FOUNDATION RESTORATIOn

To restore a historic stone foundation in New England one must first be familiar with Colonial architecture and period correct building materials. At Thompson Crowley Masonry  we specialize in Historic stone foundation restoration and have spent years in the preservation of local Massachusetts first period and early construction stone foundations. 

Early settlers used locally sourced stone with imported materials before manufacturing began in Massachusetts.   Masons took advantage of our rocky terrain and used field stone and later quarried granite. Brick manufacturing began in Salem and Melrose the first of American history in the mid 1600's.     

There was no shortage of Elaborate estates and mansions. They were being built with fine architecture in Old Salem Village today Salem , Danvers, Beverly and Peabody area. Homes built with full resources used stone for foundation base and solid brick above grade for a more rich look that allowed for more exacting construction. Poorer settlements used stacked stone and often rubble with large bodies of mortar in the foundation walls. 

 Foundations fell in to two classes. First is situations where the soil or stratum is sufficient and firm enough to bear the weight of the structure. Second foundations is where artificial supports or foundation walls must be added in consequence of the softness of the soil.    Buildings or homes built with the best conditions and materials have stood the test of time. Often only the stones and brick remains and time has washed out or softened the masonry bonding agent. Homes built with stone and brick foundations are all at different periods of deterioration.   

 Settling or soft clay causes cracks in the mortar. Below grade ground water over the years causes masonry cement to loose its bonding ability and dry out. First period Colonial homes foundations were built with lime, washed sand or clay. Washed sand was better suited for masonry and tends to last far longer than foundations with clay. Almost all homes used a lime coating on the inside or white washing. Several coatings of lime were used to achieve a waterproof basement.      

 Today our company interrupts deterioration of your foundation. By professionally restoring and preserving stone, lime mortar and brick foundation walls to a better than new basement. Traditional period correct mortars along with advancements in masonry materials and available building supplies allows us to make a full restoration.