But they also don’t last as long.In addition to a wide range of natural stone profiles and products available for enhancing interior and exterior design schemes, there are also many different masonry styles with which the stone can be dressed. Stone foundations haven’t been used much since the 1950s because new, cheaper methods were devised, such as poured concrete and concrete block, both of which are faster to construct and require less skilled labour. Furthermore, it is the ultimate all-natural product: It came from the ground and it can be buried for thousands of years and still look the same. Stone, on the other hand, will almost never experience these problems. Bricks and concrete both deteriorate with water penetration bricks cannot be placed below grade and are usually hollow on the inside concrete always pits and cracks and is hard to repair. Of all masonry products (brick, concrete, block, man-made products, etc.) natural stone is by far the most durable. You would have to stack up stone blocks 4 kilometres high before the block on the bottom got crushed! This is why it’s great for building foundations. Since the stone is formed in layers built up over millions of years and squeezed together by climate changes, such as heat and pressure, the final product is densely compressed. Natural stone has one of the highest compressive strengths of all building materials. The grouted centre of the wall is usually bone dry and crumbly, and this helps sponge up the water as it penetrates the stone. It’s amazing how much water the wall can absorb before the saturation point. Try spraying a hose, or dumping a jug of water on a stone foundation and you will see the water magically disappear. It’s so thick (20″+), that small amounts of water which penetrate into the cracks simply get absorbed by the mass masonry and harmlessly evaporated outwards. Typical stonework on interior foundation wallĪ stone foundation has some special characteristics when compared to other foundation types (concrete, block or site mix).Ī stone foundation is great at dealing with water for a few reasons. People didn’t care what the inside walls looked like, especially since they were often parged, painted or whitewashed anyway. Random RubbleĪlmost all interior walls foundation walls are random rubble of varying degrees. This is part of the beauty of using stone. Random rubble was usually built with materials found on the site. The very little cutting that was done was usually with a stone hammer to simply knock off a chunk to make a piece fit. Corners would be built with the largest and most square stones. This pattern involved simply using whatever stone was on the top of the pile and laying it where it fit. Random Rubble – The lowest grade of stonework, but also an art form if done properly. The faces of the stones are pitched only when necessary to get the stones in the wall line so the breasting is less apparent. Some stones are joined at matching angles, if convenient. The stones are squared, but with a relaxed tolerance. Roughly Squared Scotch Bond – The is a medium grade of stonework.
#Masonry stack vs series
Each stone is carefully worked by the mason at various angles and a series of rules is followed when laying out the pattern. This creates the “breasted” look and allows a straighter building line. All stones are mostly squared and have the faces pitched. Most of the ones in and around Ottawa area are described below.įully Pitched Scotch Bond – This was the Cadillac of stone foundations in the 19th and early 20th century. Many different qualities of stonework are used, depending on the structure and the mason.
Almost all the stone foundations in Ottawa are made with the same stone, local limestone. This space is filled with a liquid lime-based mortar and the stone wythes are pointed up and sealed. The stone foundations in the Ottawa area are all built the same way: Two walls (or wythes) of stone each 8 inches thick are built facing opposite directions with a 4-inch space in between. Its main attributes are high compressive strength, incredible durability and local availability. Natural stone has been used for thousands of years until as recently as about the 1940s. Improperly done foundations cause settlement issues, wall cracking, bowing, water penetration and a host of other issues. It’s critically important that the foundation is properly built and levelled or there will be serious problems elsewhere in the house. 36,963 people have read this article! Ben Jensen – Expert MasonĪ foundation is a structure that creates a strong, level base on which to build.
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