• Retaining Walls

Mortared Gravity Retaining Walls
Gravity walls depend on their mass (stone, boulder or other heavy material) to resist pressure from behind and may have a 'batter' setback to improve stability by leaning back toward the retained soil. A mortared retaining wall is built with natural stone, but all stones are cemented together. There are two essential options on this technique. A traditional look will show a mortar joint between the stones and a more contemporary style, the "dry stack look",has no visible mortar between the stones. Generally, a traditional style wall is appropriate for older walls. The "dry stack look" can blend in well with both newer and older walls, because it gives the effect of a wall that was built without mortar. As with any retaining wall, footings and drainage gravel are essential for their longevity.

Drystack Gravity Retaining Walls
A dry laid retaining wall is built without mortar or cement to bond the stones together. It is the oldest style of stonework and has a way of blending in naturally with the landscape. Stones are stacked against a hill or embankment and just the sheer weight of the structure holds things in place. Retaining walls are necessary to create level areas or platforms on your property. Gravel footings and drainage gravel are essential to the life and longevity of these beautiful walls. Working with native stone is our specialty. As you will see from our photos, countless walls have been built over the last twenty years.

• Freestanding Walls

Mortared Freestanding Walls

This style of work is typically more formal than a dry laid wall. Creating custom mosaics is possible because of the use of cement/mortar. Usually, we will gather a collection of stones to incorporate into the design from my stockpile. Other times, we will choose flatter stones from a local stone yard and achieve a stacked stone effect. Sometimes we will blend the two for a more custom look! These walls usually adorn the entranceway to your home or in areas close to a driveway.

Drystack Freestanding Walls

Often referred to as "farmers walls" or "property walls" these walls were built, without mortar, by our local ancestors 100 years ago! They blanket the region and remind us of a time when farming ruled the land. Locally, we tend to have either a blend of glacial deposits or a sedimentary sandstone/fieldstone. We have rebuilt many of these walls. They can instill a quaint, "country" feeling to your home and landscape if they are stacked informally. Wall building is an testament to what was done years ago. We at V-Square Masonry respect the craft of rebuilding the past and connecting it with the future. Stacking walls is a timeless craft, that can only be done properly by a true "Stone Artist".

• Entrances

An Entrance way helps to define your property, home or business. It is usually the first thing people see as they approach your property. Usually, a column or pillar is built on the edge of your driveway and may sometimes include a wing wall or connecting wall. Once we establish the parameters of the location, we can design something to suits your needs. Caps for the columns are usually stone or concrete and it is best at this point, to plan for any lighting or gates you may want to install.

• Pillars | Piers
  

These can be built either square or round in shape and generally are built to adorn your home and property, as an accent on a stone wall or to serve a structural function. They can even be built to help protect your mailbox. Adding a pillar or column is a nice way to welcome guests to your property. To achieve a formal entrance, stones will be hand cut and chiseled for tight fits. This will give you clean lines and sharp corners. To achieve a more rustic effect, stones are set naturally, not hand cut. This will give your corners more variance and more roundness to the stones. In a structural situation, pillars help to hold up your front lanai or maybe even a side of your home. We have built all the above, in many situations.

• Stone house cladding

• Stone columns

• Stone fireplaces

• Stone water features (such as fountains and ponds)

• Stone barbecues and pizza ovens

• Stone features

• General stone masonry work

• And much more!