Stone Foundation

A stone foundation is generally constructed from a combination of stone (of course) and mortar. The mortar was used to fill in the voids and spread over top, which helped bind the stones together, forming the walls that made up the foundation of the home or building.

Over time, a stone foundation is more likely to have problems such as crumbling mortar, due to water, bowing, and shifting of the stones. When problems like this arise, one cannot be sure if the stone foundation will stay in tact or continue to shift or move and eventually fail completely. Once the mortar starts crumbling, it will likely continue to fail, until eventually the wall is failing at a fast rate. A stone foundation may fail simply because of the age of the structure. Mortar will break down or crumble in time, as it is not meant to last forever.

A solution to repairing a stone foundation is by using shotcrete. Shotcrete is a mixture of aggregate, cement and water. The wet mixture is sprayed in place with the use of a high pressure hose system and can be carved or troweled almost immediately. A steel mesh framework is installed prior to the shotcrete mixture being applied. The result is new concrete walls that bond to the stone, adding strength and weight-bearing support. Some square footage will be lost by adding the shotcrete application, but you will be gaining a solid foundation underneath your home or building.