Tired of a bare foundation or a plain block wall? We check the wall first, then set stone that sheds water and holds.
Stone veneer installation in Appleton means setting manufactured stone in mortar on an outside wall of your house, either straight onto clean, rough concrete or block, or over wire lath and a rough scratch coat of mortar when the surface won't hold a mortar bond on its own. Put up the way the industry recommends, it does its job for decades.
Most people who call us about stone veneer want stone across the front of the house, around a bare foundation or on a plain block wall. When veneer turns out poorly, the cause is usually how it was put up rather than the stone itself, so the crew you hire matters as much as the stone you pick.
The price moves with the size of the wall, what it's made of, whether it needs cleaning or lath first, how many corners, windows and doors we cut around, the stone you choose and how high we work. The schedule turns on cold weather, any repair the wall needs first and whether the city wants a permit, which we look after. I put your own figure in writing after seeing the wall.
The stone is the part you see, but the surface under it and the edges around it decide how well it holds up. These are the points we plan around on every wall.
Clean, rough concrete or block can take mortar and stone directly, without lath. Dirt, paint, waterproofing coatings and form oil all keep the mortar from bonding, so they have to come off first, usually by power washing or blasting, before the first stone goes on.
On a wood-framed wall finished with metal lath and a scratch coat, current industry guidance requires two separate layers of weather barrier, tied into the flashing and around windows and doors. Approved cement-board systems can have different barrier rules, so the backing we use changes what goes behind it.
Current industry details, as one maker's guide reports them, end the veneer at least 4 inches above finished grade, so the bottom row of stone sits above the soil or mulch beside it. If your yard slopes toward the house, that line can sit higher at one end than the other.
I'm the one you'll see at the start and the end of the job, and the wall itself decides most of what happens in between. Here's how a stone veneer job usually goes.
Call (920) 454-9038 or use the form on this page. We'll reply to set a time for me to come out and look at the wall you'd like faced.
I look at what the wall is made of and what shape it's in, since that decides how the stone goes on. Then I write an estimate that explains what we'd do and why.
If you'd like to go ahead, we take care of any permit the job needs. Our crew then prepares the wall, sets the backing and weather details it calls for, and lays the stone.
Before we leave, I go over the finished wall with you, including the bottom edge and the flashing around windows and doors. We clean up the cutting debris so the area is the way you left it.
I check the wall behind the veneer first, because stone shouldn't go over a wall that's failing or the wrong kind of surface. Sometimes the honest answer is to fix the wall before any stone goes on it, and I'd rather tell you that at the estimate than find it out halfway through the job.
When the backing is the problem, we can build it right. Our crew lays new concrete block walls that give stone a solid, rough face to bond to, and if a block foundation has reached the end of its life, foundation block wall installation comes before the veneer, not after it.
We take our time on the water details, because that's where veneer jobs usually go wrong. That means careful flashing around windows and doors and steering run-off away from the stone. One maker's guide says run-off should always be diverted, since chemicals in the water can stain the face or leave efflorescence, the white, chalky bloom you sometimes see on masonry.
Cutting, grinding and drilling stone and mortar can put fine silica dust into the air you breathe. One maker's guide calls for wet cutting or dust collection, and we keep cutting dust down around your windows, doors and cars. If you'd like to know exactly how we'll handle it on your house, please ask me at the estimate.
Stone can cover a whole wall, or run as a band along the lower part of the house with siding above. If you're unsure, I usually suggest starting with the band, because it uses less stone and labor.
Manufactured stone can be set with mortar joints showing between the pieces, or fitted tightly for a dry-stacked look. Visible joints suit a traditional house well, while the tight fit takes more cutting and more time.
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free and done in person at your home, with no obligation. I'll walk the wall with you and write down what we'd do and why.
(920) 454-9038The City of Appleton issues siding permits, and its list names vinyl, steel, composite, wood and aluminum but not stone veneer, so that list alone doesn't settle whether your job needs one. That decision is the city's, so we check with them before work starts and pull any permit the job needs ourselves.
We're based in Appleton and work in the cities around it, including Grand Chute and Neenah, along with many others nearby. Around here we see block foundations showing above the ground, older brick homes and framed walls with siding, and each one takes a different base for the stone.
I spent my first working years at a desk, and I left because I wanted to build things that would still be standing long after I'd finished. I learned masonry under experienced masons around Appleton and started this business in 2013, so we've been at it for 13 years. We're licensed and fully insured.
I come out to look at the wall myself and write the estimate. Our crew of experienced masons does the work, and I check it as it goes. I'd rather explain a problem honestly and do a smaller job well than sell you more than your house needs. Satisfaction guaranteed.
If you have a wall in mind, please call us at (920) 454-9038 or send us a message, and we'll set a time for me to come and look. Thank you for considering us.
When you need a new wall to face in stone, a block wall gives the mortar a solid, rough surface to bond to without lath in between.
If the foundation you hoped to cover is cracked through or giving way, rebuilding it in block makes more sense than hiding the damage behind new stone.
We're based in Appleton, WI and install stone veneer in the cities around it. The cities below have their own pages, and we work in many others nearby, so call if yours isn't listed.
Installing stone veneer across the US usually costs about $25 to $40 per square foot. That's a national figure for the installed work, and where your job falls depends on the wall, any prep it needs, the cuts around openings and the stone you pick. I'll put your own price in writing after seeing the wall.
It can if the wall is sound and the right kind of surface. The industry installation guide says veneer shouldn't go over a deteriorating or unsound wall or over the foam-and-stucco siding known as EIFS, and an industry technical note says it shouldn't be bonded to clay brick or other clay masonry. I check this before anything else.
Yes, with protection. One maker's guide, following current masonry requirements, calls for protecting the work whenever it's 40°F or colder, before, during and for at least 48 hours after the stone goes up. If your job falls in the cold months, expect those protection steps to be built into the schedule.
Look for Wisconsin's Dwelling Contractor certification, which is held by the owner, partner or chief executive of a business that pulls building permits for one- and two-family homes. Appleton's siding permit form asks for the contractor's state Dwelling Contractor numbers, and the state requires either a bond from a surety company authorized in Wisconsin or general liability insurance. It's fair to ask any contractor which one they carry.
Clear the space along the wall, which means moving outdoor furniture, grills, planters and anything hanging on it, and parking away from the work area. I'll point out anything else at the estimate, such as plants we'll need to work around or fixtures that come off and go back on.
Call (920) 454-9038 or use the form and tell us the wall's material, its condition and roughly how much you'd like covered, so I arrive knowing what to look for.
