Concrete Driveways in Michigan and The Fall Rush

I wanted to update this article on concrete driveways in Michigan and share the website for the concrete division of our company. We spend most of the winter fixing stone basements across the state of Michigan and once the weather turns we get right onto our concrete work.  Crawford Farms Concrete and Stone is our concrete division and we are a Michigan concrete driveway contractor. We also do a large variety of other commercial and residential concrete construction work.

Well it started last week, like it does every year in the concrete and masonry industry here in Central Michigan.  I’m not sure if people spend the beautiful summer months enjoying life or planning their upcoming job but it seems like 90% of the work happens in the fall (or spring) when it comes to concrete, stone, or other masonry work.  I seem to do a lot of concrete driveways in the Central Michigan area during the fall and in the spring it’s mostly foundation repairs.

Truth be told I don’t mind working in the fall at all.  The cool temps make for great working weather and the pour concrete when it’s below 50 degrees actually results in a better finished product anyway.  The cool temps help the concrete cure slower initially and this makes for a more durable concrete driveway or floor.  It’s kind of neat how it all shakes out in the end.

I did more stone foundation repairs than usual this year, I’m not sure if it was because of the wet spring or what.  Seven complete stone basement restorations in total and a few smaller repair jobs were all completed before the end of May this past spring.  With another driveway coming up next week I’ll be whisking away falling leaves as I try to but a nice textured finish on another driveway.

Concrete Driveway Quote

Fall is a great time to pour concrete, I’d say its the best time for exterior concrete work.  You don’t have hidden frost to contend with and the ground isn’t saturated from the spring thaw.  One thing to watch out for is the upcoming cold nights, but it has to get pretty cold to present a risk to your recent investment.  The night after the pour is quite critical, you want temperatures to stay above 35 degrees so curing can continue or simply be but on pause overnight. Get in touch if you would like a quote on a concrete driveway.

If you would like to get your concrete driveway done before the snow flies, get in touch, I have room for a few more.  Cold weather is on the way with a little snow in the forecast already this fall.

Recent Stone Basement Repair Projects.

We’ve been busy with stone basement repair projects all across the state of Michigan lately. I wanted to share some updates on the recent projects we’ve been working on. We’ve been doing dozens of stone basement restoration projects each year for the last decade or more. They make up a significant portion of our Stone Masonry division.

Almost every Stone basement repair project we do has at least some tuck pointing involved. Our tuck pointing process is pretty straight forward. If your looking for a stone basement repair contractor to do restoration work and tuck pointing on your basement, this is what the process looks like.

Stone Basement Repair
  • Access the project and note any spot repairs, missing stones etc.
  • Clean the stone wall surface. We usually us a kitchen type broom.
  • Remove loose and/or crumbling mortar joints. Then Clean Joints.
  • Tuck point the stone joints with bonding agent modified mortar.
  • Brush a finish on the joints that both looks good and more importantly seals the joint.

Stone Basement Repair Costs

All stone basement repair projects are different, but after doing hundreds of these projects I can offer a loose average. It doesn’t mean your project will be this price, but most of our stone foundation repair projects that are stone basements and mostly require tuckpointing fall in a similar range. We often install glass block windows, fix sections of stone wall, replace stones or re-lay loose stones. Also some stone walls require more prep work than others. But the ones that are predominately tuck pointing focused fall in the range of $3,800.00-$5,700.00 for smaller basements and in the $6,500.00-$8,500.00 dollar range for the larger basements.

It seems like the older stone basements (1910 or older) run a little smaller. They are often around 18×25 in size and fall in the lower range. We do a lot of larger basements also, these seem to be a little newer, often build after 1910. Stone basement restorations are a majority of our work during the winter months. During the main warmer season we are business with various types of stone work and we are also a Michigan concrete contractor.

Stone Basement Repair Project
Stone Basement Tuckpointing Project

Stone Basement Repair Company

If your Michigan stone basement needs some attention, reach out and we can discuss your project over the phone and arrange a site visit if needed. We have been a stone basement repair company for well over a decade and serve the entire state of Michigan.

Stone Foundation Repair Quotes for 2023

Taking a break from spring concrete and stone projects to let our potential customers know we are currently scheduling stone foundation repair projects for late 2023 and early 2024. We fix stone foundations, stone basements and stone crawls spaces, all winter long and we start doing these exclusively in the colder months.

How to get a stone foundation repair quote

Our process for providing stone foundation repair quotes is pretty straight forward and simple. Once you contact us (visit the “get a quote” page) we will set up a time for one of our people to come and inspect the foundation. It’s great if you can be there for this step. They will use photos and video and their conversation with you to collect the information needed to provide an accurate and timely quote for your stone foundation repair project.

Once I’m able to look over this information I will usually reach out by phone or email to ask any clarifying questions. Often our customers like the quote broken up if its a larger project, we can do that. I usually like to go over the approach or options we can take on the project to get the issues fixed.

We’ve fixed hundreds of stone basements and crawlspaces throughout the state of Michigan. We work all over the state and surrounding states for certain projects, so lets get your stone foundation fixed. We are not a basement waterproofing company. We only work on stone foundations. If you’ve gotten a quote form a basement water proofing company, I strongly suggest a second opinion, especially if you’re basement is dry most of the year. If you have a stone foundation issue I encourage your to reach out to us or another stone mason to get an affordable quote.

Common Stone Foundation Repair Projects

I would say stone Michigan basements are the most common stone foundation repair projects we encounter. We do a lot of tuck pointing of crumbling mortar in stone walls and we also do a lot of spot repairs of loose or fallen stones. We also do a lot of foundation coating which makes a cleaner wall and helps to preserve the integrity of existing walls that don’t need current tuck pointing.

Often times stone crawl space foundations require extensive tuckpointing and we also do a lot of crawl space vapor barrier installs to help keep down the odor that can come with an earth floor in your crawlspace.

Have a look around our site and learn more about our stone foundation repair projects, we would love the opportunity to provide you with a fair and worthwhile quote to keep your stone basement or crawl space doing its job for years to come.

We are also a Michigan concrete contractor and we stay busy pouring concrete during the spring, summer and fall. We like to do focus on stone foundation repairs in the colder months and offer a pretty good discount if your willing to wait until late fall or winter. We look forward to helping you!

Field Stone Retainer Wall Contractor Tips

Field stone retainer walls are a popular choice for landscaping and outdoor construction projects. We are a stone retainer wall contractor which basically means we are laying stone with mortar joints. Stone retaining walls are durable, long-lasting, and provide a natural, rustic look that blends seamlessly with the surrounding environment. In this article, we will explore the process of constructing a field stone retainer wall and provide tips for ensuring a successful and stable end result.

Field Stone Retaining Wall Construction Steps

The first step in constructing a field stone retainer wall is to plan and prepare the site. This includes determining the location and dimensions of the wall, removing any existing vegetation, and leveling the ground. The base of the wall should be dug out to a depth of at least six inches and filled with gravel or crushed stone for drainage. A layer of landscape fabric can be placed over the gravel to prevent soil erosion.

Next, it is time to begin laying the stones. Field stones come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so it is important to choose stones that are well-suited to the task at hand. Larger, flatter stones should be used for the base of the wall, while smaller, rounder stones can be used for the upper layers. Stones should be placed tightly together, with any gaps filled in with smaller stones or mortar.

One of the challenges of constructing a field stone retainer wall is ensuring that it is stable and able to withstand the weight of the soil behind it. This can be achieved through the use of a “deadman” – a long, flat stone buried behind the wall and anchored to a stake in the ground. This helps to distribute the weight of the soil and prevent the wall from tipping over.

Another important consideration is drainage. A well-designed field stone retainer wall should allow water to flow through it, rather than accumulating behind the wall and putting pressure on it. This can be achieved through the use of weep holes – small gaps between the stones that allow water to escape. It is also important to ensure that the slope of the soil behind the wall is appropriate to prevent excess water buildup.

Overall, the construction of a field stone retainer wall requires careful planning, attention to detail, and a willingness to get your hands dirty. However, the end result can be a beautiful and functional addition to any landscape. Whether you are building a retaining wall to prevent erosion, create a raised garden bed, or simply add some visual interest to your yard, a field stone retainer wall is a versatile and timeless option that will last for years to come.

How we Fix Fieldstone Foundation Issues on Fieldstone Basements.

Fixing fieldstone foundation issues on old Michigan basements is about 90% of our work for about 4 months out of the year. We have a lot of fieldstone basements and crawlspaces in Michigan and they need some maintenance from time to time. I wanted to share some of the most common things we run into when inspecting stone foundations for repair. Below is a photograph of a fieldstone foundation wall that has some obvious issues:

fieldstone foundation issues

You can see most of the mortar joints have crumbled away and some are missing altogether, this is actually pretty common. This wall looks like it is leaning pretty badly in the photo, but it actually wasn’t. If it were, addressing that type fieldstone foundation issue would be for another post all together.

Tuckpointing Is The Most Common Fieldstone Foundation Issue in Basements.

I would say 75% of the fieldstone foundation issues we see are mostly tuckpointing. In other words 7-8 out of ten fieldstone foundations we inspect are mostly just in need of tuckpointing. There are almost always an area or two that need some minor repair. Areas around windows or duct work pass throughs were a stone or two has come loose or fallen from the wall. The other 25% of he projects (1-2 out of ten) require more extensive work.

How we Fix Fieldstone Foundation Issues

Usually, like I mentioned above, the mortar joints between the rocks or stones will need to be given some attention. That attention in this case is tuckpointing. Here is a framework we use for evaluating fieldstone foundation issues:

  • Is the wall safe to be and work around?
  • Are the walls generally where they should be? Are they leaning, bowing, or shifted?
  • Have the joints crumbled away and mostly missing?
  • Are the mortar joints intact but loose and crumbling, are they failing?
  • Is this fieldstone foundation a good candidate for tuckpointing?

Usually the outcome after going thru this checklist I use to evaluate fieldstone foundation issues is that the walls are good candidates for tuckpointing. I go over how we tuckpoint stone basement walls in another article and won’t go into that here. There is almost always some tuckpointing involved in dealing with fieldstone foundation issues, especially in basements.

Wall Collapses are a common Fieldstone Foundation Issue

Often there are other concerns as well. Many times customers have us update the windows in their old Michigan basements. We do a lot of crawlspace repair and it seems like most often the collapses occur in the fieldstone crawlspaces. It’s pretty common for the fieldstone crawl space foundations to almost be dry stacked on the inside portion of the wall. There is mortar there but it was very thin to begin with and was often un-tooled and unsealed. For this reason they don’t hold up as well as the fieldstone basement walls. Fieldstone wall collapses are less of an issue that they appear to be. They are usually localized and aren’t really that difficult to repair. I think I will follow up with another article on fixing fieldstone wall collapses. I have some pretty cool photos I need to find.

Stone Basement Repair Season Is Upon Us

Most of our winter work is stone basement repair service projects. Most of those being stone basements with at least one crawl space area attached to the original stone foundation. We try to save these stone wall repair projects for winter mainly because the weather limits the outside work we can do.

Wintertime Stone Basement Repair

January thru March, for our company, is pretty much spent in dingy lit stone basements across the state of Michigan. The winter months are perfect for doing those interior repairs and restorations on stone foundations. For the month of January we will most be in the Ann Arbor area doing 4 tuckpointing projects. The one project has the normal crumbling mortar in the basement walls , so we will go in and remove all the loose surface mortar, fix any spots where the joints are missing altogether, then spend a couple days tuckpointing the walls.

The other three are similar with some areas that need the stone foundation wall rebuilt between a basement area and a crawl space area. One of them is mainly a stone crawl space repair project and will take a few days. There’s always a bit a mix but this basically summarizes the winter stone basement repair services we find ourselves doing.

Stone Basement Repair Services

Over the years of fixing stone basements a few commonly recurring issues have essentially become the main services we offer our customers. Our stone basement repair services include:

  • Tuckpointing
  • Spot Repairs
  • Apply Foundation Coating

Tuck pointing is probably where we spend the majority of our time on stone basement projects. Depending on the current state of the mortar joints size of the basement, typical tuckpointing projects usually fall in the range of 2-4 days and fall in the price range of $3,500-$6,500 dollars.

Spot repairs are what we basically call problem areas in the foundation. Sometime HVAC contractors might dismantle parts of the stone foundation. Sometimes a pipe or electrical line is installed through the wall and now the stone wall is coming apart. Spot repairs are common and usually not to big of a deal. They are usually repaired within a few hours and don’t cost much.

Applying foundation coating is a process we often do after spot repairs and tuckpointing is complete throughout a stone basement. Usually when we work on a stone foundation some of the existing joints are still structurally sound and don’t need replaced. The foundation coating we use is a cementitious coating and offers a good preservation value. Its breathable, so it wont delaminate, and it provides a much cleaner wall and it just looks better.

Tuck Pointing Stone Basement Projects

Stone foundation repair, mainly tuck pointing, makes up about 90% or our work during the winter in Michigan. Around eight years ago I began strategically offering a significant discount on tuck jointing projects when our customers are willing to schedule them in the winter months. Its been a win-win all the way around. We are busy all winter long and most of our tuck pointing is interior.

We focus on Michigan stone basement tuck pointing projects during the winter months as the temperatures makes exterior work, like tuck pointing barns, pretty difficult or even impossible without weather protection. I wanted to share some before and after pictures, which would be a lot easier if I would actually take before and after pictures of tuck pointing projects. But I do have a few.

Stone Tuck Pointing Projects

Tuck pointing projects are pretty straight forward with the only real variable being the condition of the existing mortar joints. Usually, if the foundation or wall is made of stone, there are often spot repairs that need to be done to fix loose or fallen stone. Probably half of the the interior stone wall tuck pointing projects we do are strictly tuckpointing, no repairs needed at all. Below I’m going to show some before and after photos of some recent projects we did tuck pointing work on.

Before Tuck Pointing A Stone and Brick Foundation

This was a project we did in Cork town right near downtown Detroit Michigan. This is one of the oldest standing residential structures in the area, most were destroyed in a massive fire. It was a really cool project.

After Tuck Pointing Stone Wall

This particular foundation had a 4′ stone wall with a triple thick red brick wall on that. The red brick wall went all the way up to the top of the structure, which is now a home. I suspect it was built for commercial purposes initially, based on the construction. Once we tuck pointed the stone portion, we used a slightly different tuck pointing mix and also re pointed the brick walls. The brick walls were missing a significant amount of mortar joints and much of them were loose. We went in and removed or ground out poor joints where needed, using a 4″ grinder with a diamond tuck pointing blade. The we tuck pointed new joints back in.

Stone Basement Tuck Pointing

Residential Stone basement tuck pointing makes up a lion’s share of out winter work here in Michigan. We do a lot of new field stone wall construction, decorative concrete design projects, and other exterior projects that require decent weather and warmer temperatures.

Tuck Pointing done on a Michigan Basement

Tuck Pointing Stone Structures To Restore and Preserve

Below is part of a massive project we did on the west side of the state, over by Lake Michigan. We worked on this project for a month or so in the spring and the another month or two in the fall. We did that for a couple years actually. There were several smaller projects, with the one pictured below being the largest of the projects we completed. This structure need a significant amount of tuck pointing and repairs, so we ended up doing a more cosmetic tuck pointing process on the entire structure. Literally every single joint was either removed and replaced, tuck pointed or received a thin mortar tuck pointing to make it all match.

Tuck Pointing As a Beautification Project

This picture, to me, really shows the real issue with tuck pointing. Its not rocket science, it just really tedious. I’ll write another post at some point that lays out how to tuck point, but essentially its all pretty straight forward. If you don’t have the skill set or the experience, it just takes a long time. A project that takes us a few days to tuck point would take a home owner weeks or months, no exaggeration.

Why Is Tuck Pointing Important?

Most of our work is initiated by a home owner or building manager who can see that their stone walls are shedding mortar along the floor. Often times there are significant areas where the mortar joints between the stone are missing altogether. Over time the mortar, through drying out, will fail. Many of the tuck pointing projects we do on old stone basements were built when lime mortar was the material used to lay the stone. Tuck pointing is important and adds a lot of long term value to stone basements, stone walls, and other stone, block or brick foundations.

5 Reasons Tuck Pointing is Important

  • Tuck pointing maintains stability of the stone wall
  • Tuck pointing keeps ground water from entering from the exterior
  • Tuckpointing helps to keep critters out of the wall
  • Tuckpointing makes for a much cleaner basement
  • Tuck pointing helps to identify any shifts in a stone foundation wall in the future

These are some of the more significant reasons tuck pointing is important. The first point about it maintaining stability of the wall is a the most important from a cost perspective. It cost much much more to rebuild a wall collapse than it does to go through do spot repairs and tuck pointing.

Often times historic buildings were made with stone foundations and tuck pointing is an integral part of maintaining these structures so we can carry them into the future. We are fortunate to have many associations in America and in Michigan that work to carry on historical preservation and restoration. Michigan Barn Preservation Network is one of these associations that work to help preserve those big red barns we have in Michigan. They are a joy to work on and tuck pointing is an unobtrusive way to maintain the structural integrity of these structures.

Our Average Repointing Stone Foundation Costs

One of the most common parts of stone foundation repair is to repoint the stone foundation joints. By joints, I mean the “mortar joints” between the individual field stones that make up the foundation, commonly refered to Michigan Basements here in the State of Michigan. I wanted to share some ideas on the process of repointing stone foundations and the cost to repoint a foundation made of stone.

Repointing stone foundation costs vary mostly based on the prep work required and the current condition of the existing joints between the stones. To me “Repointing” is the actual process of installing a joint of port land cement, mortar, or lime mortar mixture where one is missing. When I think of repointing a stone wall, I think of actually “putting” the material in the wall. There is more to the process.

Costs of repointing a stone foundation.

  • Condition of current existing mortar joints.
  • The size of the stones used to construct the wall.
  • The overall size of the foundation that needs repointed.
  • Accessibility of the foundation. Is it a crawspace? Is it a basment?
  • Are the existing walls basically where they belong?
  • Are the joints missing altogether?
  • Have other repairs been made in the past, including previous repointing?
  • The location and logistics of the project.

The current condion of the foundation and the joints between the stones propabley affects the cost to repoint foundations the most. Repointing stone foundation costs go up when the volume of material goes up. We often complete projects that have most of the joints missing altogether when we arrive. This can also mean large voids and holes that reach back into the the wall, and these take a lot of mortar to properly fix. Obviously a larger stone foundation costs more to repoint than a smaller one.

The size of the stones used to build the foundation is a significant factor in the determining the cost to repoint foundations. As a rule the smaller the stones, the more joints there are that will need repointing. The larger the stones the fewer the joints. So typically we find that the foundation repointing projects that have smaller stones tend to cost more. If we find that most of the joints have deteriorated are simply missing, we wont have a lot of prep work to do. We take this into account when coming up with the cost. Also is the foundation easily accessible. Some crawl space foundations are a bugger because of the low height making it difficult to work in.

Average Cost Of Foundation Repointing Based on Past Projects.

Based on past repointing work we’ve done on stone foundations here in Michigan I would say you could expect repair costs to fall in the $3500-$6,500 dollar range. It seems to me that most of the foundations we re-point fall in that range. Obviously if its a very small or quite large foundation it could easily fall outside of this range.

This average is purely based on the hundreds of stone wall repointing projects we’ve done. The national average of tuck pointing ( as its also called) is about $15 dollars a square foot according for Forbes. It is worth noting that the cost to repoint a stone foundation is significantly lower than costs of repairing a collapsed stone wall. Repointing is a smart way to maintain the structural integrity of your foundation.

If you would like more information on repointing costs of a stone foundation, feel free to send us a Note or give us a call. We would also be happy to take a look at your project.

Stone Barn Foundation Repair Collapsed Wall

I wanted to share some ideas and information on a recent stone foundation repair that we did on an old stone barn basement in central Michigan. I’ll try to share some photographs so you can see how we went about repairing the barn foundation collapse.

When we started the stone foundation repair project on the this barn in Central Michigan we had to clean and sort the stones from the debris that had fallen in with the stone. The stone foundation had a hole about 8 feet long by about 9 feet high, so there was a quite a pile laying on the barn basement floor.

barnfoundationrepair
Pile of Stone and Debris From a Stone Barn Foundation Collapse

Most of the Stone was already sorted out and cleaned off already in the photo above. We then removed this soil and debris so we could get started repairing the existing wall and re laying the collapsed wall to repair the foundation. We ran into a couple very large stones under this pile of dirt so we decided to actually pour a type of footing so we had a solid structural place to begin with the wall. The two large stones were in a few inches more than they were originally but we decided to pour them right where they laid as they were too large to move.

footingforstone

As you can see we also added a few pieces of re-rod an hammer drilled in a couple more. We also laid a sheer wall of block to stabilize the existing wall that was still standing after the collapse. This isn’t always needed, to be honest we did it more out of concern for our own safety as we completed the repair. So now we have sorted out the stone, removed the soil and debris, and created a starting place for re-laying and repairing the collapsed barn foundation wall.

Next I began to lay the stones back in to create a wall that joined the two existing walls on each side. As I worked at this my helper focused on removing and re-pointing loose, missing or rotten mortar joints that existed throughout the stone part of the barn foundation.

rebuildbarnfoundation
Rebuilding the Collapsed Stone Wall on this Barn Foundation

You can see here I began to lay back up the stone to completely fill in the collapse. I wish I’d taken more photos of the collapsed foundation on the barn, but seem to forget once I get going. I laid this wall all the way up and while doing that I used smaller stones and redi mix concrete behind to create a solid, strong wall. Once the wall reached a certain height I began to lay the outer wall so it would match the exterior of the barn. Below is a photo of exterior of the barn.

exteriorbarnwallrepair

We do several stone barn foundation repairs each year, some have areas that have collapsed and some do not. Fixing collapsed foundations tends to cost more than tuck pointing and doing other repairs before the wall actually comes down. Something to keep in mind if you have an old barn with a stone foundation that could use some attention.

Field Stone Foundation Repair Costs for Michigan Basements

fieldstone foundation repair costWe’ve been repairing fieldstone foundations and Michigan basements for over 15 years and I thought I would shed some light on the stone foundation repair costs that we typically encounter.  Projects vary widely and so to the costs associated with different projects but I think I can offer a general window of cost to fix an old Michigan basement.

Typically the stone basements we repair are between 400 square foot (approx. 20’x20′) and 600 square foot. Obviously some are larger and some smaller, but this seems to be the general rule. If it is an older foundation, say pre 1920, it is usually closer to the 400 square foot size.  This is for a very pragmatic reason. Back “in the day” the excavation for the Michigan basement was by hand.  So starting in the spring the goal was to dig the hole and get the stone foundation laid before the cold Michigan winter.

Fieldstone Foundation Repair Cost Variables

Here are some of the variables that determine the cost to repair a stone foundation:

  • size of the foundation
  • size of the stones used to build the foundation
  • current condition of the walls
  • current condition of the mortar joints
  • availability of water and electricity on site.
  • accessibility of the basement or crawlspace

When I consider the dozens of stone foundations we have repaired I would say that most of them fall in the range of $3,600 to $5,500 dollar range.  We have done many that cost less, and many that have cost more, but I would say 70% of the stone foundation repairstone foundation wall costs we encounter fall in that range.

Having said that, most of our customers contact us before they have wall collapses and usually most of the stone is in place and intact.  The main issue is usually deteriorated mortar joints or maybe some loose or fallen stones. The projects we’ve completed where walls have collapsed or failed are always much more in terms of cost to repair.