Stone masonry in Oxnard CA - tight joints and stone walls that can dry out
Crumbling joints, flaking stone or a bare wall you want faced? We repair what's worth keeping and add new stone only where it makes sense.
Should I repair my stone wall or add new stone?
Stone masonry in Oxnard, CA, covers two kinds of work. One is repairing the stone and mortar you already have, mostly by repointing worn joints. The other is building or facing a wall with new natural or manufactured stone.
Most stone walls I look at aren't failing. They're wearing, and the wear shows up first in the mortar joints. When the stone is sound, clearing out the soft mortar and repointing is usually the whole job. When the stone itself is flaking or you want a new look, adding stone makes more sense, and I'll tell you which fits your wall. If cracks run because the ground moved, that's foundation repair first.
The price turns on how much of the wall needs work, whether the old joints come out by hand, which takes longer, and whether you choose natural stone or manufactured veneer. The schedule turns on how much stone we have to match and whether the city wants a permit, which we check before anything starts. Your written quote lists what's included. On a brick house, the same joint work is brick pointing.
What stone masonry work involves
Most of the decisions on a stone job come down to the mortar, how the old joints come out and whether you keep the stone you have.
Mortar that lets it dry
Guidance for older masonry says high-lime mortar lets moisture out better than cement mortar does, and trapped moisture damages stone. On older walls, we use a mortar that lets the wall dry.
Taking old joints out
Grinders are the common tool, and they can ruin older stone in unskilled hands. Hand chisels take more labor but usually carry the least risk, so where the stone is soft we clear joints by hand.
Natural or manufactured stone
Manufactured veneer is a lightweight, cement-based product made to look like natural stone. It carries no structural weight, so it faces a wall rather than holding anything up.
Matching the old work
On a repair, the new mortar and any replacement stones should blend in with what's there. Matching color and texture is part of the job, not an afterthought.
Stone masonry questions we hear in Oxnard
What does repointing a stone wall involve?
Repointing means clearing the worn mortar out of a wall's joints and replacing it with new mortar. Estimates may call it pointing or tuckpointing, and it's the same job, so compare what each quote says it does rather than what it calls it. The care is in how the old mortar comes out and what goes back in, which we covered above.
Do I need a permit for a low stone wall in Oxnard?
A single-family retaining wall or block wall under 3 feet 6 inches, measured from the bottom of the footing, is on Oxnard's list of projects that don't need a permit. That height starts below ground, so a wall that looks low can still be over it. For a taller wall, a freestanding stone wall or veneer work, we check with the city's Building and Engineering office and tell you what we find before work starts. If a permit is needed, we handle the paperwork and the inspections.
How tall can a stone wall be in Oxnard?
In a front yard, Oxnard's zoning code allows walls up to 18 inches tall, and a front yard retaining wall can stand no more than 18 inches above the soil it holds back. Along side and rear lot lines, walls can reach seven feet from the lot's grade, or six feet from the sidewalk on a corner lot's street side. If you're planning a new wall, the County of Ventura's seismic hazard map shows where the ground may liquefy or slide in a strong earthquake, which is worth knowing before anything gets built.
What causes a white film on a stone wall?
That white film is usually efflorescence, a deposit of salts that can look bad but doesn't affect the wall's structural strength. On walls against soil, like a retaining wall, ground water can carry salts into the masonry, and they can build up several feet above the ground. We look at where the water is coming from before saying anything needs fixing.
How much does stone veneer cost in Oxnard?
Installing stone veneer across the US usually costs about $25 to $40 per square foot, and that's the national going rate for installation, not our price. What moves it on your wall is the size of the area and how much work the surface needs before stone goes on. Repointing the stone you already have is priced differently, and your written quote lists what's included either way.
What causes stone to flake on houses near the coast?
Usually it's salt. When salts crystallize inside a stone, the pressure can make bits of its face spall, or flake off, and research on coastal buildings finds much more sea salt in the air near the coast than inland. We look at whether the flaking is limited to a few stones or spread across the face, because that decides whether repair or new stone makes more sense.
Why Oxnard homeowners call Blockworks Oxnard Concrete and Masonry for stone work
You can count on a straight answer about what your stone needs and what it doesn't, put in writing, and finished work that matches the quote.
The owner writes your quote
I look at the wall and write the estimate myself, then check on the job while our lead mason runs the crew.
Building stone since 2013
I learned brick, block and stone on crews after years of quoting jobs, and started this business in 2013.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured, and you're welcome to ask about it when I'm out at your house.
No bigger job than you need
If your mortar is sound, I'll tell you to leave it alone rather than sell you a repoint you don't need.
Your satisfaction, guaranteed
I want the finished wall to match the quote you agreed to, with nothing added that you didn't approve.
Call about your stone wall in Oxnard
When you call, tell us the wall's height and where it sits on your lot, since those decide which city rules apply, and send photos of the worn joints if you have them.
What happens after you call about stone work in Oxnard?
Every stone job starts with me at your wall, because what it needs depends on the stone, the mortar and where it sits on your lot.
Call or send the form
Call (805) 342-2830 or send the form, and tell us what the wall is doing and what you'd like done with it.
I look at the wall
I come out, look at the stone and the joints, and ask what's been going on, so the quote fits your wall and isn't a guess.
A line-by-line quote
You get a written quote that lists what we'd do and why, line by line, including whether we'd repair what's there or add new stone.
Permit, work, walkthrough
If you go ahead, we sort out any permit with the right office and our crew does the work. Then I walk the finished wall with you.