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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We’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 repair 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.
Re-tucking mortar joints in Michigan stone basements and foundations makes up about 70% of our work in any given year. I would say around 8 in 10 of our foundation retucking projects are basements with the rest being stone crawl space foundations of one type or the other. I should note that another term for retucking would be tuck pointing Often times the existing stone basement walls are in tact and basically in place. Many times there isn’t any bowing in the walls or even any stones actually missing or falling out. The mortar joints between the stones have simply rotted away and turned back into sand almost. Some of the stone foundation repair projects we do the joints are completely missing and the wall appears to be stacked stones without any type of mortar visible between the stones.
How We Fix Crumbling Stone Basement Walls
I will work on getting some before and after pictures here on the this article so you can see some of the basement wall we encounter that have missing mortar joints of one degree or another. To learn more about the stone foundation repair work we do you can visit the home page of this website.The process of fixing the mortar joints or (Re-Tucking, Retucking, tuckpointing, tuck point, and repointing are also words I’ve heard used. And to be honest, just pick a word, we know what your talking about) n a stone wall varies based on the existing condition of the wall. If the joints have mostly disintegrated then we basically just clean the wall, being sure to get back in the joint area. There is usually a good amount of sand and debris that needs to be removed.
Usually some of the mortar joints are remaining in the wall and have reached the point where they are no longer structurally sound. We usually remove these soft, loose, or crumbling joints with a masons hammer, chisel, and a brush. In rare cases we may us a chipping hammer or even waterjet the joints.
Clean Walls to Remove Debris, Cobwebs, and Flaking Mortar
Hammer out Old, Loose, Failing Mortar Joints
Clean the Wall and Joint area To Receive New Mortar
Apply Bonding Agent
Tuck point new joints and brush to seal
Coat walls with Water Proofing Cementitious Coating
A good percentage of the old Michigan basements we re-tuck will have some mortar joints that are still structurally sound, some that need removed and retucked and some that are already completely gone and to be re-tucked.
A typical stone basement is around 20’x24′ or so, many are larger as they have been added onto, but typically they aren’t as big as the actual foot print of the house. Most of the basements we re-tuck take 3-5 days to complete depending on the severity of the existing wall deterioration. We use a sand and cement mix with some type S mortar and a bonding agent. This mix works well to get back into the wall and is strong enough to hold the stones in place for years to come. If you have an old Michigan basement and need someone to re-tuck the walls, request a quote and we would be happy to help.
