Loading...
Serving Fontana, CA and surrounding areas. (909) 587-5725
FMA Fontana Masonry serves Chino homeowners with brick repair, retaining wall construction, driveway pavers, and concrete flatwork - across the tract neighborhoods from north Chino down through The Preserve. Licensed, insured, and familiar with Chino permits. Free on-site estimates with replies within 1 business day.
Chino homes built in the 1980s and 1990s commonly have brick planters, brick chimney sections, and brick accents around entries and patios. The mortar in these features has been through 30-plus years of 100-degree summers and clay soil movement, and it shows - crumbling joints, stained brick faces, and sections that have shifted out of alignment. Our brick repair work addresses mortar joint failure, spalled or cracked bricks, and efflorescence from the hard water and irrigation systems common throughout Chino neighborhoods.
Many Chino properties in The Preserve and south Chino have grade changes between the yard and neighboring lots or the street. Without a properly built retaining wall, clay soil that absorbs heavy winter rain can creep and settle, taking landscaping and hardscape with it. We build block and concrete retaining walls with the drainage backing needed to handle the soil expansion that comes with every rainy season in the Inland Empire.
Chino driveways built on the former dairy farmland are notorious for cracking - not because the concrete itself is bad, but because the clay soil underneath keeps moving with moisture changes. Interlocking concrete pavers handle that ground movement better than poured slabs because the individual units can flex slightly without fracturing. For Chino homeowners replacing a cracked or heaved driveway, pavers are a long-term solution that also adds curb appeal to a neighborhood where most properties have standard concrete.
Block perimeter walls are standard throughout Chino residential neighborhoods, and after 25 to 40 years they frequently need repairs - caps that have shifted, mortar joints that have opened, or sections that have leaned from soil pressure. We repair and replace block wall sections built to Chino standards, and we handle the permit process when the scope of work requires one. Solid block perimeter walls also matter to HOA communities in south Chino, where exterior appearance standards apply.
Chino homes with mid-size lots often have concrete or paver walkways connecting the front entry to the driveway or leading along the side of the house to a rear gate. These surfaces take the same beating from clay soil movement as driveways do - trip-hazard lips and raised sections are common in neighborhoods built in the 1990s and 2000s. New walkway construction or replacing sections that have heaved adds usability and safety to a property, and the materials can be matched to what is already on the ground.
Chino spent most of the 20th century as dairy farming country, and the land the city sits on reflects that history. When residential development replaced the dairies starting in the 1980s, builders put housing tracts on agricultural soil - flat, open land with clay-heavy composition that behaves very differently from graded, engineered suburban land. That original soil is still under most of Chino, which means driveways, patios, walkways, and block walls across the city deal with seasonal clay movement year after year. Summers here regularly hit 100 degrees or higher, which pulls moisture out of the soil and causes significant contraction. The first winter rains reverse that cycle. Masonry that does not account for this ongoing ground movement will not hold up - regardless of how well it was installed.
The majority of Chino homes were built between 1980 and 2005, which puts most of the original concrete flatwork, brick features, and block perimeter walls in the 20-to-40-year age range. That is exactly when original mortar joints fail, when clay-soil movement has had enough time to crack slabs and shift walls, and when homeowners start noticing that maintenance has been deferred too long. Add in Santa Ana wind events each fall - which carry debris and stress exterior masonry - and seismic activity from fault systems throughout the Inland Empire, and the demand for masonry repair in Chino is consistent and real. Most Chino homeowners will deal with at least one masonry repair project during the life of their home.
For permitted masonry and structural work in Chino, we pull permits through the City of Chino Community Development Department and we know the standard review timelines for residential masonry projects here. Chino sits at the intersection of the 60, 71, and 83 freeways, and we serve properties throughout the city - from the older neighborhoods near downtown to the newer master-planned communities in south Chino.
Homeowners in The Preserve and other HOA communities in south Chino often need approval before exterior masonry work can begin. We are familiar with this process and can help you put together what the association requires before we start work. The newer neighborhoods near the Chino Airport have larger lots and more recent construction - the masonry needs there are often different from what we see in north Chino homes that are pushing 40 years old. We work throughout the city and adjust our approach to what the specific property needs.
We also serve homeowners in nearby Pomona and Ontario, where similar clay soil conditions and Inland Empire heat create comparable masonry challenges. If you are in Chino or a surrounding city, we can schedule an on-site visit and give you a written estimate.
Reach out by phone or through the contact form and describe what you are seeing - cracks, shifted blocks, heaved concrete, or something else. We reply within 1 business day and will schedule an on-site visit at a time that works for you. You do not need to have a diagnosis ready; that is our job.
We come to the property, walk the problem area with you, and explain what we find in plain terms. You receive a written estimate that breaks down the work and the cost before anything is agreed to. If your project needs a permit through the City of Chino, we will tell you upfront and include that in the plan.
We confirm the date and arrive as scheduled. Most residential masonry jobs in Chino are completed in one to three days. You do not need to be home for the entire job, but being reachable by phone is helpful in case we need to confirm anything during the work. We protect nearby plants, vehicles, and surfaces before starting.
Once the work is done, we walk the finished area with you, explain any curing requirements - new mortar needs 24 to 48 hours away from water - and let you know what to watch for going forward. If we noticed anything else during the job that may need attention, we will mention it without pressure.
We serve homeowners throughout Chino - from The Preserve and south Chino to the older neighborhoods near downtown. Replies within 1 business day.
(909) 587-5725Chino is a city of roughly 90,000 people in western San Bernardino County, sitting at the heart of the Inland Empire between Ontario, Pomona, and Chino Hills. For most of the 20th century it was one of California's largest dairy farming regions, and the shift from agricultural land to residential neighborhoods happened quickly - the city's population more than doubled between 1980 and 2000 as housing tracts replaced dairies across the city. Most of Chino is owner-occupied, single-family homes on mid-size lots, built in waves from the early 1980s through the mid-2000s. The newest development has been concentrated in the southern part of the city, including The Preserve, a large master-planned community built on former dairy land that is home to thousands of families who moved in during the 2000s and 2010s and whose homes are now hitting the 15-to-20-year maintenance mark.
The city is well-connected by the 60, 71, and 83 freeways, making it accessible from neighboring Ontario and Pomona. Two local landmarks stand out: the Chino Airport (Cable Airport), a general aviation field that has operated since the 1940s, and the Planes of Fame Air Museum on the airport grounds - one of the country's most well-known aviation museums with a large collection of flyable historic aircraft. Whether your home is near the airport on the south side of the city or in one of the older neighborhoods near downtown, the masonry challenges that come with Chino's clay soil and Inland Empire climate are consistent throughout.
Engineered retaining walls built to manage soil and enhance your landscape.
Learn moreCustom masonry fireplace installation for indoor and outdoor spaces.
Learn moreNatural and manufactured stone veneer installation for lasting curb appeal.
Learn moreSolid concrete block wall construction for privacy, security, and structure.
Learn moreBlock wall foundations built to code for residential and commercial projects.
Learn moreCustom outdoor kitchen structures crafted from brick, stone, and block.
Learn moreProfessionally constructed walkways using pavers, brick, or natural stone.
Learn moreNew brick wall construction for boundaries, accents, and structural use.
Learn moreMortar repointing to restore weathered brick joints and prevent moisture damage.
Learn moreServing these cities and communities.
We serve Chino homeowners with no-pressure estimates and work that holds up through the clay soil and Inland Empire heat. Call us or send a message and we will get back to you within 1 business day.