Crumbling joints, or a plain wall you want faced in stone? We repoint and lay veneer so the wall stays sound and dries out.
Stone masonry in Summerville, SC usually means one of two jobs for us. One is facing a wall with manufactured stone veneer, a lightweight cast stone that dresses the wall but doesn't hold anything up. The other is repointing, where we cut out worn mortar from the joints and pack in fresh mortar so the wall sheds water again.
Most calls start with something you can see. You might have mortar that crumbles when you rub it, or joints that have sunk back from the face of the stone. You might also have a plain block foundation or chimney you'd like covered in stone. On older houses it's usually the joints, on newer ones it's usually veneer, and either way the work starts with how water gets on and off that wall.
The price moves with the square footage, the stone you pick, how high the work goes and how much the wall needs before stone or mortar goes on. On repointing, it's how deep the old mortar comes out and how much of the wall needs it. The schedule turns on the weather, any approvals your address needs and when the stone arrives. Your written estimate lists the materials, the steps and anything not included.
Three things decide how a stone or repointing job goes. I check each one on the first visit, because each one changes the materials and the steps.
Veneer doesn't carry any load, so it's only as good as the wall it's stuck to. I look for cracks, soft spots and walls that are out of plumb, because stone laid over a wall that's still moving will crack right along with it. I also check that the surface is flat enough for the stone to sit tight.
Every wall gets wet, and the job is making sure the water can get out again. On veneer, that means the layers behind the stone and the edges at the bottom, around windows and at the roofline. On repointing, it means joints that are full and tooled smooth, so rain runs off the face instead of sitting in them.
On a repointing job I scrape a few joints to see how deep the mortar has softened. I also check whether it's the whole wall or just the side that takes the weather. That tells us how much has to come out, which is most of the labor, and whether some sections can wait.
Here's how a stone or repointing job runs with us, from the first call to the last walk along the wall. I'm on site at the start, during the work and at the end.
Call (843) 376-1285 or fill out our contact form with your address and a few photos of the wall. Tell us if the house is in the Historic District or has an HOA, because that changes the order of things.
I come out, look the wall over, measure it and ask what you want it to do for you. You get a written estimate that spells out the materials, the steps and anything not included.
Before we start, I check with the office that covers your address about permits. Then our crew does the work, and I check the layout, the joints and the level as it goes, not just at the end.
When it's done, we walk the wall with you so you can see the joints and the stone up close. We leave the site clean, with the mortar spatter and the cut stone hauled off.
I learned this work on a big commercial outfit where every course got measured and checked before the next one went on, and we still work that way. Before anyone mixes mortar, we set our lines, check that the work is square and level, and plan where the water will go. I'd rather spend an extra hour checking than have you find a problem down the road.
We pick the mortar to suit the wall in front of us, because older brick and stone often need something different from what goes on a new block wall. It's the same thinking behind our brick pointing work. If veneer is going over a foundation that's cracked or settling, we deal with that first through foundation repair, so the stone has something steady behind it.
We plan veneer and repointing around hot, windy or cold days so the new mortar cures right. That can mean an early start in summer or holding off through a cold snap. When we cut stone or grind out joints, we keep the dust down with water or a vacuum, so it isn't drifting into your windows or onto the neighbors' cars.
Repointing only the worst sections costs less up front, but new mortar can stand out against the old joints. On a wall the street sees, I'd usually do the full face so the color and joint lines read as one.
Dry stack veneer fits the stones tight with little mortar showing, which takes more cutting and fitting. Grouted joints show mortar lines and forgive small differences in stone size. On an older-style house, I'd usually go grouted.
We get back to you within one business day, and the on-site estimate is free with no pressure to book. Send your address, whether you're in the Historic District and a few photos of the wall, and I'll set a time to come out and measure. You get the written estimate after that visit.
(843) 376-1285If your house sits in Summerville's Downtown Historic District, the Board of Architectural Review reviews new construction, exterior changes and demolition there. It has to approve the work before the permit application goes in. Outside the district, we find out whether you're inside city limits or in the county, check with the office that covers your address, and handle the permit and inspections when the job needs them.
For damaged stone or brick in the district, the city's design guidance calls for replacing only what's damaged, using material of similar size, color and texture. It also calls for laying the new units in the historic bond pattern, the way the units are arranged, with joints that match the old ones. We help you line up the board's approval, and any HOA sign-off, before the permit.
Most of our calls here come from owners of older brick homes with joints that have worn soft, and from people planning walls, walks and patios. We're based in Summerville and work across the cities around it in Dorchester, Berkeley and Charleston counties, including Ladson and Goose Creek. We're glad to hear from you if your city isn't listed.
I come out to look at the job and measure it myself, so the person who quotes your wall is the same person who checks it later. Our own crew does the work, and I check it as it goes, course by course and joint by joint. I started this business in Summerville in 2013 to bring that way of working to homes.
We're fully licensed and insured. We stand behind the work with one promise, satisfaction guaranteed on every job. When you're ready to talk about your wall, call (843) 376-1285 or send us your project, and I'll set a time to come out and measure.
When the walls are brick instead of stone, or the brick chimney beside your stonework needs its joints redone, this is the same careful mortar work.
Cracks, settling or a bowing block wall underneath need fixing before any veneer goes on, so the new stone isn't sitting on a problem.
Stone and repointing jobs take us across the Summerville area. Pick your city below to see what we do there, and if yours isn't listed, call us anyway.
Installing stone veneer in the Charleston-North Charleston area usually costs about $2,500 to $8,500 per project. That's the area's typical range, not our price. Where your job lands comes down to the size, the stone and the prep I covered near the top of this page, and your written estimate gives your own figure.
Mortar that keeps moisture from moving out of a wall and evaporating ends up damaging the stone or brick itself. National preservation guidance calls a repair mortar that lets the wall dry out the safer choice, and it's a fair question to ask any mason. It's why we pick the mortar to suit the wall.
On historic masonry, national preservation guidance says hand chisels take more labor but usually pose the least threat of damage and give the best result. The same guidance warns that power saws or grinders in unskilled hands can be disastrous. On an older home, it's worth asking who will take the mortar out.
It can, with protection. A trade group's guide for manufactured stone veneer calls for shielding new work from rapid drying above 100°F, or above 90°F with wind over 8 mph, before, during and for 72 hours after the work. At 40°F or less, it calls for protection before, during and for 48 hours after. That's why we plan around the forecast.
Summerville requires contractors to be licensed in South Carolina for their scope of work and to hold a Town of Summerville business license. For residential specialty contractors, the state's Masons class covers brick, concrete block and products common to the masonry industry on jobs over $500.
Clear the ground along the wall, move cars out of the way and trim back any plants that touch it, so our crew has room for scaffolding and drop cloths. Keep the windows on that side shut while we're cutting, and let us know about pets that will be out in the yard.
Call (843) 376-1285 or use the form now, because mild, calm days are the easiest for new mortar to cure, and booking early gives us more of them to choose from.
