Masonry contractor in Fort Myers - straight walls and sound mortar joints
Select Bonita Springs Masonry & Concrete is a Bonita Springs masonry contractor working in Fort Myers. We repoint worn mortar joints, repair cracked brick and block, and build walls, walkways and paver driveways for homes across the city.
Fort Myers houses as we see them on the job
We see two kinds of houses most in Fort Myers. Near downtown, the older neighborhoods have brick and block homes that a few owners have patched over the years. The newer subdivisions east toward Gateway are mostly block and stucco, with paver driveways, pool decks and garden walls. Shops and offices line the main roads too, and some calls come from small buildings with brick fronts that have seen better days.
That split shapes the work. On the older houses, most of the job is matching brick and mortar so a repair doesn't stand out. On the newer ones, it's usually building something new on block that's sound to start with.
Working in Fort Myers: permits, licenses and what sets the price
In Fort Myers, building permits come from the city's Building, Permitting and Inspections office, and it wants proof of license from any contractor who pulls one. When your job needs a permit, I check with the office for your address, we file it ourselves and keep you posted, and our crew doesn't start until it's in hand, so the permit is usually what sets your start date. You can look us up, or anyone you're comparing us to, on the state's licensing portal. A certified license there is good anywhere in Florida, while a registered one only covers the cities or counties where the holder has a certificate of competency. The city also requires a current business tax receipt before anyone does business inside the city. We're licensed and fully insured. The price mostly comes down to how big the job is, what it's built from and how much old work has to come out before the new work goes in.
Fort Myers jobs run from tight lots on the older streets, where we carry brick and block in by hand and keep the neighbor's yard clean, to newer subdivisions with room to set materials right beside the wall. On the busier roads we plan deliveries so a pallet isn't sitting in your driveway longer than it has to. The same crew works just south in Cypress Lake, so the houses and the calls there look a lot like the ones here.
What Fort Myers houses usually need from a mason
Older brick and block homes are where we find worn joints and cracked brick, often because an earlier patch used mortar harder than the brick around it, so the brick gave instead of the joint. We cut out the bad joints and repoint with mortar that suits the wall. If your house sits in one of the city's historic districts of Downtown, Dean Park, Edison Park or Seminole Park, the city's Historic Preservation program oversees work there and reviews Certificate of Review applications, so I ask about that before we plan anything.
Newer block houses bring a different call, mostly garden walls, walkways and plain fronts that owners want dressed up with stone veneer installation on columns or an outdoor kitchen. We check the wall underneath first, because veneer set on a weak or dirty base is the veneer that comes loose.
Get a free written masonry estimate for your Fort Myers home
We reply within one business day to set a time. Then I come out to your Fort Myers house, look at the job myself and write up the estimate. It's free and there's no obligation.
(239) 256-7568How a masonry job goes when you call us in Fort Myers
Call us or send the form
Call (239) 256-7568 or send the form and tell us what you're seeing at your Fort Myers house. A couple of photos help me know what to look for.
I look at the job myself
I come out, walk the job with you and tell you straight what it needs and what it doesn't. If a repair isn't worth the money, I'll say so right there.
You get a written estimate
Everything we plan to do is written down, so you can see what's included and compare it. Take the time you need with it.
We sort out the permit
If the job needs a permit, we file it and keep you posted, and we don't start until it's in hand. Bigger jobs come with a notice for you to sign, covered in the questions below.
Our crew builds, I check
Our own crew does the work, and I'm on site checking it as it goes up, the way I was taught. We clean up before we call it done.
Brick, block and stone work
Fort Myers masonry questions we hear
How do I find out if my masonry job needs a permit in Fort Myers?
Start with the city's rule that a building permit is needed to construct, alter, repair, move or demolish a building or structure. Its list of examples names things like fences, sheds and remodels, and the city says the list isn't complete. When your job isn't clearly on it, I check with the city's permit office for your address before we price it.
Can a small masonry repair in Fort Myers skip a permit?
Sometimes, because the city's permit office takes permit exemption requests for single-family homes outside flood hazard areas when the work is valued under $7,500.00, with a $50.00 fee if it's approved. Structural work is left out of that exemption, so a cracked foundation wall or a rebuilt bearing wall won't qualify. If your repair is small and not structural, ask me and we'll look at whether it fits.
What counts as substantial improvement on a Fort Myers home?
Work counts as substantial improvement when its total cost over 12 months equals or exceeds half of the building's market value before the work, and after substantial damage any repair counts. In that case the city requires an elevation certificate showing the lowest floor, and a lowest floor below base flood elevation has to be raised to or above it, along with electrical and mechanical equipment, bathrooms and laundry rooms. On a big repair or rebuild, I flag this early because it can change the whole plan.
How much does masonry work cost in Fort Myers?
Your price is set by the job in front of me, and you get it in writing after I've seen it. Matching old brick on an older house, tight access and permit work push it up, while repointing only the joints that have failed, instead of the whole wall, keeps it down. I'd rather tell you a repair isn't worth it than sell you one you don't need.
What paperwork do I sign for a masonry job over $5,000 in Fort Myers?
Jobs over $5,000 need a Notice of Commencement that's certified, recorded and notarized before inspections, and the property owner, a lessee or the owner's agent signs it. I'll tell you when your job needs one so it doesn't hold up an inspection.
What is the best way to fix a cracked block wall in Fort Myers?
The best fix starts with finding out why it cracked, because filling a crack that's still moving just gets you the same crack back. A hairline crack in an old wall may only need the joints cut out and repointed, while a wall that's leaning or split through usually has to come down and be laid again. I'll tell you which one you have.
Plan your Fort Myers masonry job with us
Call (239) 256-7568 or send the form, and since we answer into the evening every day of the week, you can reach us after your own workday.