Question 1

Repairing an old limestone house wall in Ottawa's Lowertown?

Accepted Answer

Repairing the natural stone walls of a limestone house has too few published prices to quote a range, so ask each mason for a written quote that breaks out the scope in detail. What drives the cost and the approach is the condition of the stone itself and the mortar joints. A mason at the wall can tell you which stones need to be reset or replaced, which joints need to be raked out and repointed, and whether any section raises a structural question that needs to go to the City first.

Question 2

Lime mortar for repointing a stone house in rural Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

Lime mortar is a reasonable choice for repointing a natural stone house, and for historic walls the Centretown Heritage Conservation District plan notes that "lime-based mortar should be used when repointing historic brick and masonry as cement mortar prevents moisture from escaping through the mortar and causes brick damage." That guidance applies within its district.

Question 3

Why is mortar falling out of my stone house in Manotick?

Accepted Answer

Mortar falls out of stone walls for a few reasons, and a mason looking at your wall is the only one who can say which applies to yours. The NRC building digest CBD-123 notes that a "crows-foot pattern on the surface of a mortar joint indicates freezing," and that "shelling of the mortar surface and general crumbling or powdering of mortar are evidence of advanced deterioration due to freezing." What a mason will look at includes the condition of the remaining joints, whether the stone itself...

Question 4

Stone wall repair on an old Ottawa farmhouse, what's involved?

Accepted Answer

Stone wall repair on an old farmhouse is hands-on diagnostic work before it is anything else. A mason needs to look at the wall in person to understand what is moving, what is saturated, and what the stone itself is doing, before any repair scope can be set. What the assessment covers The condition of the mortar joints is the first thing. A mason will probe joints, look at the joint profile and depth, and check whether the stone faces are sound or flaking.

Question 5

Loose stones in my Greely house wall: can they be reset?

Accepted Answer

Loose stones in a house wall can be reset in some cases; whether that is the right repair depends on what is behind them and why they moved. A mason will want to look at each stone closely before committing to a reset. The stone itself needs to be sound and durable; a stone that has delaminated or cracked through may need replacing rather than resetting.

Stone Wall Repair

Repairing an old limestone house wall in Ottawa's Lowertown?

Lime mortar for repointing a stone house in rural Ottawa?

Why is mortar falling out of my stone house in Manotick?

Stone wall repair on an old Ottawa farmhouse, what's involved?

Loose stones in my Greely house wall: can they be reset?