Repointing the Stone Foundation and Patio
19 photos · siding and exterior
The original fieldstone foundation was losing mortar and the concrete steps had pulled away from the wall, so water was running straight in. I had a surveyor pin the lines, brought in a small excavator to dig back along the wall, repointed the stone with fresh mortar, set a gravel drainage bed, and patched in slate to fix the flagstone patio that had broken up around the planting beds.
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Before The concrete steps had pulled away from the foundation — that vertical crack was funneling roof water straight at the wall.
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Before Garden bed along the patio before I cleaned it out. Weeds, pine needles, and no real edge to work to.
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Before Triangle bed between the patio sections — buried in needles and debris, waiting to come back to dirt.
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Before Compact excavator parked on the slope, ready to dig back along the foundation so I could work on the stone.
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During Surveyor's total station set up to pin property corners and the line of the foundation before any digging.
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During Mini excavator opening the trench along the back. We checked the plans every couple of feet against where the utilities ran.
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During Pulling soil back from the wall so I could see what I had — most of the stone was sound, mortar was the problem.
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Marked the water shutoff at the base of the wall so we wouldn't bury or hit it during the dig.
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During Quikrete and tools staged along the foundation. I mixed small batches and worked one section at a time.
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During Setting clean gravel against the wall once the mortar was tooled. That's the drainage layer that keeps the repair dry.
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During Planting bed cleared down to dirt against the freshly repointed wall. Now it can drain and breathe.
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During Fixing up the flagstone patio — wheelbarrow of fieldstone and stacked slate to swap in for the broken pieces.
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After Repointed stone wall meeting the patio with crisp mortar joints. Took my time so it wouldn't read like patchwork.
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After Parged and patched the corner where the siding meets the concrete steps. No more open seam for water to find.
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After Up close on the repointed stone — fresh mortar between mixed fieldstone, color matched as best I could.
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After Stone wall buttoned up with a gravel drainage bed at the base. The little cairn marks the high point so I'd see settling.
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After Same wall pulled wider — gravel run all the way down past the steps, patio re-set against it.
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After Finished gravel bed bordered by flagstone, with the cairn as a marker. Drainage and a little visual anchor.
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After Wide shot of the patio after — flagstone tied back together, foundation tight, beds ready to plant.
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