gate to your door.
- Brick wall installationThis pageWhen you want a new brick garden wall, planter or fence around the yard.
- Stone masonryThis pageRight when you want a natural stone wall, mortared or open-joint, or stone facing.
- Brick pointingThis pageWhen mortar between your bricks is crumbling and needs raking out and refilling.
Stone wall and veneer ideas
Press a photo to see it larger, and ask us about any style you like.
Why South Whittier homeowners call K&L
I come out to every job
I look at every job myself and lay stone alongside my crew, so you know who's on your property and what we're doing.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured, and when your wall needs a permit, we take care of it as the licensed contractor.
Learned on masonry crews
I spent school summers mixing mortar and hauling block on masonry crews long before I laid my first course or started this business.
How your stone job runs
You hear from me at each step, from the first look at your yard to the walk-through at the end.
Call or send a request
Call (562) 358-3030 or use the form, and tell us about the wall you have in mind.
I look at the spot
I come out to look over the spot and note which permit office covers your address.
You get my estimate
You get my estimate for the wall type and stone we talked over, and you decide.
We build it
My crew and I do the work, with drainage built into any mortared wall from the start.
Walk-through and clean-up
We clean up, and I walk the finished job with you before we leave.
Stone masonry questions, answered
Read through these first, and if your question isn't here, call or send the form and ask us.
Ask us directly
Call (562) 358-3030 or send the form with any other question about your stone work.
Does a low stone retaining wall need a permit in South Whittier?
Not always. LA County Public Works, which issues permits for unincorporated LA County, lists retaining walls holding back no more than 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, among work that needs no building permit, unless the wall supports a surcharge. Ask the district office how surcharge applies to your lot.
Do I need a permit for a stone garden wall in South Whittier?
A freestanding masonry wall up to 6 feet tall, set back from the street or sidewalk at least as far as it is tall, is on the county's no-permit list. That entry covers walls and fences that aren't a barrier for a pool, spa or hot tub, so a wall around one is a different case.
Which drains better, a mortared or an open-joint stone wall?
An open-joint wall drains better, because water runs out through the gaps between the stones. A mortared wall traps water, so it needs weep holes to let it out and drainage backfill behind it, since water pressure from behind is what destroys a rigid wall. If you pick mortared, we plan that drainage from the start.
Is an open-joint stone wall easier to fix than a mortared one?
Usually, yes. When a stone works loose in an open-joint wall, we pull it and reset it, while cracked mortar in a mortared wall has to be ground out and repointed with fresh mortar. That later repair is part of the choice, so we talk it through before you pick.
Why does stone veneer on a house fail?
Water getting into the wall is the most common cause, according to one veneer maker's installation guide. A stone veneer guide also calls full mortar coverage on the back of each stone essential, since even small voids can collect water and lead to early failure. When you compare bids, ask each installer how they keep water out and fill those voids.
Which office handles building permits in South Whittier, CA?
For property in the county's unincorporated areas, the Public Works South Whittier District Office in Norwalk handles building permits. The county asks owners to call or email their local office, listed in its Service Locator, to ask what a project needs. If your property sits outside the county's jurisdiction, another office may handle it.
Tell us about your stone project
Send photos, the planned wall height and its distance from the street or sidewalk. We reply within one business day to set up a free, no-obligation estimate on site.
Whittier, CA 90604