Masonry Contractor in Indian Harbour Beach - Block and Brick Built for Salt Air
Fieldstone Palm Bay Concrete & Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Palm Bay that repairs and builds brick, block walls, pavers and chimneys for homes in Indian Harbour Beach, and I come out to look at every job myself.
Older block homes between the river and the ocean
Indian Harbour Beach is a small, mostly residential city on the barrier island, with the river on one side and the ocean on the other, and its streets run right into Satellite Beach to the north. Most of our calls here come from single-family homes on tight lots. A lot of them are concrete block with stucco, some have brick fronts, and many went up decades ago. There are also condos near the beach and a run of shops along South Patrick Drive. Plenty of those houses still have the mortar, paver driveway or garden wall they were built with, and it shows.
The ground is sand, the water sits close under it, and the salt air reaches every house on the island, so when I look at a cracked wall or a sinking walkway here, I'm looking at what water and air have done to it as much as at the crack.
What we know from working in Indian Harbour Beach
Building permits in Indian Harbour Beach come from the city's own Building Official, so before we start here we check with that office and handle the permit when your job needs one, and when it does, the start date waits on that permit. Before you hire anyone, ask for their Florida contractor license, which you can look up with the state licensing board, and for their Business Tax Receipt. We're fully licensed and insured. What moves the price most is how much old mortar, brick or block has to come out, whether there's water or settling behind the damage and how easy the spot is to reach, and I put all of that in a written estimate once I've seen it.
Coming from Palm Bay means a bridge over the river, and once we're on the island most jobs sit on side streets off South Patrick Drive where driveways are short and neighbors are close, so we plan where the block, sand and mixer go before the crew arrives. The salt wear we find on brick and mortar here looks a lot like what we fix on older houses in Melbourne and down in Sebastian, and we handle it the same way, finding out why it failed before we fix it.
Masonry services in Indian Harbour Beach
- Foundation repair
- Chimney repair
- Tuckpointing
- Brick repair
- Driveway pavers
- Retaining wall construction
- Masonry restoration
- Fireplace installation
- Stone veneer installation
- Concrete block walls
- Foundation block wall installation
- Outdoor kitchen masonry
- Walkway construction
- Brick wall installation
- Stone masonry
- Brick pointing
Salt air and summer storms work on masonry here
Salt carried on the ocean wind settles into brick and mortar joints, and over the years it softens the mortar and can make the face of older brick flake off. That's why loose joints and chipped brick are some of the most common calls we get on this island. We find where the water and salt are getting in before we touch anything. Then we rake out the bad mortar and repoint, or do brick repair where the brick itself is gone, because fresh mortar over a leak that's still there is money wasted.
Flooding around here usually comes from a lot of rain in a short time, or from storm surge when a tropical storm or hurricane comes through, and on sandy lots that water can wash the base out from under pavers, walkways and garden walls. When something is sinking or leaning, we check where the water runs before we rebuild, so we're not resetting the same pavers next year.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Indian Harbour Beach masonry job
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set up a time for me to come out to your house in Indian Harbour Beach. I'll look the job over with you, answer your questions and give you a written estimate. There's no obligation to go ahead.
What happens when you call us in Indian Harbour Beach
Call or send the form
Tell us what you're seeing at your house, and we'll set up a time for me to come out. A few phone photos of the crack or loose brick help me plan what to look for.
I come out to look
I walk the job with you, look past the crack for what's causing it and answer every question you've got. If you've noticed water pooling after a heavy rain, show me where.
You get a written estimate
The estimate says what we'd fix, how we'd fix it and why. If something can't be known until the old mortar comes out, I tell you that before you decide.
We check on the permit
Before we start, we check with the city's building office and handle the permit when your job needs one. When it does, we schedule the crew once the permit is in hand.
Our lead mason does the work
Our lead mason runs the crew on site, so it helps to move cars and clear a path to the work beforehand. When they finish, I come back and look it over with you.
Examples of masonry work
Masonry questions from Indian Harbour Beach homeowners
How do I pull my own building permit in Indian Harbour Beach as an owner-builder?
Owner-builders in Indian Harbour Beach have to submit their permit application in person. Call the city's Building Department at 321.773.3181 to get the forms you'll need and book an appointment at the office. If you hire us instead, the permit is ours to handle when the job needs one.
Can a contractor with a registered Florida license work in Indian Harbour Beach?
Only if they hold a certificate of competency for this city or county, because a registered license covers just the places where the holder has one. A certified license is statewide and lets the holder work anywhere in Florida. When you look a contractor up, check which kind they hold before you sign anything.
What business tax receipts should a masonry contractor in Indian Harbour Beach have?
Brevard County requires a Business Tax Receipt for each business location, and Indian Harbour Beach issues its own through the City Clerk once the Building Official and Fire Marshal approve it. Under state law, a business the state licenses has to show a copy of its license before the county issues its receipt. The county's page lists its receipts as expiring September 30 each year, and the city's renews October 1.
How much does masonry repair cost in Indian Harbour Beach?
Most of the cost comes from how far the damage goes, so a patch of loose mortar is a small job and a wall section with rusted steel inside is a much bigger one. Salt damage that has spread into the brick adds replacement brick and matching. A permit, tight access between houses and hauling off old block add to it too, and I give you a written figure after I've looked.
What causes cracks in concrete block walls on older Indian Harbour Beach homes?
The most common cause we find is water and salt reaching the steel inside the wall, which rusts, swells and pushes the block and stucco apart. Settling in the sandy fill under a footing is the other usual one, and the shape of the crack often tells me which I'm looking at. Patching the crack without stopping the cause just means it opens again.
When is the best time of year for outdoor masonry work in Indian Harbour Beach?
Late fall through spring is usually easiest, because the nearby Melbourne weather station records the most rain from June through September. We still work through summer, doing mortar work in the mornings and covering fresh work before afternoon storms roll in. Wet weather can push a day back, and I'll be straight with you about that when we schedule.
Call about your Indian Harbour Beach masonry job
Call (321) 326-1779 or send the form, since a crack usually costs less to fix while it's small and its cause is easy to find.