Repairing a Stone Wall
The weather in Bedford, New York, has been quite mild this winter. We've had unseasonably warm temperatures and very little snow - a good time for getting a lot of our outdoor projects completed.
Yesterday, a team from Sandoval's Landscaping Inc. came by to start repairs on my stone wall. Last year, a car veered off the road and hit the wall, causing a section of stones to tumble out of place. In other areas, various stones have also shifted or moved over time because of inclement weather or large growing tree roots.
Here are some of the photos showing the skill and talent of these tradesmen - enjoy.
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- Fieldstone is any architectural stone used in its natural shape. Part of the dry stacked fieldstone in this section of my stone wall has to be completely re-stacked.
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- I called on the help of Sandoval’s Landscaping Inc., from nearby Patterson, New York. Rolando Sandoval is the husband of my housekeeper, Enma. Rolando and his crew were available to come right away to assess the damages and get to work.
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- Some of the tools of the trade for masons include brick hammers, chisels, and shovels.
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- They also use pinch bars and pry bars for moving larger stones and boulders. Made of forged carbon steel, these five-foot long bars provide excellent leverage for repositioning even the heaviest of stones.
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- Stones are first removed by hand, one by one, nearly all the way to the bottom – it took quite a bit of time to do this.
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- And then by hand, one by one, the stones are returned, and repositioned just right, so when completed the top of the wall is completely level.
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- The crew uses pry bars to move this 500-pound stone back into place. The foundation stones must be positioned securely because all the stones above will be resting on them.
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- Smaller stones are collected from the pile and used – nothing is wasted. And the tighter the fit is, the stronger the wall. Most stone walls were built without mortar, using gravity and the shape of the stones to hold them together.
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- Larger, more attractive stones were used as face stones and placed on the outside.
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- As the stones are stacked, smaller pieces are positioned as shims for the larger ones.
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- Some pieces need to be chiseled to fit tight crevices. These masons knew exactly how much stone to chisel in order to create the pieces they need.
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- Dependable mason’s twine is secured from one end to the other to serve as a guide for the masons. Mason’s twine is usually made of 100-percent filament nylon, which is resistant to abrasion, rot, and mildew.
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- Hugo has been working with Rolando for 17-years. He is a very skilled mason and enjoys this type of work. He is also incredibly strong.
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- Martin has also been with Rolando’s team for many years. Here he is measuring a stone to ensure it fits the space needed.
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- Rolando extends another line down to ensure the stones for the face side of the wall are positioned perfectly straight. Stones should be level both into the core of the wall and along the face. Stones that are not level may slide causing internal stress in the wall over time.
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- Here is one section all done. It is quite impressive to see how the stones fit together so perfectly for a very level, straight wall.
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- This wall is now good for many more years.
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- But there are several more sections to repair. In this area, top stones were misaligned, likely from inclement weather or growing tree roots that caused the stones to shift.
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- This section of the wall is right at the edge of a pond. Stones toppled down over the years and also need to be re-stacked.
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- All the repairs will take a few days to complete, but in the end all the stones will be secure and level.
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- It’s a lot of work to be a good mason. Here’s Rolando’s crew stopping for a quick photo before heading stacking again. Pictured here are Rolando, Eddie, Hugo, and Martin. Thanks guys! It looks great!
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