Crumbling joints or loose stones on your wall? We find what wore them out and repoint with mortar that suits your house.
Stone masonry in Appleton covers the repair and building of stone walls, foundations, stoops and facings, and most of our work is repointing worn joints, resetting loose stones and building new stonework so the wall sheds water and stays sound.
Most calls start with something you can see from the yard. The mortar crumbles when you press a finger to it, sand gathers at the base of the wall, a stone rocks in its bed, or a damp stain won't dry. Those are usually signs that water has been getting into the joints, and the sooner the joints are sound again, the less of the stone itself we have to touch.
The price mostly follows how much of the wall needs new mortar, how deep the old joints have worn, and whether stones have to be reset or replaced. The schedule turns on mild weather, since mortar needs it to set, and on any permit the job needs. My written estimate lays out what your wall needs and why, so you can weigh it before deciding.
Wisconsin ties building permits for one- and two-family homes to the state's Dwelling Contractor certification, which a contracting business holds in order to pull them. If you're comparing masons for work that may need a permit, it's a fair thing to ask about, along with how each one plans to match the mortar to your wall.
Two stone jobs can look alike from the street and need quite different work. These are the points I look at before writing anything down, and the ones worth asking any mason about.
When a stone has cracked through or gone soft, we look for a replacement close in color, size and texture, because a patch that stands out makes a repair look bigger than it is. On older walls that can take some searching, and I'll tell you at the estimate how close a match we can expect.
Stone veneer is stone facing fixed to the surface of a wall, and one veneer maker says water getting in is the most common reason it fails. If you're comparing bids for veneer, ask each contractor how their plan keeps water out of the wall behind it, because that answer matters more than the stone you pick.
One maker's installation guide says an existing wall is suitable for veneer if it's structurally sound and unpainted. If your wall is painted or has started to crack or shift, that has to be dealt with first, so I look closely at the surface before we talk about which stone to put on it.
One veneer maker says multi-story installations, high walls and other engineered work need a design from a registered design professional. For a tall wall or a facade that runs up more than one story, that design comes first, and the stonework follows the drawings rather than the other way around.
From the first call to the last walk-around, you'll deal with me and our crew, and nothing starts until you've read the plan and agreed to it. Here's how it usually goes.
Call (920) 454-9038 or fill out the form, and tell us a little about the wall. We'll set a time that suits you for me to come out and look at it.
I walk the job with you, point out what's causing the problem, and check the downspouts and drainage nearby. Then I write up an estimate that explains what we'd do and why, so you can decide at your own pace.
If you'd like to go ahead, we take care of any permit the job needs before work starts. Our crew of experienced masons does the work, and I check it as it goes.
Before we leave, I go over the finished job with you, joint by joint if you like. Keeping downspouts pointed away from the wall afterward is one of the most useful things you can do to help the new mortar last.
Before we touch the mortar on a stone wall, I look at the downspouts and drainage nearby, because water is often what wore the joints out in the first place. A downspout that empties against the foundation or a yard that slopes toward the wall will wash out new mortar just as it did the old, so we sort that out, or tell you plainly what needs sorting, before we repoint.
On older stone homes, we choose a mortar that lets the wall dry out and won't be harder on the stone than the original. Mortar is meant to be the part of the wall that wears and gets replaced, and when it's harder than the stone, the stone starts to crack and flake instead. The same thinking carries into our brick pointing, where the mortar is chosen for the brick you have.
When a crack runs through the stones themselves, or a wall has bowed or settled, fresh mortar won't fix it, because the trouble is underneath. In that case I'll tell you so, and we look at foundation repair before any pointing, since it makes little sense to repoint a wall that's still moving.
If the damage sits low on the wall or under one downspout, repointing just those sections is often the right job. I'd rather do that well than sell you a whole wall that doesn't need it yet.
Full stone carries its own weight and needs a footing beneath it, while adhered veneer is thinner and fixed to a wall that's already there. Veneer suits a sound existing wall, and full stone suits new walls, stoops and steps.
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come and look at the wall. The estimate is free and done at your home, and you're under no obligation once you've read it. Thank you for considering us.
(920) 454-9038In Appleton, building permits go through the City of Appleton Inspection Division, which you can reach at (920) 832-6411. Whether a particular stone job needs one isn't something I'll guess at, so before work starts we check with the city, and when a permit is needed we pull it ourselves and keep the paperwork in order.
Around Appleton we see a lot of older homes with stone foundations, stone steps and garden walls, and our long winters are hard on them, since water that soaks into a joint freezes and pushes it apart. We're based in Appleton and do the same work in the cities around it, including Grand Chute and Neenah, along with many others nearby.
I started this business in 2013, after leaving a desk job and learning the trade under experienced masons around Appleton. Careful mortar work on older brick and stone homes is still what we're best known for, and I care that every repair suits the house it's on, with the right mortar for the stone and the right base underneath.
I come out to look at the job myself and write the estimate, so the person explaining the plan is the one answering for it. Our crew of experienced masons does the work, and I check it as it goes. We're licensed and fully insured. Our promise to you is satisfaction guaranteed.
If your stone has started to crumble or a joint has opened up, the next step is a visit. Call (920) 454-9038 or send a message through our contact form, and I'll come out, show you what I find and tell you honestly what the wall needs.
If your chimney, porch or house walls are brick, worn joints there call for the same careful raking out and a mortar chosen to suit that brick.
When stones are cracking through, a wall is bowing or the house has settled, the cause sits below the mortar and needs fixing before any repointing.
We're based in Appleton and do stone repair, repointing and new stonework across the cities around it. The cities below have their own page, and we work in many others nearby too.
Your cost comes from a written estimate after I've seen the wall, because a crack that looks the same can mean a few joints or a whole face. The biggest factors are how much mortar has to come out, whether stones need replacing and how easy the wall is to reach. Lime mortar and stone matching on older homes take more time.
Repointing, also called tuckpointing, means removing the worn mortar from the joints of a masonry wall and replacing it with new mortar. It matters because mortar that lets moisture move out of the wall and evaporate protects the stone itself, so the joints wear instead of the stone.
Guidance for repointing historic masonry calls for mortar no stronger than the stone around it or the original mortar mix, and for a lime-based mortar in historic work. That's advice for older homes, not every wall, so ask any mason which mortar they plan to use and how it compares with what's in your wall now.
Only when the mortar and the work area stay at 40 degrees F or warmer, which is the mark one stone maker's installation guide sets for mortar to set properly. In Appleton that means planning outdoor mortar work for days that reach it, or keeping the work area that warm, so late fall and early spring jobs depend on the forecast.
Wisconsin's code for homes puts footings for stoops and landings below the depth where the ground freezes, or at least 48 inches below the grade next to them, whichever is deeper. They also go on undisturbed or compacted soil free of organic material, unless they're reinforced to bridge poor soil, so we check the ground before work starts.
Take a few photos of the wall, a close look at the mortar joints and the downspouts nearby, and send them with your message so I know what to look for. On the day, clear a path along the wall if you can, since I'll want to look closely at the joints and where the water runs.
Call (920) 454-9038 or use the form, because a joint caught early usually needs only repointing, while one left through another winter can loosen the stones around it.
