Stone walls, steps and patios
Fieldstone and bluestone, laid to last generations and to match the land.
Fieldstone that matches the town
Bedford's stone walls were laid over centuries, some dating to pre-Revolutionary farms. We build new walls and steps from regional fieldstone, and Bedford-sourced granite has the gray-with-pink-flecks character of the walls already standing across town.
Properly built, a fieldstone wall lasts centuries; the stone itself does not weather in any meaningful way over a lifetime. Concrete retaining block typically lasts 40 to 80 years.
How a wall is built
Dry-stacked. No mortar: stones placed for gravity-based stability, on a base trench dug below the frost line, about 42 inches in Westchester. Water flows through the wall instead of building up behind it.
Mortar-set. Tighter, more formal joints, and stronger for a given height, where the design calls for it.
Patios. Bluestone reads regional, in blue-gray with variation into brown, laid as random flagstone or gauge-cut pavers, dry-laid or mortar-set.
We walk the property, talk through what you want from it, and follow with a detailed proposal covering material specifications and a timeline.
Site analysis takes one to four weeks. Design development and construction drawings typically take four to twelve weeks once a concept is chosen.
Town permits typically take four to twelve weeks depending on the town. Work near a regulated wetland typically adds three to twelve months. We coordinate permits as part of the project.
A smaller project typically takes four to eight weeks to build. Estate-scale work runs from three months to a year or more.
Common questions
Dry-stacked fieldstone walls have been documented lasting 200 years and more. A modern wall with proper base preparation and drainage should last at least a century with little maintenance.
Fieldstone reads natural and lasts centuries. Manufactured concrete block typically lasts 40 to 80 years and weathers as it ages: surface spalling, fading and freeze-thaw cracking.
Dry-stacked walls are water-permeable and low maintenance, and need skilled masonry. Mortar-set walls give tighter, more formal joints and more strength per unit of height, with more complex water handling.
It can be. Bluestone has moderate salt sensitivity, so alternative deicers are recommended on bluestone surfaces.