Masonry Contractor in Escondido - Repairs and Walls Built for Hillside Lots

Under an older city guideline, a retaining wall up to 4 feet tall and a fence up to 6 feet don't need a building permit, though both still need the Planning Division's approval. That 4 feet is measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, so the part you see is shorter, and a wall holding up extra load like a driveway or more slope falls outside it. Since the guideline is older, the Building Division has the current answer, and if your wall needs a permit, we check with the city at the start and take care of the paperwork with you.

Once the city's Building Division has a complete set of plans, each round of plan review takes about 30 calendar days, and plans that need changes go through another round. The division only takes plans electronically, and its counter at City Hall, 201 North Broadway, is open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, phone 760-839-4880. When your job needs a permit, we plan the start date around that review.

Yes, the city requires anyone who does business in Escondido to hold a city business license, even when the business is based outside the city, and it names construction contractors as an example. We're based in San Marcos, so that rule covers us, and it's a fair question to ask any contractor you're comparing.

A job needs a contractor licensed by the California Contractors State License Board if it needs a building permit, uses any extra workers, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials together. Most wall, chimney and paver jobs pass that $1,000 mark, and a bigger job can't be split into smaller pieces to get under it. We're licensed and insured.

There's no single figure, because the price comes from your wall or repair itself. Height and length, the material you pick, how deep the footing goes, whether an old wall has to come out first and how far we carry block up a slope all move it, and matching old brick and mortar takes more time than new work. I give you a figure for your own job once I've looked at it on site.

Usually it's water, because soil that stays wet behind a wall gets heavy and pushes until the wall tips or cracks. A footing that's too shallow, or a wall with no gravel and drain behind it, gives way sooner, so when we build or rebuild one we start with the footing and a way for water to get out. If yours is already leaning, I'll tell you whether it can be repaired or needs to come down.