Masonry contractor in Chino Hills, CA - walls built for hillside lots
Keystone Corona Masonry and Concrete is a masonry contractor based in Corona that builds and repairs block walls, retaining walls, stone veneer and fireplaces in Chino Hills, with footings and drainage set for the slopes here.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Services in Chino Hills, CA
Retaining wall construction
Many Chino Hills lots step down a slope, and the flat yard depends on a wall. We dig a real footing and drain the back so it holds.
Concrete block walls
Block walls run between many tract yards here, and older ones crack or lean where water sits at the base. We repair them to match or rebuild them.
Fireplace installation
Many family rooms and patios here have just the spot for a fireplace. We handle fireplace installation inside or out, in brick or stone that suits the house.
Stone veneer installation
Stucco houses here often have stone veneer at the base or entry, and loose pieces usually mean water got behind it. We fix the backing, then reset it.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
Many backyards here look out over the hills, and owners want to cook out there. We build the counters in block and stone on a level base.
Walkway construction
On sloped lots, the path from the driveway to the door often needs steps and drainage. We build walkways and steps that shed water instead of holding it.
Chino Hills, CA properties and local conditions
Most of the trouble we see on walls in Chino Hills starts with water coming down the hill. The city's own building code says the hills, along with the way the streets and storm drains are laid out, let heavy rain flood roadways and set off landslides, sometimes bad enough to close a road. On a sloped lot that same water pushes on the back of a retaining wall and washes at the footing of the block wall below it, so a wall that leans or cracks here usually has a drainage problem behind it. We build retaining walls with drain rock behind them and weep holes, small openings near the base, so the water gets out instead of pushing. On a repair, I don't trust a crack until we've found where the water is coming from.
Most houses here are newer tract homes in stucco, many with stone veneer at the base and block walls between the neighbors' yards. That makes matching the main job on repairs, because a patched wall should look like the rest of the run. I check the block size, the color and the cap before we order anything.
Working in Chino Hills: permits, licenses and getting up the hill
Building permits here come from the city's Building and Safety Division, which issues them to build, alter, repair or tear down a structure, and that covers most of the walls we build. A permit job can't start until the permit is issued, so the city's review often sets the start date more than our crew does. A gas line to a new fireplace or outdoor kitchen needs its own permit before anyone works on it. When a job needs one, we apply through the city's online portal, set up the inspections and meet the inspector on site, and if I'm not sure what applies, I ask the division before we dig. Before you hire anyone, ask for their state contractor's license, and if they come from outside the city like we do, their Chino Hills business license. We're licensed and fully insured.
The hill moves the price here more than anything, because it decides how deep we dig for the footing and drainage and whether block can be wheeled to the spot or has to be carried down a slope. Rain moves the schedule, since we won't dig or pour footings in mud. I'll give you a written estimate after I walk your lot that spells out what the work includes, so you see your own number before you decide. Chino Hills sits just up the 71 from us in Corona, and we do the same kind of hillside and tract-wall work in Chino and Yorba Linda.
Get a free written estimate for your Chino Hills project
We reply within one business day, by phone or message, whichever way you reached us. I come out to your Chino Hills property, walk the job with you and give you a free written estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
(951) 393-1203How a masonry job goes when you call us in Chino Hills
Call or send a message
Call (951) 393-1203 or use the form and tell us what you're seeing, a cracked wall or a yard that needs one. We get back to you the way you reached us and set a time for me to come out.
I walk the job with you
I come out myself to look at the slope, the drainage and anything already standing, and it helps if you're there to walk it with me. You get a written estimate that spells out what the work includes, so you know the price before you decide.
We handle permits and build
If the job needs a permit, we pull it, set up the inspections and meet the inspector, and the city's review has to finish before we break ground. Our crew does the work and I check it as it goes, especially the footings and drainage before they get buried.
Walk the finished work together
Before we pack up, we clean the site and walk the finished job with you so you can look over every part of it. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to build a block wall in Chino Hills?
Usually yes, because the city's exempt list covers a masonry wall up to 4 feet tall, or a retaining wall holding back less than 3 feet of soil, only when every one of its conditions holds. The ground behind it has to be flatter than 4 feet across for every 1 foot of rise, no nearby structure can bear on the wall, and every part has to sit more than 5 feet from the property line, which leaves out most fence-line walls. When a job is close, we ask the city before we start.
Does a masonry contractor need a California license to work on my house?
Yes, in nearly every case, a contractor who builds or alters a structure in California needs a license from the California Contractors State License Board. It applies when the job needs a building permit, uses employee labor, or the contracts total $1,000 or more in labor and materials, which covers almost any wall, fireplace or patio. Ask for the license number before you sign anything.
How much does a retaining wall cost in Chino Hills?
The cost comes down mostly to the wall's height and length and how much of the hill has to be dug out and drained, so the same wall can cost very different amounts on two lots. Choices you control move it too, like plain block or a stone face, a simple cap or a finished one, and whether an old wall has to come out first. I'll put your figure in writing after I've seen the site.
How long does it take to get a retaining wall built in Chino Hills?
On a hillside lot, the approvals usually take longer than the building. Grading or digging of any kind needs a permit from the city's building official unless it's on the exempt list, and that permit is issued only after the project has its zoning approvals. Once it's in hand, time on site depends on the wall's length, the access and the rain, and I'll walk you through the order of the work with the estimate.
Do I need a city permit to replace the sidewalk or driveway apron in front of my house in Chino Hills?
Yes, work in the public right-of-way, such as the sidewalk, curb, gutter or street, needs an encroachment permit from the city, separate from any permit for work on your own lot. The apron often crosses into that strip, so we figure out where your property ends before we break any concrete.
What is the best way to use masonry on a house near the Chino Hills wildfire zones?
Brick, block and stone don't burn, so a block wall in place of a wood fence, or stone at the base of the house, gives a fire less to catch near your home. City maps put over 24,000 acres of Chino Hills in a wildfire threat zone, with just over 20,000 of them rated very high risk, so it's a fair question for a lot of homeowners here. I can't tell you what the fire rules ask of your lot, but I'll talk through which walls and surfaces make sense to build in masonry.
About Chino Hills, CA
Chino Hills is mostly homes, built out across the hills, with neighborhoods that climb the ridges and back onto open land toward Chino Hills State Park. Come in from Pomona to the north and you can watch the lots go from flat to stepped, with block walls between yards and retaining walls holding up the back of many of them. The houses are mostly stucco tract homes, and the masonry on them, the veneer, the walls and the steps, tends to repeat from one street to the next, which makes matching a repair easier once I know what was used.
Because so many lots here are cut into a slope, the job usually starts with what's behind and below a wall. I'd rather spend the time there than on the face, since that's what decides whether the wall is still standing straight years from now.
Explore the services
Corona, CA
Plan your Chino Hills wall before the rains
Digging and pouring footings goes better on dry ground, so call (951) 393-1203 or use the form and I'll come take a look while the hills are dry.