Masonry in Venice

Masonry Contractors in Venice

Venice is a masonry problem worth solving. Lots are narrow, the water table is high, the soil is sand over fill in much of the neighbourhood, and half the properties sit behind a walk street where nothing bigger than a wheelbarrow can reach the back yard. We have been working here long enough to price that honestly rather than discovering it on day two. Most of what we build in Venice is small-footprint and high-impact: courtyard walls that buy privacy on a twenty-eight foot lot, brick and paver entries off the walk streets, and firepits and seat walls in yards that measure their square footage carefully.

What We Build in Venice

Garden and privacy walls are the most requested job here, usually in block with a stucco or brick face so the wall reads as part of the house. Paver and brick patios come a close second, because a jointed surface handles sandy sub-grade better than a rigid slab does. We also do a steady amount of brick repair on the older bungalows off Abbot Kinney, where original chimneys and porches have moved with the ground over a century, and outdoor kitchens in yards where the indoor kitchen was never going to be big enough.

Local Conditions We Build For

Sand and a high water table

Sandy sub-grade drains fast but compacts poorly, so we specify deeper aggregate base under pavers and wider footings under walls than we would a mile inland.

Walk-street access

Where a truck cannot reach the yard, material is barrowed in. We price that into the quote rather than adding it later, and we protect the walk-street surface as we go.

Coastal exposure

Salt air is hard on mortar and on stucco. We use mixes suited to the exposure and recommend sealing on brick and paver work closer to the beach.