Stone on newer houses and open lots in Hugo
Hugo is a Washington County town north of White Bear Lake. Don Barger's area runs about 30 minutes out from White Bear Lake, and Hugo is well within it. A lot of Hugo is newer subdivisions, with bigger rural lots and open land around them. Stonecrete Inc sets stone and repairs it, from stone veneer on a house front to stone steps and stone in the yard. Call or text (612) 432-9467.
- Location
- North of White Bear Lake
- County
- Washington County
- The houses
- Newer subdivisions and rural lots
- Call or text
- (612) 432-9467
Newer subdivisions and open land
Head north out of White Bear Lake into Hugo and the houses get newer. A lot of the town is subdivisions, with bigger rural lots and open land mixed in around them. The newer houses often have stone veneer across the front, poured foundations, block retaining walls in the yard and stone in the landscaping.
Why a newer house still has stone trouble
The ground around a new foundation was dug out and filled back in, and that fill keeps settling for a while after the house is done. Steps and landings set on top of it can sink or tip, and a gap opens where the top step meets the house. Frost then gets into the gap and makes it worse.
Stone veneer has its own weak spots. The joints around windows, doors and corners are where water finds its way in first. Veneer that runs down into mulch, soil or a bed of landscape rock stays wet at the bottom, and that wet edge is where freeze damage starts.
Wind and drifting snow on the bigger lots
Out on the rural lots and near open land there is less to stop the wind. Snow drifts against the side of the house that faces it and stays there until spring. When it melts, the water runs down the stone and soaks the ground at the base, and every freeze at night works on both.
Each spring it is worth checking a Hugo house for these.
- Steps or a landing that has dropped or pulled away from the house
- Open or cracked joints in the veneer around windows and doors
- Flaking or a white crust on the lowest row of veneer
- Landscape stone that heaved over the winter
Block walls and poured foundations
Block retaining walls and poured foundations come with many newer Hugo houses. Stonecrete Inc leads with stone, so if the trouble is in the block or the concrete, check with Don first that it is work he takes.
Photos first from Hugo
Photos let Don see the job before he drives up from White Bear Lake. Send a wide shot and a close one, and say whether the house is in a subdivision or out on a rural lot. If the stone is on a newer house, say roughly when the house was built, since settling ground is often part of the story.
Parks around Hugo
- Lions Volunteer ParkA park on Upper 146th Street North
- Beaver Ponds ParkA park on Fondant Trail North
- Diamond Point ParkA park on 145th Street North
- Oak Shore ParkA park on Exhall Avenue North
Questions
Is Hugo too far out for Stonecrete?
No. Hugo is just north of White Bear Lake, and Don's area reaches about 30 minutes out from there.
My house is only a few years old. Why is the stone already loose?
Filled ground around a new foundation settles, and frost works on anything sitting on it. Water getting behind veneer at the joints or at the base does the rest. Photos show Don where it started.
Can Don add stone to the front of a newer house?
Setting stone is Don's main work. Text him a photo of the front and say what you have in mind, and he can talk it through with you.
Does Stonecrete build block retaining walls in Hugo?
Block walls are a separate question from stone. Call or text Don at (612) 432-9467 and ask him.
Don tells you plainly what the masonry needs, and what it does not, before any work starts.
