Stone masonry near Silver Lake in North St. Paul
Don Barger runs Stonecrete Inc out of White Bear Lake, and North St. Paul sits well inside the 30 minutes or so around it that he gave as his area. The work he leads with is stone: setting it new, and repairing it when pieces work loose or the joints wear out. A picture of the problem sent to (612) 432-9467 is the place to start.
- Owner
- Don Barger
- Home base
- White Bear Lake
- North St. Paul
- Inside Don's 30 minute area
- Phone
- (612) 432-9467
A small city around Silver Lake
This is a small Ramsey County city, set around Silver Lake, and North St. Paul's older houses are the ones near its downtown. Houses that age can have stone steps, stone walks and, under some of them, stone foundations. The city also has Casey Lake, with a park along 17th Avenue East.
Don is based up the road in White Bear Lake. He gave White Bear Lake plus roughly a half hour of driving around it as where he works, and North St. Paul is close in.
Wet ground by the lakes in spring
Ground near a lake tends to hold water. When the snow that sat all winter finally melts, the ground beside a foundation or under a set of steps can stay soaked well into spring.
Then the nights drop below freezing again. Water in the soil freezes, swells and lifts whatever is sitting on it, so a stone walk goes uneven or a step pulls away from the house.
Water in the stone does the same thing on a smaller scale. It works into a joint or a hairline crack, freezes and pushes the gap a little wider, then thaws and comes back in with the next melt.
But often the stone itself is still good. The pieces can be lifted, the base under them sorted out, and the stone set back with fresh mortar where it needs it.
Photos that help Don size up the job
Don can tell a lot from a phone photo before anyone drives over. These are the shots that help most when you text (612) 432-9467.
- A wide shot that takes in the whole walk, wall or set of steps
- A close shot of the stone that moved, or the joint that looks worst
- The ground at the base, so he can see where the water goes
- Your street or cross streets in North St. Paul
- How long it has looked this way, if you know
Around the lakes in North St. Paul
- Silver Lake ParkA park on 19th Avenue, by Silver Lake
- Casey Lake ParkA park on 17th Avenue East, by Casey Lake
- Colby Hills ParkA city park in North St. Paul
Questions
What kind of stone work does Stonecrete do?
Stone first. That means new stone set on or around a house, and old stone put right where it has shifted or the joints have worn out. Steps, walks, low garden walls and stone facing all count.
My front walk heaved after the thaw. Will it settle back down?
A heaved walk sometimes drops partway back once the ground dries out, but it seldom lands where it was. If stones are tipping or rocking underfoot, the base under them needs work. A photo shows Don whether it is a simple reset or more.
Is it all right to fill the gaps with mortar from the hardware store?
It can be done. Be careful what goes in, though. Mortar that ends up harder than the stones around it can make those stones crack and flake. Ask Don what belongs in the joint before you buy anything.
What about my chimney or my foundation?
Those are questions for Don himself. So far he has named stone. For brick, a chimney or a block foundation, ask him directly if he takes it on.
Does Don work in North St. Paul?
Yes, it is inside his area. Don works from White Bear Lake and goes about 30 minutes out, and North St. Paul is a short drive from there.
Don tells you plainly what the masonry needs, and what it does not, before any work starts.
