From historic brick restoration in Montclair to natural stone patios in Paramus, our masons combine traditional craft with modern engineering. We tuck-point, rebuild, and lay new stonework with proper drainage and frost-depth footings. Serving Paterson and neighborhoods like Eastside, Hillcrest, South Paterson.
Retaining walls are the defining Paterson masonry job. The hills here mean nearly every property has one, and many are century-old dry-laid or mortared stone walls that have bulged where drainage was never provided. We rebuild them with proper batter, drainage stone, filter fabric, and weep holes, reusing the original stone where the client wants the historic appearance kept.
The city's historic brick buildings also need a great deal of re-pointing, and the mortar match matters more here than in most of our service area. Nineteenth-century Paterson brick is soft; a modern hard mix will destroy the brick faces within a few freeze cycles. We test and match rather than defaulting to a bagged mix.
Paterson's hillside streets in Hillcrest and Eastside mean nearly every property has some form of retaining wall, and a large share of what we find are century-old dry-laid or lightly mortared stone walls bulging where no drainage was ever built in. South Paterson and Riverside have dense brick multi-family stock with soft nineteenth-century brick that's easily damaged by modern hard mortar. Paterson also has some of the oldest chimney and facade masonry in our service area, with mortar in places weathered down to loose sand rather than a workable joint.
Paterson requires a construction permit for retaining wall rebuilds, particularly given the height and slope involved on many hillside lots, as well as for structural re-pointing and stoop reconstruction. The city's engineering division reviews retaining wall plans for drainage and slope stability where a wall failure could affect a neighboring property or the public street below. Sidewalk and curb work in the denser Eastside and South Paterson blocks goes through public works separately, and multi-family buildings sometimes face code enforcement attention on facade condition tied to habitability inspections.
Retaining wall rebuilds dominate Paterson pricing and scale heavily with height, length, and whether the original stone is being reused, which keeps costs down compared to buying all new material but adds labor for careful dismantling and resetting. Nineteenth-century brick re-pointing requires custom mortar matching to the brick's original softness, which takes longer than a standard mix and pushes facade jobs toward the higher end of the range.
Price your own Paterson roof with our NJ cost calculatorRebuilt a 50-foot bulging dry-stone retaining wall along a driveway where decades of unmanaged runoff had pushed several courses out of alignment. Dismantled and salvaged roughly 80% of the original stone, excavated for a proper footing, rebuilt with correct batter, drainage stone backfill, filter fabric, and weep openings, and reset the salvaged stone facing to preserve the historic appearance. Six days, roughly $15,200.
Real tear-off, installation and finished roof photos from Alba Pro Construction crews working in Paterson and the surrounding North Jersey towns.
Finished architectural shingle roof with a standing seam metal porch section.
Shingles going on while tear-off debris stays contained beside the driveway.
Overhead view showing new hip and ridge caps after replacement.
Every price, permit note and roof problem on this page comes from masonry work our own crews have done in Paterson and around Passaic County.
Written and reviewed by the Alba Pro Construction roofing team. Last reviewed September 2026.
Our yard sits at 81 Jewell St in Garfield, roughly 4 miles out. Passaic County is daily driving for our crews.
Licensed NJ contractor, GAF certified, family run since 2004.
$2M Liability liability coverage, and we stay on the Paterson job through the municipal inspection.
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Alba Pro Construction handles masonry for homeowners in Paterson, NJ 07501 and the surrounding North Jersey towns. The comments below are authentic Google reviews of our work, shown word for word. We do not claim a reviewer lives in Paterson unless the review itself says so. See every Alba Pro review or read how we handle masonry across New Jersey.
"Excellent work on the roof repair. They were punctual, explained every step, and left everything clean when they finished. We haven't had any leaks since the rain. Highly recommended"
"I recently had my roof completely replaced by this company, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. From the initial inspection and estimate to the final cleanup, the entire process was handled professionally and efficiently. The crew arrived on time, worked hard throughout the project, and paid attention to every detail. They kept me informed every step of the way and made sure all my questions were answered. The new roof looks fantastic, and the quality of the workmanship is evident. They left my property spotless when the job was completed, which I really appreciated., they definitely "
"I had an amazing experience with Alba Pro for our complete roof replacement. From the initial inspection to the final cleanup, the entire process was smooth and hassle-free. The crew was punctual, hardworking, and finished the project right on schedule. The craftsmanship is top-notch, and my new roof looks fantastic!"
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A bulge means water pressure and no drainage behind the wall. Face repairs will not hold. It needs rebuilding with batter, drainage stone, and weep holes — the original stone can usually be reused.
Nineteenth-century brick is soft and porous. A hard modern mortar transfers stress into the brick and spalls the faces. We match the original hardness so the mortar stays the sacrificial element.
In almost every case, yes. A bulge means water pressure has built up behind the wall with nowhere to drain, and no amount of surface repair on the face relieves that pressure — it will keep pushing until sections fail outright. The correct fix is rebuilding with proper batter, drainage stone, and weep holes, and in most cases we can reuse the original stone to keep the historic look.
Nineteenth-century Paterson brick is notably soft and porous compared to modern brick, and it was built to work with an equally soft lime mortar. A hard modern Portland-based mix transfers stress into the brick instead of the joint, and within a few freeze-thaw cycles the brick faces themselves start spalling. We test and match mortar hardness specifically to avoid causing that damage.
Very likely, given how many Paterson lots involve real slope and drainage stability concerns for the property below. The city's engineering division typically reviews retaining wall plans on hillside lots for exactly that reason. We handle the plan submission and factor the review timeline into scheduling upfront.