Hardscape Contractor
Complete outdoor living spaces from one licensed contractor: pavers, flagstone, concrete, retaining walls, masonry, outdoor kitchens and fire features, built on a proper base with drainage.
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Much of Marina sits on old coastal dune sand at the north edge of the former Fort Ord. The city's own coastal land use plan calls the ground here fast draining sandy soils. Strong onshore wind and fog are typical, which is why the tall dunes at Marina State Beach draw hang gliders. Sand and wind both change how a patio, a walkway or a wall has to be built.
Aguilar and Sons Construction is based in Salinas and works the Monterey Bay area within about 45 minutes. We drive over to Marina for paver patios and walkways, poured concrete patios, low walls, masonry, pergolas, fences and decks. One licensed general building contractor covers the concrete, the masonry, the carpentry and the iron work. Call or text (831) 262-9943 for a free estimate on your yard.
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Marina yards sit on sand, not on valley clay. Soil surveys describe the soils that form in old coastal dunes here as sand that drains very fast. Water does not pond in it the way it does inland. Loose sand also will not carry weight until it is confined and compacted.
So we dig out to firm ground and compact the subgrade first. Then we build a crushed rock base in lifts and compact each lift. Pavers get a bedding layer, tight cuts and a solid edge restraint on every open side. Without that edge, sand lets the outside course creep over the years.
A poured slab gets the same work underneath. We wet and compact the sand, set the steel on chairs, and slope the finish away from the house. Fast draining ground still moves water, and water running under a slab edge will undercut it. Drainage is part of the pour, not an extra.
A large share of Marina's newer housing sits on former Fort Ord land. Sea Haven, once called Marina Heights, is a development of 1,050 homes on about 248 acres. It lies between Imjin Road, Abrams Drive and 12th Street, and the city has approved it in phases. Cypress Knolls, roughly 188 acres of old Army housing land, sits to the west, with The Dunes south of it.
Many of those homes are handed over with a graded dirt yard and nothing in it. That yard needs a patio, a path to the side gate and a spot for a table. Lots here often step down a few feet, so low retaining and garden walls do real work. Stone veneer or a stucco finish on those walls ties them to the house.
Marina's newer subdivisions carry their own community design guidelines. The city posts a set for Marina Heights that was amended in 2019. Some tracts also have a homeowners association with rules on wall height, fence style and finishes. Read yours before you settle on a paver color or a cover.
Marina's coastal land use plan states that strong onshore winds and fog are typical of the weather here. California State Parks says the same about this run of coastline. Strong wind and tall dunes are the reason Marina State Beach is a hang gliding and kite flying spot. An open patio on the bay side of town can be hard to sit on in the afternoon.
That is why a lot of Marina yards want shelter built into the plan. A pergola or a solid patio cover takes the edge off the wind over a seating area. A low masonry seat wall on the windward side does the same job at table height. A gas fire pit set behind that wall stays usable on a cool foggy evening.
Salt air narrows the material choices too. Redwood fences and custom iron gates hold up here when the iron is prepped, coated and touched up. Concrete cures slower in cool damp air, so we plan the pour and the finish around the weather. The Cypress Knolls side of town carries a canopy of Monterey cypress and pine. Flagstone and pavers in that shade get mossy, so we set them to drain and reseal.
Marina is an incorporated city, so the city permits this work rather than the county. Its Community Development Department runs Building and Permit Services from 209 Cypress Avenue. Building permit applications go in through the city's online portal. The city's Design Review Board reviews development applications and makes recommendations to the Planning Commission.
A new or widened driveway that meets a public street is a second permit. Marina's Public Works Department issues an encroachment permit for a driveway approach, sidewalk, curb or gutter. Any work in the city right of way needs that permit before it starts.
Marina's coastal zone takes in Highway 1 and the land west of it inside the city limits. It also takes in some vacant land west of Del Monte Boulevard. Most Marina homes sit east of that line. The city keeps a coastal permit checklist for the lots that do not. We build to the permit the city issues, and to the engineer's plans when the job needs them.
Communities and areas we serve around Marina: Sea Haven, Marina Heights, Cypress Knolls, The Dunes, Marina Station, Reservation Road, Imjin Parkway, Del Monte Boulevard, Abrams Drive, Patton Parkway, Marina State Beach, Fort Ord Dunes State Park.
Marina ZIP codes served: 93933.
Free estimates throughout Monterey County and the surrounding area.
(831) 262-9943 Complete outdoor living spaces from one licensed contractor: pavers, flagstone, concrete, retaining walls, masonry, outdoor kitchens and fire features, built on a proper base with drainage.
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We set paver patios, walkways and driveways on excavated, compacted base rock with edge restraint on every open side. We lay tumbled, large-format and permeable concrete pavers, cut and fitted to the shape of the yard.
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We build concrete and concrete block retaining walls, low garden walls and planter walls with steps. The footing, the steel and the drainage behind the wall come first, then the stucco or stone veneer finish.
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We build outdoor kitchens as masonry: a block or framed island finished in stone veneer or stucco, with a stone, tile or poured concrete counter. The patio and footing under it come with the job, and we coordinate the gas, electrical and water runs.
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Stamped concrete gives a patio or walkway the color and texture of cut stone in one poured slab. We form it, set the steel, stamp the pattern and seal the finish.
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We build natural flagstone patios, walkways, steps and landings across the Monterey Bay area. The stone goes down mortar-set on a concrete slab or dry-laid on compacted base, with fitted joints and a cut stone border.
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Concrete block walls, stone veneer, columns, planters and masonry steps for homes across the Monterey Bay area. Footing, steel and drainage go in before the first block is laid.
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We build masonry outdoor fireplaces and gas or wood fire pits, set on a footing sized for the weight. Stone veneer or stucco finishes, cut stone caps and seat walls, with free estimates across the Monterey Bay area.
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We build wood pergolas and solid roof patio covers, freestanding or attached to the house. Posts land on poured footings and masonry column bases, and the frame is cut on site.
Learn MoreA few of the questions we hear most around Marina. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Call or text (831) 262-9943, or send the form with a few details about the project. Photos of the area help, and we will set a time to come out and measure.
Tell us about the job. We will get right back to you.