Flagstone, travertine, natural stone and brick patios, with the seat walls, steps and BBQ and fire-pit surrounds that make them a room — laid on the right base, sloped to drain, and finished to stay comfortable in inland heat. Free on-site design visit.
CSLB #979389 · C-29 Licensed · Bonded $25,000 · Free on-site estimates
Patios by the numbers
Realtors and landscape professionals priced a new patio at about $10,500 in the 2023 NAR/NALP Remodeling Impact Report, and owners gave it a “Joy Score” of 9.9 out of 10 — one of the highest of any outdoor project. The same report found 97% of Realtors say curb appeal matters in attracting buyers.
What separates a patio you use from one you avoid is mostly invisible: the base under it, the fall away from the house, and how hot the surface gets. The building code wants hard surfaces next to the foundation sloped at least 2% — about a quarter-inch per foot — and the EPA notes conventional paving can reach 120–150°F in summer sun. Inland, where El Cajon averages an August high of 88.6°F, material and colour matter as much as layout.
A patio is rarely just the floor. We build the walls, steps and surrounds that go with it, in matching stone. Looking for paver patios or a poured concrete slab? Those have their own pages.
Flagstone
Dry-laid on sand over a compacted base where you want drainage and flexibility; mortar-set on a slab where you want a flat, firm floor for furniture. We’ll show you both and tell you which suits your ground.
Travertine & stone
Tumbled and honed travertine, slate, quartzite and other natural stone — textured finishes for grip, lighter tones for cooler feet, laid to a pattern that works with the house.
Brick
Clay brick in running bond, herringbone or basketweave, alone or as a border around stone or concrete — a natural match for older San Diego homes with brick chimneys and planters.
Seat walls
Reinforced block walls at seating height, faced in stone or stucco and capped to sit on — they edge the patio, hold back a slope and add seating without adding furniture.
Steps
Stone, brick and paver steps between patio levels, with consistent riser heights and treads that shed water — the detail that makes a sloped yard usable.
BBQ & fire
Block cores with stone or stucco faces and stone or concrete tops, built to take an appliance or a burner. Gas lines and wiring need their own trade permits, and we plan around them. See fireplaces and fire pits.
Most patio failures start under the surface: a thin or uncompacted base that settles, or a surface that slopes back toward the house. The California Residential Code requires impervious surfaces within 10 feet of the foundation to slope at least 2% away from the building, and the ground to fall at least 6 inches in that first 10 feet — or a drain or swale to carry the water instead.
So every patio we build starts with excavation to firm ground, a compacted base, and a laid-out fall before any stone goes down. On clay ground we keep water out from under the patio; on a slope we let the steps and seat walls do the retaining. Mortared work gets joints placed where a slab wants to crack.
An at-grade patio — 30 inches or less above the ground next to it — needs no building permit in the City of San Diego or in unincorporated County areas. Patio covers are a separate structure: exempt up to 300 square feet in both, with exceptions in the City for coastal, historic and environmentally sensitive sites, and a 3-foot property-line clearance in the County. Covers are carpentry work; we coordinate with the builder so the footings and patio line up.
Heat is the other San Diego reality. Conventional paving can reach 120–150°F in full sun, so inland we steer toward lighter, textured stone and offer to set samples out in your own yard and check them with an infrared thermometer before you choose. And if you’re pulling up lawn for a SoCal WaterSmart turf rebate, know the rule: concrete and grouted surfaces disqualify that area, while flagstone laid without cement grout can stay in it. Get pre-approval before the turf comes out.
No surface wins on everything. Here’s how the common choices trade off — we’ll bring samples so you can see and feel them on your own patio site.
| Surface | How it’s laid | Water | In summer sun | Upkeep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry-laid flagstone | On sand over a compacted base | Soaks through joints | Lighter stone stays cooler | Top up joint sand; occasional reset |
| Mortared flagstone | Bonded to a concrete slab | Runs off — slab must slope | Same stone, same heat | Repoint joints if they crack |
| Travertine | Dry-laid or mortared | Depends on how it’s laid | Light tones; tumbled or honed for grip | Penetrating sealer on schedule |
| Brick | Sand-set or mortared | Depends on how it’s laid | Darker; holds heat | Low; reset or repoint as needed |
| Pavers | Sand-set with edge restraint | Joints drain; permeable pavers more so | Wide colour choice | See our paver page |
Surface temperature depends on colour, finish and shade; we don’t quote degree figures because no reliable measured comparison exists for these materials — the in-yard sample test is the honest way to compare.
We look at how you’ll use the space, the sun, the slope and the soil, and bring material samples to set out on site.
Patio edges, levels, steps and the 2% fall away from the house set out on the ground before anything is dug.
Dug to firm ground and built up with compacted base — the part you never see and the part that decides how long the patio stays flat.
Seat walls, planters, steps and surrounds go in first, so the patio floor finishes cleanly against them.
Laid dry on sand or set in mortar on a slab, with joints filled, edges restrained and the surface checked for fall.
Stone sealed where it needs it, the site cleaned up, and a walk-through on care — including what to top up and when.
Planning one? Shaun will walk the site with you and tell you what it needs — free, no obligation.
Call (619) 581-2492Based in Alpine and working county-wide. These local pages cover the permit rules, soils and conditions that change the job in each place.
Straight answers before you hire. Anything else — call, and Shaun answers it himself.
Call (619) 581-2492Usually not for the patio itself. Flatwork 30 inches or less above the adjacent ground is exempt from a building permit in the City of San Diego (SDMC §129.0203) and in unincorporated County areas (PDS 110). Seat or retaining walls over 3 feet, patio covers over 300 square feet, and gas or electrical work for a BBQ island do need permits.
Lighter, textured surfaces in partial shade stay coolest; dark brick and dark stone hold the most heat. The EPA notes conventional paving can reach 120–150°F in summer sun. We don’t quote degree differences between materials because there’s no reliable measured comparison — instead we’ll set samples out in your yard and check them with an infrared thermometer.
Dry-laid flagstone sits on sand over a compacted base, drains through its joints and rides out ground movement; it suits informal patios, paths and clay soils. Mortar-set flagstone is bonded to a concrete slab, giving a flat, firm, easy-to-sweep floor, but it sheds water and must be sloped and drained. Thin stone and heavy furniture usually call for mortar.
It can. Under SoCal WaterSmart rules, areas with concrete or other surfaces water can’t pass through are disqualified, and flagstone or spaced stone may be used only if it isn’t grouted with cement. A mortared patio comes out of the rebated area; dry-laid flagstone can stay in. Always get pre-approval before removing turf.
Yes — that’s the masonry we do best. Seat walls and BBQ islands are built on reinforced block cores with stone or stucco faces and matching caps. Any gas line or electrical circuit needs its own trade permit, which we plan for.
Away from the house. The California Residential Code requires impervious surfaces within 10 feet of the foundation to slope at least 2% away — about a quarter-inch per foot — with the ground falling 6 inches in that first 10 feet or a drain or swale taking the water.
Yes — interlocking concrete, clay and stone pavers have their own page with base, edge-restraint and permeable-paver details: see our paver installation page.
Patio covers are carpentry, not masonry, so we coordinate with the builder rather than build them ourselves. In the City and County, covers up to 300 square feet are generally exempt from a building permit, with exceptions — we’ll make sure footings, posts and the patio surface line up.
Shaun Bagwell Masonry holds California C-29 Masonry licence #979389, issued 14 December 2012, with a $25,000 contractor bond. Look it up at cslb.ca.gov → “Check a License”.
Call Shaun at (619) 581-2492 or send the form. He’ll walk the space with you, bring samples, and put a written, itemised price in your hands.
