Stone masonry in Davis CA - walls and paths that stay put and fit your house
Stone wall leaning or its mortar crumbling? We find the cause, fix it, and leave you stone work that holds up and looks like it belongs.
Stone masonry is walls and paving. Laid right, it stays put.
Stone masonry is building with natural or manufactured stone. That means walls for your house, your yard or a fence line, and paving like paths and patios. The stone goes down in mortar or gets stacked dry with none, and the trade also covers the cleaning, caulking and clear waterproofing that go with it.
Most calls start with something you can see. A wall is leaning, a joint has gone sandy, or stones are working loose. Stone itself is slow to wear, so the trouble usually shows first at the mortar joints, and that's where we look.
Left alone, a loose joint lets water in and a leaning wall keeps leaning. If the crack runs into the house instead of the yard wall, it may be a job for foundation repair, and I'll tell you which one you've got.
Stone masonry starts with a choice. Dry stacked or mortared.
Before any stone moves, we settle whether your wall gets stacked dry or set in mortar, and I'll tell you which fits your wall and your yard. That choice, the wall's size, the stone and how easy the spot is to reach set the price. Any permit sets most of the schedule, and the written estimate gives you your own figure.
On older stone, we use a softer mortar so the joints take the wear instead of the stone. Joints are the part you redo every so often, and stone isn't. I'd rather you repoint a wall someday than replace stone that cracked.
Stone masonry covers more than walls. Here's what we take on.
Dry stacked stone walls
These are fitted stones with no mortar, held in place by their own weight. They work well for garden walls, terraces and low retaining walls.
Mortared stone walls
We set the stone in mortar on a poured foundation. This suits retaining walls, fences and garden walls that need a firm, even line.
Stone paths and paving
We lay stone for walkways, patios and steps on a packed base, so it sits level underfoot and drains the way it should.
Repointing stone joints
We rake out worn mortar and pack in new mortar that suits the stone. Brick joints get the same care through our brick pointing work.
Resetting loose stone
If stones have shifted or dropped out, we pull them, clean them and reset them, after we fix whatever pushed them out.
Cleaning and sealing
We clean the stone and caulk where it meets other materials. When the stone calls for it, we apply a clear water repellent.
Good stone and mortar work holds. Bad work costs you twice.
Bad stone work usually fails at the base or at the joints. A wall set on loose ground starts to lean, and joints packed with the wrong mortar crack or let water in, so you pay once to build it and again to tear it out.
We plan from the bottom up. That means the right footing or base, stone that suits the spot, and a mortar that matches the stone. When something has already failed, we fix the reason it failed before we fix the part you can see.
From first call to final walk. Here's how it goes.
You call or write
Call us or send the form with a few words about the wall or path. We get back to you to set a time to come out.
I come look
I come out myself and walk the job with you. I'll tell you what I think it needs right there, including whether it can wait.
Your written estimate
Afterward I send a written estimate. It lays out the wall type, the stone, the mortar and the work, so you know exactly what you're agreeing to.
Permit, work and walk-through
Once you say go, we pull any permit the job needs, which the city typically processes in 20 to 35 business days. Then we build, clean up and walk it with you.
Tell us about your stone job. We'll come take a look.
Send photos of the wall, its rough size and your home's age. We reply within one business day to set up a free on-site estimate, with no obligation.
(530) 298-0279We're based in Davis. We work the cities around it.
- Davis, CA
- Vacaville, CA
- Woodland, CA
- West Sacramento, CA
- Dixon, CA
- Winters, CA
- Elk Grove, CA
- Fairfield, CA
- Roseville, CA
- Rancho Cordova, CA
- Florin, CA
- Arden-Arcade, CA
We're based in Davis and work across the cities around it, including Winters and Vacaville. If your city isn't listed, call and ask.
Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
Ask before the first stone goes down. Here's what to know.
Read the answers below before you hire anyone for stone work. If your question isn't here, give us a call and ask.
How much does a stone retaining wall cost around Sacramento?
A retaining wall in the Sacramento area usually costs about $20 to $55 per square foot of wall face, depending on the material. Boulder and stone walls that are held by their own weight tend toward the top of that range. Once I've seen your wall, I'll put a figure for it in a written estimate.
Should my stone retaining wall be dry stacked or mortared?
Dry stacking usually suits a low garden wall. A taller wall, or one that needs a crisp line, usually suits mortar on a foundation. Those are the two kinds of stone retaining wall, so we settle that first, and I'll tell you on site which one fits yours.
Why does mortar type matter when repointing an older Davis home?
On older stone, the mortar joints are meant to carry moisture away from the stone. Preservation guidance warns that repointing with a harder Portland cement could make the stones take on moisture and fail, so ask any mason which mortar they plan to use before work starts. On older stone, ours is softer.
Do I need a permit for stone masonry work in Davis?
Ask the city's Building Division, because it reviews and issues every permit type in Davis. Alteration permits for historical structures go to the Planning Commission, and the Conservation District in the older neighborhoods has design guidelines. We pull any permit the job needs, or we give you what you need to file it yourself.
What license covers stone masonry work in California?
California's contractor license board has a masonry contractor classification. It covers natural and manufactured stone, walls and fences, and paving. We're licensed and fully insured, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Stone is one part of it. We handle the rest too.
Stone or brick job in Davis? Call for a free estimate.
Tell us what's failing or what you want built. We'll set a time to come look, so we order only the stone your job needs.
(530) 298-0279