What the owners asked for
A Doylestown family hired us to replace the siding on their house with stone walling. It sounded like a straightforward facing job.
What we found
When the siding came off a recent addition, the problem was underneath it: a foundation of cinderblock, wood and loose stone that could not safely carry the laundry room above it. We recommended taking the addition down rather than dressing it up. Then, under the stucco on the main house, we found something better: the original fieldstone, laid by hand roughly a century and a half ago.
What we did
- Took down the failing addition, working carefully around the water lines and electrical.
- Removed the stucco by hand to expose the original fieldstone without damaging the stone face.
- Raked out and repointed every joint by hand with a mortar matched to the original, so the wall can shed water and dry out again.
- Expanded the patio in bluestone to meet the restored wall.
The result
The owners chose to expose and repoint the stone instead of covering it again, and the house now looks the way it did 150 years ago, with tight joints that will keep shedding water for decades. If you think your house might be hiding stone, read about our stucco removal process.
