Masonry & Stonework
Masonry, Stonework & Hardscaping
Crown rebuilds, repointing, firebox rebuilds and full chimney rebuilds — plus stone veneer, outdoor fireplaces, fire pits and hardscaping. Our own masons, not a sub we found last week.
Chimney Masonry
Putting the Stack Back Together
A masonry chimney is one of the hardest-working things on your house. It takes the weather from every direction, it heats and cools every time you light a fire, and it is the last thing anybody looks at.
Crown rebuild
The single best repair for the money
The crown is the concrete slab on top of the chimney that sheds water off the masonry. Most of them were built as a thin skim of mortar, and mortar is not concrete — it cracks, then water gets into the brickwork and freezes.
We form and pour a proper crown with an overhang and a drip edge, isolated from the flue tile with a bond break so the two can move independently. It is not glamorous and it is the repair that saves the most chimneys.
- Cast in place, not skimmed on
- Overhang and drip edge so water leaves the masonry
- Bond break at the flue so thermal movement does not crack it
Repointing and rebuilds
Above the roof and below it
Failed mortar joints let water into the core of the chimney. We cut the joints back to sound mortar and repoint with a mix matched to the original — which matters more than people think.
Where the stack is too far gone we take it down to a sound course and rebuild, reusing the original brick or stone where we can so it does not look like a patch.
- Cut back and repoint, never smeared over the face
- Rebuild above the roofline or full height as needed
- Firebox rebuilds in firebrick and refractory mortar
- Parging and smoke chamber work
The mortar has to match the masonry
This is the part that gets old chimneys destroyed. Modern high-cement mortar is harder than old soft brick. When it moves, the brick gives way instead of the joint, and the face of the brick spalls off. On older work we match the mix to what is there — softer, lime-rich — so the joint stays the sacrificial part. A cheap repoint with bagged mortar can cost you the chimney.
Stone
Veneer, Chases and Feature Walls
Real stone, properly detailed
Inside and out
Stone veneer over a tired brick fireplace, a full floor-to-ceiling chimney breast, or a vinyl-sided chase turned into something that looks like it belongs on the house.
The difference between a good stone job and an obvious one is in the details: real corner pieces rather than butted flats, blending from several boxes so the colour does not band, and weather detailing at the top and bottom so water cannot get behind it.
Over twenty-five veneers are on the wall at the showroom — see stone veneer.
- Corner pieces, not mitred flats
- Weather-resistive barrier, lath and scratch coat done properly
- Chimney chases — the highest-impact exterior job we do
- Hearths and mantels coordinated at the same time
Outside
Hardscaping and Outdoor Living
The same crews that rebuild your chimney build the rest of it. Everything outdoors is masonry, and masonry is what we do.
Outdoor fireplaces
The centrepiece
Built in stone or brick with a proper firebox, flue and cap. Not a kit dressed up — a real fireplace that will draw.
Fire pits
Wood or gas
Round, square, seat-height or sunken, in stone to match the house or the patio.
Outdoor kitchens
Built to last outside
Masonry bases, stone or veneer faces, and openings framed for the appliances you actually bought.
Patios & walkways
Paver and flagstone
Properly based and compacted, so it is still flat in five years.
Retaining & seat walls
Structure that looks like landscaping
Block core with a stone face, drained behind so hydrostatic pressure does not push it over.
Steps and porch columns
Tying it together
The details that make a hardscape read as one piece rather than three projects.
Piers and foundations
The unglamorous half
Chimney footings, porch piers and foundation repair — the parts nobody photographs.
Repairs to other people’s work
It happens
Failed veneer, cracked patios, walls that are leaning. We will tell you honestly whether it is worth repairing.
Next Step
Have Us Look at It
Masonry quotes get done in person — there is no other honest way to price stone. Book a visit and we will walk it with you.