Stone veneer installation in Woodland CA - set on a wall that's ready for it
Tired of a plain block or concrete wall? We check it, clean it and set natural or manufactured stone that bonds to it.
Can my wall take stone veneer, and what drives the cost?
Stone veneer installation in Woodland means setting natural or manufactured stone onto a masonry or concrete wall with mortar, so a plain wall gets a stone face. The stone holds by its bond to that wall, which is why the wall behind it matters as much as the stone on the front.
Most calls start with a plain block or concrete wall someone is tired of looking at, or a stone look they want on part of the house. The price mostly turns on how many square feet you're covering, the stone itself and how much work the wall needs before anything goes on it. The schedule turns on the permit question, which we settle with the building office before we start, and on the weather, since fresh mortar needs protecting in hard heat or cold. Your written estimate lays out each of those for your wall.
What our stone veneer installation covers
Stone is only as good as the wall behind it, so I start by looking at the wall, not the stone samples. If the face is crumbling or coming apart, we deal with that or talk it through with you before any stone goes up. Then we get the surface clean, because dirt, old paint or a sealer can keep the mortar from grabbing. Once the wall is ready, our masons set the stone in mortar, finish the joints and clean up the stone face and the site when they're done.
Sometimes the wall you want covered hasn't been built yet. We build concrete block walls for yards and garden edges, and a new one gives the stone a clean, sound face from the start. When the stone is going on the base of the house, our foundation block wall installation work lets us plan the block and the stone face as one job.
What Woodland expects before stone veneer and wall prep start
In Woodland, the city's Building Division issues building permits, and the city requires one whenever a building or structure is built, enlarged, altered, repaired or improved, with some exceptions. Whether a veneer job on your wall falls under that isn't settled until someone asks, so we check with the city for your address before we start. If it needs a permit, we pull it and set up the inspections.
A lot of the walls people want faced around Woodland have been painted or sealed somewhere along the way, older houses especially, and that coating has to come off before mortar will hold, so I look for it at the estimate and price it in. We're based in Woodland and see the same thing on jobs in Davis and Winters, and we handle it the same way there.
How stone veneer installation works
Call or send a few photos
Call (530) 207-3191 or send a few photos of the wall through the form. I'll ask a few questions about the wall and the house before I come out.
I check the wall and price it
I come out, look the wall over for soundness and old paint or sealer, and work out what it needs before stone goes on. You get a written estimate that spells out the prep, the stonework and what's included, and we settle the permit question with the city before anything is scheduled.
Our crew preps and sets stone
A crew lead and our masons clean the wall and set the stone within Woodland's construction hours, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays and holidays. If there's a permit, we book each inspection at least a day ahead, and the work waits for it before moving to the next phase.
We walk the finished wall
The same crew sees the job through, and I stop by while it's underway. Before we call it done, I walk the wall with you so you can look at the stone and the joints up close.
Get a written estimate for your stone veneer and wall prep
We get back to you within one business day to set up a time. I'll come out for a free on-site estimate, look at the wall and give you a written price that shows what's included. There's no obligation to go ahead.
Questions before you book stone veneer work
How do I know if my wall can hold stone veneer?
It can if the wall behind it is sound and clean, because the stone hangs on its mortar bond. A stone veneer trade group's installation guide rules out backing walls that are deteriorating or covered with EIFS, a foam insulation board with a stucco-like finish. When a masonry or concrete surface still won't bond after cleaning, that guide calls for lath and a scratch coat, a metal mesh and a first rough coat of mortar, before the stone goes on.
Do I need a permit for stone veneer in Woodland, CA?
The city's Building Division decides, and it suggests calling staff at 530-661-5820 before a project to find out whether yours needs one. We make that check for your address before we start, and if a permit is needed we pull it.
Who is allowed to install stone veneer in California?
A licensed masonry contractor, since California's Contractors State License Board counts installing natural and manufactured stone as masonry work. The state only lets an unlicensed person take a job under $1,000 when it needs no permit and they employ no one on it, so anything past that calls for a license.
How much does stone veneer installation cost per square foot?
Across the US, stone veneer installation usually costs about $15 to $45 per square foot installed, so the size of your wall does most of the math. Where your job lands in that range depends on the stone and how much prep the wall needs, and your written estimate spells out what's included.
How long does new stone veneer need protecting from heat or cold?
Fresh stonework needs protecting for 48 hours after cold-weather work and 72 hours after hot-weather work, according to the trade group's guide specification. It counts cold as 40°F or below, and hot as above 100°F, or above 90°F with wind over 8 mph. We schedule around the worst of it when we can, so you may see the wall covered for a couple of days.
What should I ask a stone veneer contractor before I hire one?
Ask whether they're a Certified MSV Installer, which covers manufactured stone veneer, through the Concrete Masonry & Hardscape Association, or can show work on jobs of similar size and scope, since the group's guide specification calls for one or the other. Ask too how they'll check and prep your wall, because that answer tells you more than the price does.
Why Woodland homeowners call Signature Woodland Concrete and Masonry for stone veneer
Working on walls since 2017
I learned masonry under an older mason and started this business in 2017, and we're best known for working out why a wall gave out before we fix it. On veneer, that means the weak spots in your wall get found before stone covers them up.
The owner writes your estimate
I come out to look at the wall and write the estimate myself, and a crew lead and our masons do the work while I stop by to check on it. The person who priced your job keeps an eye on it until it's done.
Licensed and insured masons
We're licensed and insured. It's the first thing worth checking with anyone you're comparing, before you look at a single price.
Historic homes get checked first
If your house is a designated historical landmark or sits in one of Woodland's historical districts, the city wants its Historical Preservation Commission to approve exterior changes first, so I'll point you to the planning office before we plan the stone. That keeps a veneer job from running into the city halfway through.
Get the wall right and the stone has something to hold onto, so send us a few photos or ask for a visit and I'll come take a look.
Other work that goes with stone veneer
Concrete block walls
If the wall you want faced with stone doesn't exist yet, a new block wall gives the veneer a solid, clean backing to bond to.
Foundation block wall installation
When the foundation wall under your house needs building or replacing, we can lay the block and plan its stone face at the same time.
Get your wall checked for stone veneer
Call (530) 207-3191 or use the form, and tell us the wall type, its rough size in square feet and whether your house is in a historical district, so I come out already knowing what to look for.
