Masonry Contractor in Clifton, NJ
Let me tell you a little bit about Clifton. It sits right in the middle of Passaic County and covers over 11 square miles. It has around 18 neighborhoods, and it's one of the larger towns in North New Jersey. What's interesting is that it used to be even larger. Though Clifton wasn't incorporated as a city until 1917, there was a community in the area since 16791. The area was called Acquackanonk Township. Back then, it included parts of what are now Little Falls, Passaic, Paterson, and West Paterson.
Masonry Pro Construction has been serving the Clifton area for over 35 years as a licensed masonry contractor. We install and repair paver patios, retaining walls, masonry steps and stoops, concrete driveways and sidewalks, and a full range of related work across the city.
Our shop in Totowa is about 10 minutes away, so our crew is in and out of Clifton on a regular basis. We serve homeowners throughout Passaic County, and Clifton is one of the towns we know best.
What makes Clifton different from a lot of surrounding towns is the mix of home styles and terrain you get within a single city. The western side near Garrett Mountain has some of the steepest residential lots in the county, while the eastern neighborhoods closer to Nutley and Bloomfield are flatter and more densely built. A lot of the houses were built from the 1940s through the 1970s. The home styles that were popular then were Cape Cods, split-levels, ranches, and Colonials. That means the original masonry work (front steps, driveways, foundation walls) may have 50 to 80 years of wear.
The soil across most of Clifton is Boonton series glacial till, which is a clay-heavy mix that holds water and expands when it freezes.2 That matters because the freeze-thaw cycle in North Jersey is what causes pavers to shift, concrete to crack, and retaining walls to lean over time. How we prepare the base and handle drainage on a Clifton job is directly tied to the soil condition, and we factor it into every project we build.
If you have a project in mind or something that needs fixing, we are usually able to come out for a free estimate within a few days. Call or text and we will set up a time.
How We Get to Clifton from Totowa
We're located at 36 Highview Ave in Totowa, and getting to most Clifton neighborhoods takes about 10 minutes, depending on which part of the city the job is in.
Our usual route is Totowa Road to Union Boulevard, then onto Route 46 East. Route 46 runs right through Clifton and connects to pretty much everything else from there. For jobs in the western neighborhoods like Albion or Montclair Heights, we take the Valley Road exit off of Route 46. For central Clifton (Athenia, Richfield, Main Mall area), we stay on 46 to the Route 19 interchange and come down Broad Street. And if the job is on the eastern side near Delawanna, Botany Village, or Lakeview, the Garden State Parkway gets us there faster than surface streets.
On the way in, we pass through Little Falls and cross the Passaic River, which is a route we also take to get to jobs in Woodland Park and Paterson. A lot of the towns we serve (Wayne, Passaic, Nutley, Bloomfield) are all within a few minutes of that same Route 46 corridor, so we are in this area constantly.
Paver Patios Built for Clifton's Clay Soil and Cold Winters
Paver patios are among the most common projects we do in Clifton because so many of these older homes were either built without a finished patio or the original poured concrete slab has cracked and settled over decades of use. A lot of the Cape Cods and ranches in neighborhoods like Athenia and Richfield have backyards that were never really set up for outdoor living, and homeowners want to change that.
The thing that makes patio work in Clifton a little different from some other areas is the soil. Boonton series clay holds onto moisture, and when that moisture freezes in the winter it expands and pushes whatever is sitting on top of it out of alignment. A patio that was laid on a thin base or without proper drainage can start shifting and settling within a few years because the ground underneath is doing the moving for it. That is why we dig deeper than a lot of contractors do and compact the aggregate base in lifts, because on clay soil you do not get a second chance to get the foundation right.
We also get a fair number of calls from homeowners who searched for stamped concrete and ended up finding us. We will be upfront about it: stamped concrete does not hold up well in North Jersey. The freeze-thaw cycling cracks the surface, and once that seal breaks, the deterioration speeds up fast. Pavers handle the same conditions better because each unit can flex independently, and if one does crack you can pull it and replace just that piece without redoing the whole patio. Learn more about our paver patio installation process.
Retaining Walls for Sloped Lots Near Garrett Mountain and Western Clifton
The western side of Clifton, where the city borders Garrett Mountain and the First Watchung Ridge, has some of the steepest residential lots you will find in Passaic County. Neighborhoods like Albion and Montclair Heights sit on terrain that rises sharply from the streets, and that grade change means a lot of properties either already have retaining walls or need them.
A retaining wall on a sloped lot is not just a landscaping feature. It is a structural element that holds back soil, manages water runoff, and protects whatever is below it (your driveway, your foundation, your neighbor's yard). When the soil behind that wall is clay-heavy, as it is across most of Clifton, lateral pressure increases every time the ground absorbs water and then freezes, which is why drainage behind the wall is just as important as the wall itself. We install filter fabric, gravel backfill, and weep holes on every retaining wall job because skipping that step is how walls end up leaning or cracking within a few years.
Permit-wise, Clifton requires a building permit for retaining walls, and the application needs to include a certified plot plan showing the exact location, elevation, and design. If the wall is over 4 feet tall, the NJ Uniform Construction Code3 requires engineering calculations from a licensed professional engineer. We handle the permit coordination with the Clifton Building Department so you do not have to figure that out on your own. Need a retaining wall repair? We do that too.
Need a Wall or Patio Estimate? We're 10 Minutes Away
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Masonry Steps and Stoops on Clifton's Older Homes
Front steps and stoops are probably the single most common repair call we get from Clifton homeowners, and it makes sense when you think about how old a lot of these homes are. The Cape Cods and Colonials built in the late 1940s and 1950s, the split-levels from the 1960s, the ranches scattered across Richfield and Athenia, most of them still have the original poured concrete steps that were put in when the house was built. After 50 to 70 years of salt, rain, snow, and freeze-thaw, that concrete starts to crack and crumble.
What we see on a lot of these older Clifton homes is that the original steps were poured with shallow footings and little to no reinforcement. That was common for the era and nobody thought twice about it at the time, but it means the stoop can start to settle unevenly or pull away from the house as the ground underneath moves. On split-levels in particular, the raised front entry means a taller stoop with more steps, which puts more weight on those footings and makes proper depth even more important.
A stoop that is pulling away from the house is more than a cosmetic issue. That gap between the stoop and the foundation is a place where water gets in, and water getting behind your foundation wall is the kind of problem that costs a lot more to fix than replacing the steps would have. If your front steps are cracked, leaning, or separating from the house, it is worth getting someone out to look at it sooner rather than later. Learn more about our masonry steps and stoops work.
Concrete Driveways That Hold Up on Clifton's Residential Streets
A lot of the driveways in Clifton are original to the home, which means they have been sitting through 50 or 60 winters of salt, plowing, and freeze-thaw without ever being replaced. Surface spalling (where the top layer flakes and pits) is the first thing most homeowners notice, but by the time you can see that, the concrete underneath has usually been cracking for a while because water has been getting into the slab and expanding every time it freezes.
Clifton's residential lots are on the narrower side in a lot of neighborhoods, so driveway replacement needs to account for property line setbacks and sometimes shared access points with neighbors. About 40% of properties in Clifton are multi-family, which can mean wider driveway pads or configurations that have to work for more than one household. We measure the lot and check the setbacks before we quote the job so there are no surprises once work starts.
One thing to know about driveway work in Clifton: if your project involves modifying the curb opening or driveway apron, you need a driveway cut and curb permit from the Clifton Engineering Department. The fee is $25, and there are specific regulations on driveway width and location that the city enforces4. For work on streets maintained by Passaic County, you may also need a separate county road permit. We sort out which permits apply and handle the applications as part of the project. Learn more about our concrete driveway installations.
Services We Provide in Clifton
Here is a quick look at the work we do across Clifton's neighborhoods. Each service links to a page with more detail on materials, process, and what to expect.
- Paver Patio Installation: Custom patios with proper base prep for clay soil. Brick, bluestone, natural stone, and concrete pavers.
- Retaining Wall Installation: Structural and decorative walls for sloped lots, including drainage and engineering coordination.
- Retaining Wall Repair: Fixing leaning, cracked, or bulging walls and addressing the drainage problems behind them.
- Masonry Steps & Stoops: New construction and replacement steps for older homes, built on proper footings.
- Concrete Driveway Installation: Full driveway replacement with reinforcement and drainage built in.
- Stone Veneer Installation: Facade upgrades for Colonials, split-levels, and foundation wraps.
- Brick & Block Work: Repairs, repointing, and new construction for residential and commercial properties.
- Basement Waterproofing: Interior and exterior waterproofing for Clifton basements affected by clay soil drainage.
Frequently Asked Questions About Masonry Work in Clifton
Do I need a permit for a paver patio in Clifton?
A paver patio on your own property typically does not require a building permit in Clifton, but it does count toward your lot's impervious coverage under the city's zoning code. If your project involves changes to drainage or grading near the property line, the Building Department may need to review it. We can check what applies to your specific lot when we come out for the estimate.
Do retaining walls in Clifton require engineering?
Retaining walls over 4 feet tall require a NJ construction permit and engineering calculations from a licensed professional engineer, per the NJ Uniform Construction Code. Walls under 4 feet still need a zoning permit in Clifton with a certified plot plan showing the wall location and elevation. We coordinate the permit process with the city so you are not dealing with that paperwork yourself.
What type of soil do most Clifton properties have?
Most of Clifton sits on Boonton series glacial till, which is a clay-heavy soil formed from shale, basalt, and diabase. It holds water and expands when it freezes, and that movement is what causes settling, shifting, and cracking in patios, driveways, and walls over time. We account for it by excavating deeper, compacting the base in lifts, and building in drainage so the water has somewhere to go instead of sitting under your project.
How long does it take to replace front steps on a Clifton home?
Most step and stoop replacements in Clifton take about 3 to 5 working days, depending on the size of the stoop and whether the existing footings need to come out. Weather and permit timing can shift things, but we give you a clear schedule before we start and we keep you updated if anything changes.
When is the best time of year to start a patio project in Clifton?
Spring through early fall, roughly April to November, is the best window because the ground needs to be workable and temperatures need to stay above freezing for materials to set properly. We start booking spring projects in late winter, so if you reach out in February or March you have the best shot at getting on the schedule early in the season before things fill up.
Does Masonry Pro serve all neighborhoods in Clifton?
Yes, we work across all of Clifton, from Montclair Heights and Allwood on the western side to Athenia, Richfield, Delawanna, and Lakeview in the central and eastern sections. Our shop in Totowa is about 10 minutes from most parts of the city, and we are in Clifton regularly for both new projects and repairs.
Get a Free Estimate on Your Clifton Masonry Project
If you have a project in mind or something that needs attention, call or text us and we will set up a time to come take a look. Estimates are free, and there is no trip fee. We can usually get out to Clifton within a few days of your call.