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Serving Redwood City, CA and surrounding areas. (650) 587-4252
Redwood City Masonry & Concrete is the masonry contractor Burlingame homeowners call for chimney repair, brick restoration, and foundation work on the older homes that define this city. We have worked throughout this part of the Peninsula since 2017, and we understand the conditions that Bay moisture and older construction create here.
Burlingame sits close to the bay, and the marine fog that rolls in most mornings keeps masonry surfaces damp for hours - accelerating mortar erosion and brick spalling on chimneys that might go years between inspections. Our chimney repair service covers everything from crown rebuilds and flashing replacement to mortar joint tuckpointing, sized to what the chimney actually needs rather than a package deal.
The Craftsman bungalows and Spanish Colonial Revival homes common in Burlingame Park and Easton Addition were built with lime-based mortar that erodes differently than modern cement and requires a matching repair mix to avoid damaging the original brick. Tuckpointing those joints - cutting out the deteriorated material and packing in fresh mortar - is the most direct way to stop Bay moisture from penetrating the masonry.
Many Burlingame homes built in the 1920s through 1940s have original foundations that predate modern drainage and seismic codes. Wet winters saturate the soil around crawl spaces and basements on older properties, and that repeated moisture cycle creates the settling and cracking that shows up first as sticking doors and uneven floors.
Historic preservation guidelines in some Burlingame neighborhoods affect what materials and methods can be used on exterior masonry work. Restoring brick, stone, or stucco on a protected home requires sourcing period-appropriate materials and following city review requirements, and we are familiar with both steps.
Spalling brick faces and cracked units on Burlingame's older homes are typically the result of years of moisture cycling through hairline cracks rather than a single event. Matching the original brick closely matters here because the city tracks historic resources in several neighborhoods and because a visible mismatch on a home this age is difficult to overlook.
Hillside properties above El Camino Real in Burlingame deal with soil saturation after every wet winter, and aging retaining walls without proper drainage channels built in can lean or crack as that saturated soil adds lateral pressure season after season. We build new walls and repair existing ones to handle the actual load the site places on them.
A large share of Burlingame homes were built between the 1920s and 1950s, and those properties come with original chimneys, brick fireplaces, and mortar that has been dealing with Bay Area conditions for 70 to 100 years. The persistent marine fog that settles over this part of the Peninsula most mornings - even during the summer dry season - keeps masonry surfaces damp far longer than they would be in an inland city. That moisture finds every gap in a crown, every receded mortar joint, and every hairline crack, and it works its way in quietly long before a homeowner notices water inside. The result is that masonry on Burlingame homes tends to need attention more regularly than the same materials would in a drier climate.
Burlingame also has an active historic preservation program. The City of Burlingame Planning Division tracks historic resources in neighborhoods like Burlingame Park and Easton Addition, and some exterior masonry repairs on those properties require city review before work begins. Beyond the preservation rules, the older home styles that define this city - Craftsman bungalows, Spanish Colonial Revival houses, and Tudor-style homes - use materials and construction methods that require a different repair approach than newer Peninsula construction. A contractor who treats these homes like any standard concrete and block job will cause problems that are more expensive to fix than the original.
Our crew works throughout Burlingame regularly, and we understand the local conditions that affect masonry work here. The city covers just about 6 square miles, but the property types vary meaningfully from block to block. Homes in the flat neighborhoods near Burlingame Avenue and Washington Park tend to have different drainage and soil conditions than the properties on the hillside streets above El Camino Real, and the compact lot spacing throughout the city requires careful planning for staging and access to avoid disturbing neighboring properties.
The historic Burlingame train depot - one of the most recognizable landmarks on the Caltrain line - sits near the center of the city, and the neighborhoods within walking distance of it contain a high concentration of the Craftsman and Spanish Colonial homes that need the most masonry attention. We know those blocks and the typical conditions they present. Burlingame Avenue itself is a useful reference point for homeowners describing where they are - we work on both sides of it and throughout the residential streets in every direction.
We cover this area as part of our regular service territory. Directly to the south, we work in Millbrae where many of the same older housing types and bay-adjacent moisture conditions apply. And to the north, our crew handles jobs throughout San Mateo as well.
Reach us by phone or through the contact form with a brief description of what you are seeing. We reply within one business day and can typically schedule a visit within the same week.
We inspect the full scope of the problem - not just the visible damage - and give you a written estimate at no charge. If the work involves a historic property review or a city permit, we explain that process and the timeline before you commit to anything.
For structural work requiring a City of Burlingame permit, we submit the application and manage the review. We schedule the start date once all approvals are in place so there are no delays once the crew arrives.
We complete the job and leave the site in clean condition. You receive written documentation of the completed work, which is useful for insurance records and future resale disclosures.
We serve all of Burlingame - from Burlingame Park to the hillside streets above El Camino Real. Free estimates, written quotes, no pressure.
(650) 587-4252Burlingame is a small city of roughly 32,000 people on the San Francisco Peninsula, covering about 6 square miles between San Francisco to the north and San Jose to the south. It sits right along the Caltrain line and borders San Francisco International Airport to the north. Most of the city is made up of single-family neighborhoods packed fairly close together, with the commercial corridor along Burlingame Avenue providing the city center. The residential character is shaped largely by the housing stock built between the 1920s and 1950s - Craftsman bungalows, Spanish Colonial Revival homes, and Tudor-style houses that now range from 70 to 100 years old. Neighborhoods like Burlingame Park and Easton Addition are particularly known for this architectural concentration, and the city has a formal historic preservation program to protect those properties.
Washington Park is the city's largest public green space, and the historic Burlingame Caltrain station - an 1894 depot that is one of the most photographed train stations on the Peninsula - anchors the downtown. The city's proximity to the bay means it gets persistent marine fog year-round, which influences how homes age and what maintenance they need. We serve homeowners throughout Burlingame and also cover neighboring Millbrae to the south and San Mateo to the north.
Restore structural integrity with expert foundation crack and settlement repairs.
Learn MoreBuild lasting retaining walls that control erosion and define your landscape.
Learn MoreRevive aged masonry to its original beauty with skilled restoration work.
Learn MoreAdd warmth and character with a custom masonry fireplace installation.
Learn MoreTransform any surface with natural or manufactured stone veneer cladding.
Learn MoreBuild strong, durable concrete block walls for any residential application.
Learn MoreInstall solid block wall foundations that support your home for decades.
Learn MoreCreate a stunning outdoor kitchen built to last with expert masonry work.
Learn MoreDesign and build beautiful, safe walkways using brick, stone, or pavers.
Learn MoreCall us or submit a free estimate request - we serve all of Burlingame and reply within one business day.