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Serving Ontario, CA and surrounding areas. (909) 738-1803
OT Ontario Masonry is a licensed masonry contractor serving Claremont, CA, specializing in stone masonry, chimney repair, and tuckpointing for the city's craftsman bungalows and Spanish Colonial Revival homes. We have served the Inland Empire and the eastern San Gabriel Valley since 2020, and we respond to new inquiries within one business day.
Claremont's craftsman bungalows and Spanish Colonial Revival homes were designed with natural materials in mind - stone pillars, entry features, and garden walls complement these styles the way vinyl fencing or poured concrete simply does not. Our stone masonry service uses natural and cut stone that matches the warm tones of the original architecture on homes near the Claremont Colleges and throughout the city.
Many Claremont homes built between the 1920s and 1960s have original brick chimneys with lime-based mortar that has softened and eroded over decades of Inland Valley heat and seasonal rain. When chimney joints are open more than a quarter inch, water enters the flue during winter rains and causes interior staining and accelerated brick deterioration - repairs that cost considerably more than repointing would have.
Claremont's older brick planters, retaining walls, and exterior masonry features commonly show eroded mortar joints by the time they are 40 or 50 years old - a normal result of exposure to the intense UV and heat of the Inland Empire summer. Tuckpointing restores the joint seal before water penetration begins, which is always cheaper than repairing the spalling and interior damage that follows water intrusion.
The craftsman bungalows closest to the Claremont Colleges and The Village often have original fired clay brick that cannot simply be patched with modern materials - color, texture, and hardness all need to match or the repair stands out for decades. We source replacement units that match the existing brick as closely as possible before starting any repair so the finished wall looks like it was never touched.
Claremont homeowners who have deferred masonry maintenance for years often find that spot repairs alone are not enough - the entire exterior masonry system needs to be cleaned, repointed, and sealed in one pass to look consistent and hold up long term. Full restoration is especially worthwhile on homes near The Village, where curb appeal and material authenticity are part of the neighborhood's character.
Properties in northern Claremont, closer to the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, tend to have sloped lots where hillside erosion and soil movement are ongoing concerns. A properly engineered masonry retaining wall with correct drainage behind it stops that movement and gives the homeowner stable, usable yard space that holds up through the rainy season.
A large share of Claremont's housing stock was built between the 1920s and the 1960s, which means many original masonry elements - chimneys, brick planters, garden walls, and entry pillars - are now 60 to 100 years old. Homes with craftsman or Spanish Colonial Revival architecture use specific materials and proportions that require careful matching on any repair. Substituting a harder modern mortar into lime-mortar joints, for example, can crack the surrounding brick rather than absorb the movement the older mix was designed to handle. Getting the material right is not a cosmetic concern - it determines whether the repair lasts or causes the next failure.
Claremont's climate creates a predictable damage cycle for masonry. The city gets most of its roughly 17 inches of annual rain between November and March, which saturates expansive clay soils and causes them to swell against foundations and flatwork. Summer heat then bakes that moisture out, causing the soil to shrink. That repeated movement widens mortar cracks, shifts retaining walls, and puts stress on older foundations. Homes in the foothill neighborhoods near the San Gabriel Mountains are also in or near designated fire hazard zones, where ember-resistant venting and proper chimney maintenance have practical safety implications beyond curb appeal.
Our crew works throughout Claremont regularly, and we understand the local conditions that affect masonry work here. Claremont sits at the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, and the permits for structural masonry work are processed through the City of Claremont Community Development Department. We are familiar with the permit process here and factor that timeline into project scheduling so there are no surprises once work begins.
The city's layout runs roughly between the 210 Freeway to the north and the 10 Freeway to the south, with the Claremont Colleges anchoring the center and The Village serving as the main commercial district. We regularly work on older homes in the neighborhoods closest to campus - where the craftsman and Spanish Colonial stock is densest - as well as on newer properties up toward Thompson Creek Trail and the base of the San Gabriel Mountains.
We also serve homeowners in nearby Upland, which borders Claremont to the east, and our team travels throughout the eastern San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire for masonry projects of all sizes.
Reach us by phone at (909) 738-1803 or through the contact form on this site. We respond to all new inquiries within one business day, and you do not need photos or measurements before calling - just describe what you are seeing and we will take it from there.
We visit the property, assess the full scope of the work, and provide a written estimate before any commitment is made. On older Claremont homes, this step is important - the condition of the surrounding masonry and the soil beneath it often affects what the job actually requires beyond the visible surface issue.
If the project requires a permit through the City of Claremont, we handle the application and schedule around the inspection timeline so work is not delayed by last-minute paperwork. Cosmetic jobs such as tuckpointing or stone veneer on an existing surface typically do not require a permit.
When the job is complete, we walk through the finished work with you before leaving the site. Cleanup is part of the job - we do not leave debris, mortar residue, or material staging on your property at the end of the project.
We serve Claremont, CA regularly and understand what older craftsman and Spanish Colonial Revival homes require. Fill out the form and we will respond within one business day.
(909) 738-1803Claremont is a city of roughly 36,000 people at the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, sitting where the San Gabriel Valley meets the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. The city is home to the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of seven nationally known institutions that define much of the city's character. The neighborhoods closest to the colleges - particularly those within a mile of The Village - have some of the oldest and most architecturally distinctive housing stock in the region, with craftsman bungalows and Spanish Colonial Revival homes built as far back as the 1910s and 1920s still occupied and well maintained.
The northern parts of Claremont, toward the base of the San Gabriel Mountains and along the Thompson Creek Trail corridor, have newer residential development from the 1980s and 1990s - mostly stucco single-family homes on modest lots with tile roofs and landscaped yards. The city has a high owner-occupancy rate and homeowners here tend to invest in maintaining their properties rather than deferring maintenance. Neighboring cities include Upland to the east and Pomona to the west, and we serve homeowners throughout all three communities.
Build strong retaining walls that hold soil and prevent erosion.
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Learn MoreClaremont homes have specific needs - older mortar types, architectural styles that require material matching, and foothill soils that shift with the seasons. Call us today and we will come out and take a look.