Brick Masonry
Brick walls, steps, walkways, planters and full brick driveways - plus brick veneer over existing walls. Classic material, clean coursing.
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Fireplace remodeling in Los Angeles usually starts with a fireplace that works but looks dated. We reface the surround in stone veneer, natural stone, brick, marble or tile. We build new masonry hearths and extend short ones. On a new custom fireplace, we build the masonry face and surround. Gas lines, gas inserts and log sets belong to a licensed plumber or the appliance installer. Damage inside the firebox or flue is a separate job for our firebox and chimney repair work.
Most fireplace remodeling calls start with a dated face: painted brick, cracked tile or a hearth too small for the room. On site, we measure the opening and check what the old face is made of. We see whether it can take a new face or has to come off. Then we measure the hearth and note the mantel clearance. The free quote is written on site and names the material, the hearth size and any tear-off.
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HomeGuide defines refacing as replacing the material that surrounds the firebox. The firebox, damper and flue stay where they are, and the face around them changes. That can mean new stone from the floor to the mantel line, or a full wall up to the ceiling. When the fireplace works and only the look is dated, a refacing is the whole fireplace makeover.
A new face can go over the old one when that face is sound and firmly attached. Loose tile, hollow spots or a coating that blocks mortar mean the old material comes off first. If only the joints are worn, repointing the brick you already have may be the better fix. Cost guides price a full replacement well above a refacing, so a sound firebox is worth keeping.
Stone veneer is a thin layer of stone set in mortar. The Masonry Veneer Manufacturers Association calls the manufactured kind lightweight and non-load-bearing. A stone veneer fireplace reads rustic in stacked stone or calm in cut stone. Natural stone at full thickness is much heavier, so it sits on the hearth or a ledge built for it. Both use the same craft as the stone veneer we set on walls and columns.
Brick suits Craftsman and Spanish-style rooms, and brick veneer laid over an old face reads as solid brick. Marble goes on as slabs or tiles for a smooth, formal surround and hearth. One customer hired us for a stone and marble fireplace in a new home, on a short timeline we met. Tile is the thinnest face and needs a flat, sound surface under it.
The hearth extension is the noncombustible floor in front of the opening. California Residential Code R1001.10 sets it at least 16 inches in front and 8 inches past each side. An opening of 6 square feet or larger needs 20 inches in front and 12 inches past each side. When a remodel replaces or widens a hearth, the new one is built to these sizes.
Thickness is set too. Under R1001.9, hearths and extensions are concrete or masonry. The hearth is at least 4 inches thick and the extension at least 2 inches. One exception covers raised fireboxes. If the bottom of the opening sits 8 inches or more above the extension, the extension can be 3/8 inch thick. Brick, concrete, stone or tile all work there, which is how a raised fireplace gets a thin stone floor.
A wood mantel can sit right on the masonry face, just not near the opening. California Residential Code R1001.11 keeps combustible mantels and trim at least 6 inches from the opening. Within 12 inches, combustible material may project only 1/8 inch for each inch of distance. So trim 8 inches from the opening can stick out 1 inch, and trim at 12 inches, 1.5 inches.
A deep wood shelf has to sit more than 12 inches above the opening. The rule covers wood and other combustible trim, since stone, brick and marble do not burn. We build the masonry face and leave a clear, flat spot at the right height for the mantel you pick. Your carpenter or supplier then has a clean place to mount it.
South Coast AQMD Rule 445, last amended September 5, 2025, limits what can be newly installed. Any permanently installed wood or gas device put in today must be one of four types. Those are an EPA certified wood-burning heater, a pellet-fueled heater, a masonry heater or a dedicated gas fireplace. An open wood-burning fireplace is not one of them, with narrow exceptions. In a new development, meaning construction begun on or after March 9, 2009, the rule bars permanently installing a wood-burning device. Replacing a wood-burning fireplace lost in a declared disaster is exempt. So are registered historic sites and contributing homes in a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone.
A refacing keeps your existing firebox and changes only its face. Rule 445 reaches outdoors too, so the same four types apply to a masonry fireplace for the backyard. In the City of Los Angeles, LADBS requires building permits for alterations. The city code's exempt list names painting and papering, not tile, stone or brick. Where one applies, the permit is handled as part of the job, with the paperwork filed for you where the agency allows.
Free, no-obligation estimates across Glendale, Burbank and Greater Los Angeles.
(424) 653-0453From the first look at the site to the final walk-through, here is exactly how it goes.
We look at the project where it lives: the grade, the access, what is being held back or built on, and what you want the finished space to look like.
You get a written quote with a real timeline. It spells out materials, finishes, demolition and haul-off, and flags permit or engineering questions before anything is built.
Proper base and footings, clean courses, real drainage behind every wall. The details you cannot see are the reason the work lasts, and we treat them that way.
We walk the finished work together - joints, finishes, cleanup, the whole job. Done means you have looked at every part of it and said so.
Common questions about fireplace remodeling across Glendale, Burbank and Greater Los Angeles. Don't see yours? Give us a call - we're happy to help.
Brick walls, steps, walkways, planters and full brick driveways - plus brick veneer over existing walls. Classic material, clean coursing.
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Natural stone walls, river rock work, flagstone patios and paths, and stone veneer on walls, columns and outdoor kitchens.
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Engineered block and concrete retaining walls with real drainage - stucco, stone or brick finished - plus failing walls rebuilt right.
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Property line walls, privacy walls, courtyard walls and gated front-yard enclosures - reinforced block, finished in stucco, stone or left clean.
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Driveways, patios, pool decks, steps, walkways and slabs - formed and poured on compacted base, finished the way you pick.
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Interlocking paver driveways, patios, walkways and pool decks - real base prep, tight patterns, edges that hold.
Learn MoreRecent 5-star reviews from Yelp and HomeAdvisor
This was a great company to work with. Francisco communicates in detail verbally and in writing. He also does excellent work and has a great staff. He also left my place clean daily before they left. They show up on time and get the job done as projected.
Francisco and his crew are great! They repaired a brick wall for me when other companies said it had to be demolished and couldn't be repaired. They were prompt and friendly and did a great job. I would highly recommend them!
We are extremely pleased with the outstanding work completed by Camberos Masonry. The best word to describe their work is immaculate! … The crew worked tirelessly, paid attention to every detail, and left the job site clean and organized each day.
Brick, block, stone and concrete are our whole trade - not a sideline. Footings, coursing, drainage and finish details done the traditional way, because that is why masonry lasts.
Hillside walls with real drainage, slabs built for expansive soil, finishes that suit Spanish, Craftsman and modern houses. This is Los Angeles work by people who know Los Angeles lots.
We look at the site, flag permits and engineering honestly, and put the price and timeline in writing. No phone guesses, no surprise change orders for things we should have seen.
Walls, flatwork, veneer, fire features and tile from one contractor - so materials match, schedules hold, and the finished yard reads as one design instead of four handoffs.
A wall that worries you, a driveway past its best, or a backyard ready to become the good part of the house? Call or send the form and we will look at the site with you and hand you a straight written quote.
Tell us about your project - we’ll get right back to you.
