Stone masonry in Manchester NH - stone walls that stay tight and stand straight
Loose stones, a bulging dry wall or mortar falling out of the joints? We find out why and fix only what needs it.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Does my stone wall need repointing or rebuilding?
Stone masonry in Manchester, NH covers dry-laid stone walls, stone walls set in mortar and repointing, which is replacing the worn mortar in the joints. We do all three, so your wall holds together and stands straight.
Most calls start with a wall that's letting go somewhere. It might be a few stones sliding off a dry-laid wall by the driveway, or mortar sanding out of an old stone wall, and you want to know whether it needs a few joints or a rebuild. The price moves with how long and tall the wall is, how many joints are actually open and whether stones have to come down and go back up. The schedule mostly turns on how much of the wall has to come apart and whether your city wants a permit first. When I come out, I walk the wall with you, explain what I see and put it in writing, so you get your own number instead of a guess.
How do you know your stone wall needs work?
Mortar falling out of joints
You run a finger along a joint and it comes away as sand, or there's a gap you can see into. That usually means the mortar has worn through, and the longer it stays open, the more water gets into the wall and works the stones loose.
Stones loose or sliding off
On a dry-laid wall, stones that rock or have slid off the top usually weren't locked to their neighbors in the first place. Left alone, one gap lets the next stone go, and a small reset turns into a longer section.
Wall leaning or bulging out
A belly in the middle or a lean toward the yard usually means the soil behind is pushing and the wall isn't tied into the bank. Waiting tends to end with part of the wall on the ground, and rebuilding costs more than resetting.
How we build and repoint stone masonry
First I look at the wall and the ground around it to work out why it moved or why the joints opened, because fixing the stones without fixing the cause just buys you a few years. On a dry-laid wall we lock the stones together so each one bears on its neighbors, and we tie them into the bank behind so the soil holds the wall instead of pushing it over. On an old mortared wall we repoint the joints that are open or loose and leave the sound ones alone, since good mortar is still doing its job and digging it out only adds risk and cost. When the stone's back in place, we clean the face and the site before we leave.
Plenty of stone jobs run into other masonry. If the stone meets a brick chimney, steps or house wall with the same worn joints, that part gets handled as brick pointing. If the stones you're worried about are part of your foundation, or the cracks are coming from the house settling, that's foundation repair, and I'll tell you which one you're looking at.
Dry-laid wall build or rebuild
This suits a property line, garden edge or bank where you want stone with no mortar to crack. It lasts when the stones interlock and the wall is tied into the soil behind it.
Repointing an old mortared wall
This suits a wall that's standing fine but has open or crumbling joints. We work joint by joint, so you're paying for the bad ones and not the good ones.
Resetting a loose or bulging section
This suits a wall that's mostly sound with one stretch that's leaning or dropped stones. We take that section down, deal with what pushed it and lay it back up.
Get a written estimate for your stone wall
We respond within 1 business day to set a time, then I come out for a free on-site estimate and put what I'd fix, and why, in writing. There's no obligation.
(603) 314-0526- Based in
- Manchester, NH 03104
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
What happens when you call us about a stone wall in Manchester?
Here's how a stone wall job runs with us, from your first call to the walk around the finished wall.
Call or send a message
Call (603) 314-0526 or fill out the form and tell us where the wall is and what's going on with it. We get back to you to set a time for me to come out.
I come out and find why
I look at the wall, hunt down what's causing the trouble and write up what I'd fix and why. If a smaller fix will do, the estimate says so, and you're not paying for joints that are still sound.
You say go, we handle permits
Once you give the go-ahead, we sort out the permit side with your city. That way the city's requirements are settled before the wall comes apart.
We build, then walk it
I'm on the crew that does the work, so the person laying stone is the one who looked at it with you. When we're done, we walk the finished wall with you and go over what we did.
Why Manchester homeowners call Capstone for stone masonry
The estimator is on the crew
I come out to see your wall and write the estimate, and I'm on the crew that does the work. What I explain to you in the yard is what gets built, with nobody in between.
Learned on older buildings' upkeep
Before we started this business in 2023, I spent years patching brick, chimneys and foundations on older buildings for a property management company. That's where I learned to look for why a wall fails before fixing the part you can see.
Licensed and fully insured on every job
We're licensed and fully insured, whether your wall is in Manchester or in one of the Massachusetts cities just over the line where we also work. Every job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
If you're not sure whether your wall needs a few joints or a rebuild, that's exactly what I sort out on site, so get in touch and we'll set a time.
Stone masonry, permits and older lots in Manchester
Building permits here come from Manchester's Planning & Community Development Department, and many permits for outdoor projects need a site plan, so whether your wall needs one is the department's call and not something to guess at. We check with the local building office before work starts and take care of the permit paperwork when a job needs one. Two city code rules can change a stone job on your lot. If your house was built before 1978 and the work would disturb more than 6 square feet of painted surface, such as a painted stone wall or foundation, the code requires that it be done by someone certified under the federal lead paint rule and follow that rule. And if the wall sits within 250 feet of a protected water body, which includes lakes and ponds over 10 acres and certain streams and rivers, the code says the construction has to conform to New Hampshire's rules too. Rules change, so check the current ones with the department.
On older lots around Manchester we see a lot of dry-laid walls along property lines and mortared stone with old patches that never matched. We see the same mix on jobs in Bedford and Goffstown, and we handle it the same way, by finding out why the wall moved before we touch it.
Questions about stone masonry in Manchester
Does my stone wall need repointing?
Only if its joints are open, deeply eroded, cracked or separated from the stone. Virginia's preservation guidance for older masonry says, as a general rule, that joints that are firm, intact and worn back no more than one-third inch can be left alone. That's why I check joint by joint and quote only the ones that need it.
How often does a mortared stone wall need to be repointed?
Every so often, as normal upkeep, because mortar joints aren't a permanent part of the wall. Virginia's preservation guidance treats them as a part that gets replaced at intervals, so it's worth planning for. When the time comes, the National Park Service's repointing guide suggests starting with a test panel, a small sample area that sets the standard for the rest, and notes stone may need a somewhat larger one than brick.
What mortar should be used on an old stone wall?
One that lets moisture and vapor move out of the wall and evaporate, because the National Park Service's guide for historic masonry says the stone itself gets damaged otherwise. A federal repointing guide for historic buildings adds that new mortar should be no stronger than the stone or the original mix and that historic mortars are lime based. Virginia's preservation office says premixed bagged mortar shouldn't go on historic walls because it's almost always too hard, so ask any mason which mortar they plan to use and how it lets your wall dry.
What is the best way to build a dry stone wall that lasts?
Lock the stones together and tie them into the soil behind the wall. Stone wall guidance from Penn State says that holds whether the stones are rectangular or irregular, and it's how we build ours. When you compare masons, ask each one how they do both.
How much does it cost to repair or repoint a stone wall in Manchester?
Most of the cost is labor, so it comes down to how many joints have to be raked out and refilled, how much of the wall has to come down and be relaid and how easy the wall is to reach. The National Park Service's guide for historic buildings notes that taking out old mortar by hand with chisels and mash hammers takes a lot of labor, but in most cases it poses the least threat of damage and gives the best result. Repointing only the joints that need it keeps that labor down, and you'll get your figure in writing after I see the wall.
How do I apply for a building permit for a stone wall in Manchester NH?
You can apply online through the city's permit office, or ask them to mail you an application by calling 603-624-6450 or emailing PCD@ManchesterNH.gov. If your project needs a site plan, the city wants it drawn to scale, showing every structure on your lot and all the setback information.
Related masonry work for stone wall owners
When the trouble is in a brick chimney, steps or house wall instead of stone, worn joints get raked out and refilled the same careful way.
If the stones or cracks in your foundation are moving because the house is settling or water is getting in, the fix starts below the wall you see.
Cities we serve for stone masonry
Capstone Manchester Concrete and Masonry is based in Manchester, New Hampshire, and works in many of the cities around it, including Nashua and Londonderry. The 12 cities below each have their own page.
Manchester, NH
Send us photos of your stone wall
A couple of close shots of the joints and one of the whole wall, plus the year your house was built, let me show up already thinking about the cause.