Premier Yakima Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor working in Ellensburg, WA. We repoint and repair brick, fix chimneys and foundations, and build block walls, retaining walls, walkways and paver driveways for houses across the city.
Ellensburg has a university, an older downtown and newer neighborhoods on the edges, and we see all three on jobs here. Near downtown and the streets around campus, a lot of the houses are older, with brick chimneys, block or brick foundations and mortar joints that somebody has patched more than once. Farther out, newer houses sit on bigger lots, and those calls run more to retaining walls, walkways and paver driveways.
It's a lot like what we see in Selah and back home in Yakima. On the older houses, the job usually starts with sorting out the earlier repairs, because a hard cement patch or a mismatched brick changes what we can save and how we go about it.
When a basement wall cracks, I check whether it's still moving or just old shrinkage, and we repair the block, brick or concrete to match.
Explore serviceA leaky chimney usually needs more than new mortar. We rebuild loose brick above the roofline, redo the crown and fix the joints where water gets in.
Explore serviceWe cut out worn joints and refill them with a mortar colored to the brick, then run a thin contrasting line so old walls look crisp again.
Explore serviceCracked bricks and bricks with flaking faces come out one at a time, and we set matching brick back in so the patch blends with the wall around it.
Explore servicePavers give you a driveway you can repair one piece at a time. The plan turns on how deep we dig the base and where water drains.
Explore serviceWe build retaining walls in block or stone, and the plan starts with height, the footing and the drain rock behind it that keeps water from pushing it over.
Explore serviceFor older brick and stone that's been patched for decades, we undo the bad repairs first, then rebuild with materials that match what was there.
Explore serviceWe lay up new brick or stone fireplaces, building the firebox, hearth and surround to the plan you choose, with the clearances it calls for.
Explore serviceWant the look of stone without a solid stone wall? Veneer goes on over block or framed walls, and the job depends on the backing and drainage behind it.
Explore serviceBlock walls for privacy, garden beds or a shop go up on a poured footing, with rebar and filled cores where the wall needs the strength.
Explore serviceFor an addition, garage or new build, we lay foundation block to the plans, keeping each course level and square so the framing above sits right.
Explore serviceWe build the masonry base for a grill, counter or pizza oven in block, brick or stone, planned around where gas, water and power will run.
Explore serviceA walkway in brick, pavers or stone needs a packed base and a little slope to shed water, and we tie it into your steps cleanly.
Explore serviceNew brick walls, from a garden wall to an addition, get a proper footing, wall ties where they're needed and joints tooled to shed water.
Explore serviceIf you want natural stone for a wall, steps or a chimney face, we set each stone so it bears on the stones below, not just on the mortar.
Explore serviceWhen joints crumble but the brick is sound, we rake them out and repoint with a mortar softer than the brick, so the joint wears first.
Explore serviceIn Ellensburg, building permits go through the city's Building Division in Community Development, and the city asks owners to check with Community Development before starting any work. Even work that needs no building permit still has to meet the city's setback, lot coverage and critical areas rules, so the city's answer comes before your start date. I check what your address needs before we start, and if there's a permit, we take care of the paperwork with you. We're fully licensed and insured.
What moves the price here is how much wall, chimney or paving there is, how many joints have to come out, how deep the footing goes, how easy the work is to reach and whether old brick or stone has to be matched. The schedule turns on the city's answer, on finding matching material and on our calendar, and I'll give you your own number and timing when I come out to look. We drive up from Yakima for Ellensburg jobs, the same as we head down to Grandview, so we plan them as full days on site.
Tell us what's going on with your brick, block, chimney or stone through the form, or call (509) 452-1015. We get back to you within one business day, and I come out to look at the job myself. The estimate is free, done at your house, and there's no obligation.
(509) 452-1015A retaining wall no more than 4 feet tall, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, is on the city's list of work exempt from a building permit. That exemption ends if the wall holds up extra weight above it, like a slope or a driveway, or holds back flammable or combustible liquids. We measure from the footing with you, so you know which side of that line your wall falls on.
It may, if your house is on the Ellensburg Landmarks Register or in one of its districts and the work changes something you can see from the street. In that case you may need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Landmarks and Design Commission before work starts, whether or not a permit is required. Repairs in kind that use no substitute materials and keep the historic features are exempt, so on those houses we plan the repair to match what's already there.
It can usually wait if the joints are worn but the brick is solid and no water is getting inside. It's time when mortar crumbles at a touch, bricks come loose or a crack keeps growing, because water gets into the wall and the repair grows with it. I'd rather tell you a job can wait than sell you one you don't need.
We work out of Yakima and take jobs in the cities around it, including the ones listed here. If your city isn't on the list, call and ask.
If you tell us where the crack or leak is and how long it's been there when you call (509) 452-1015, I can bring what I need to the first visit.
If you've got a question about the brick, block or stone on your Ellensburg house, send it over and I'll give you a straight answer.
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