What goes behind the stone
Manufactured stone veneer is not waterproof, and it is not supposed to be. It needs a water resistive barrier, a drainage plane, flashing at the base and weep openings so anything that gets in can get out.
Installed tight against sheathing with no drainage, it holds water against the wall and rots the structure behind it. That failure is invisible until it is expensive.
Natural stone is heavier and usually needs support from a footing or a properly designed ledge, which is a structural question rather than a finish one.
Steps, porches and retaining walls
Steps and porches have to sit on footings below the frost line, or Ottawa winters will lift and tilt them within a few seasons. Rebuilding settled front steps is one of our regular spring jobs.
Retaining walls need drainage behind them, and above a certain height they need engineering. Water pressure behind a wall with no drainage is what pushes it over, not the weight of the soil alone.
For a full front elevation we usually coordinate stone with brick repair and any window work so the whole facade is done once.
Salt, snow and stone at grade
Anything within splash range of a walkway or driveway takes road salt all winter. Some natural stones handle that better than others, and manufactured products vary widely.
We keep stone up out of the direct salt zone where the design allows and specify materials that survive at grade where it does not.
What a stone masonry quote includes
- Material: natural or manufactured, product named with the pattern.
- Substrate detail: barrier, drainage plane, flashing and weeps.
- Structural support: footings, ledges or engineering where required.
- Mortar and jointing: colour and joint style stated.
- Site protection: landscaping, driveways and walkways.
- Season plan: scheduled inside the frost free window.
Where stone masonry sits in the bigger job
This work is part of our general contractor service, so it can run on its own or as one stage inside a larger project. When it is part of a bigger renovation we sequence it with the other trades rather than treating it as a standalone visit.
Clients booking this often pair it with roof repair, roof replacement, new roof installation or brick repair. One contract covers whichever combination you need, with a single schedule and one point of contact.
Stone Masonry across the Ottawa area
We take this work on throughout the greater Ottawa area. Recent jobs have run through Nepean, Merivale, South Keys, Kanata and the surrounding neighbourhoods. The consultation is free wherever you are in the city.