Woodbury stone fronts, set and repaired
Woodbury is a large suburb south of Interstate 94, mostly newer houses, and it falls within the area Don Barger covers from White Bear Lake. Stone is what Stonecrete Inc handles, setting it and fixing it, and plenty of Woodbury houses have stone on the front and in the yard. Text the number, (612) 432-9467, with a picture of the trouble spot.
- Woodbury is in
- Washington County
- Don is based in
- White Bear Lake, MN
- Confirmed work
- Stone work and stone repair
- Text a photo to
- (612) 432-9467
Stone fronts on newer houses
Woodbury sits in Washington County, and much of it is newer houses on poured foundations. On many of them the front wears stone veneer, which is a thin layer of stone on the face of the house set over the wall behind it.
Veneer looks solid, but it is a skin, and its job is to shed water. When water gets in behind it at a window sill, a light fixture or the top edge and cannot drain back out, the freeze works on the stone from the back.
Some fronts are natural stone and some are a made stone product. A close photo helps Don tell which one he is looking at, and that changes what a repair involves.
Where stone veneer gives out first
After the spring melt, go along the front of a Woodbury house and look at these spots up close.
- The lowest course near the driveway, buried in plowed snow for months
- Beneath each window sill, and the top edge of the stone, where water can run in behind
- Around hose bibs, vents, lights and anything else that goes through the stone
- Outside corners that get clipped by a shovel or a snowblower
- Hairline cracks in the joints that open a little more each spring
- Single stones that sound hollow when you tap them
Salt on driveways, walks and front steps
Driveways and walks in Woodbury get the same road salt as the rest of Minnesota. Where the stone on a house front comes down close to the driveway, salty slush gets thrown against it every time a car pulls in.
Stone steps by the front door and stone set into the landscaping near the walk get splashed too. Where salty water sits on a flat stone and freezes, the top can start to flake. Loose steps and stones that have broken up can be reset or replaced as stone repair.
Block walls in the yard
Woodbury yards have a lot of block retaining walls, holding back the grade around patios, driveways and slopes. If one of yours is leaning, or a block has pushed out of the face, check with Don before counting on him for it.
If the same wall has shifted more than once, an engineer may need to see it first. Permits for a new or rebuilt wall are a question for Woodbury city hall.
Parks around Woodbury
- Carver Lake Park and BeachA city park and beach on Century Avenue South
- Powers Lake ParkA park on Brookview Road
- Woodbury Central ParkA park and community building on Central Park Place
- Tamarack Nature PreserveA nature preserve on Tower Drive
Questions
A few stones fell off the front of my house. Can they go back on?
Often they can, if the stones are whole and the wall behind them is sound. Don will want to know why they came off first, since the same water will push more off if nothing changes. Send a photo of the gap and the stones you picked up.
Is the stone on my house real stone?
It could be natural stone or a made product. A broken edge shows it best. Photograph one if you have it, along with a handful of stones, and Don can give you his take.
How far does Don go? Is Woodbury in his area?
Woodbury is inside it. Don put his area at White Bear Lake plus a 30 minute radius around it, and Woodbury falls in that. Reach him at (612) 432-9467.
Does Stonecrete build patios or retaining walls in Woodbury?
Ask Don. Stone is the work he has confirmed. For patios, block walls or other yard work, check with him first.
Don tells you plainly what the masonry needs, and what it does not, before any work starts.
