Stone fronts and front steps on Vadnais Heights ramblers
Vadnais Heights lies between White Bear Lake and Shoreview, around Vadnais Lake and Sucker Lake. It is next door to White Bear Lake, where Don Barger is based, so it falls within his area. Most houses here went up from the 1960s on. Stonecrete Inc works on the stone on them: stone fronts, stone steps at the door, and stone that has come loose. Call or text (612) 432-9467.
- Between
- White Bear Lake and Shoreview
- Lakes
- Vadnais Lake and Sucker Lake
- Houses
- Mostly 1960s on, Ramsey County
- Call or text
- (612) 432-9467
Ramblers and split levels from the 1960s on
Vadnais Heights is mostly houses from the 1960s and later. Picture a rambler or a split level on a block foundation, with a brick chimney and brick or stone across the front, and you have a good share of the town. The stone on the front and the stone steps at the door are the parts Stonecrete Inc works on.
What to look for on the front of the house
Stand at the curb, then walk up close. These are the things on a Vadnais Heights front that are worth a couple of photos to Don.
- Stones near the ground that are flaking or stained white
- Joints along the base that are open or sandy
- A stone that moves when you push on it
- A gap opening between the top step and the house
- Steps that rock or tip
The bottom of a stone front wears out first
Snow gets shoveled and plowed up against the front of the house and sits there all winter, and road salt comes with it. In spring it melts into the stone and the joints along the base, freezes again at night, and thaws again in the day. The mortar near the ground wears out long before the mortar up by the windows.
At the front door it is the steps. Stone steps and the landing at the top get salted every winter and walked on every day. They are where frost heave shows first, because a step only has to lift a little before it starts to rock.
Low ground near Vadnais Lake and Sucker Lake
Ground near water stays wet longer when the snow melts. Wet ground under a step or a walk is what frost heave works on, so stone close to the lakes or in the low spots of a yard tends to move more than stone sitting on dry ground.
Setting loose stone back
A loose stone on a front let go for a reason, most often water getting in behind it through an open joint. Putting it right means taking out what is loose, cleaning the old mortar off the back of the stone and the bed it sat in, setting it back and packing the joints around it. One loose stone lets water in behind the stones next to it.
Steps that have moved get taken up and set again on a base that lets water drain through.
Brick chimneys and block foundations
The same houses have brick chimneys and block foundations. Those are outside the stone work Stonecrete Inc lists, so ask Don about them directly.
Around Vadnais Lake and Sucker Lake
- Vadnais-Sucker Lake Regional ParkParkland around Vadnais Lake and Sucker Lake, with parking off County Road F
- Heritage ParkA city park on Heritage Drive
- Vadnais Heights Community ParkA park on County Road F East
- Berwood ParkA park on West Berwood Avenue
Questions
Does Don come out to Vadnais Heights?
Yes. It sits within the area Don gave for Stonecrete Inc, White Bear Lake plus about 30 minutes around it. Call or text (612) 432-9467 and say where the house is.
The stone on the front of my split level is loose. Is that a big job?
It depends how much has let go and why. A photo of the whole front and a close one of the loose stones lets Don give you a first read before he looks in person.
Why is the mortar worst at the bottom of the wall?
That is where snow and salt sit all winter and where the melt soaks in every spring. Joints near the ground freeze wet far more often than joints up high.
Will Don work on my block foundation?
Call or text and ask him. Block is a different material from the stone Don leads with, and he can tell you on the call if he takes it.
Don tells you plainly what the masonry needs, and what it does not, before any work starts.
