Devin Devine, stone masonry contractor based out of the Poconos.
Projects completed across the USA
contact: devin@devineescapes.com

Stone Masonry Contractor in Blakeslee PA

flagstone walkway masonry contractor

Stone entrance way, flagstone walkway and steps

Mortared work. This mortared flagstone walkway was in bad repair, with broken joints, loose stones and efflorescence all over the place. Sure, dry stone wall contracting is my usual gig, but there’s a challenge to masonry repair, it’s kind of fun. And it’s good to keep my skills sharp. Figuring out how to match old cement in color and texture, matching a masons’ style on stone work that may be many decades old, or hundreds of years old in some cases–takes patience, but I enjoy that kind of thing.

Mortared work and matching historical styles

stone pillar

Here we built a new stone pillar, using an old stone cap. The cap was reclaimed from a fallen stone pillar, 150 years old+. The new stone pillar is built in a style consistent with the older traditional stone masonry of the region.

traditional stone masonry services

Retaining Wall Contractor in Blakeslee

stone masonry contractor in blakeslee

Proper dry stone walls

Flagstone Contractor serving the Poconos

irregular flagstone patio with pattern flagstone border and central mosaic design

top level flagstone work

stone masonry contracting services by Devine Escapes:

traditional stone masonry

Solid stone construction. Masonry in Wayne Pennsylvania

Masonry Re-pointing

This is another one where the masonry contractors say it can’t be done, and then Devine Escapes goes in and makes it happen–saving the home owner money all the while. What I’m talking about is masonry mortar color matching.

Other masonry contractors recite the mantra “you need to re-point the entire house, or the mortar will never match.” I just show up with my tools (and my brain) and mix up the right color of mortar, patch the part that needs it, then ride off into the sunset.

color matching mortar. This photo shows my hand, holding up a mortar sample–a test batch, made in attempt to match the old mortar.

I show up with 4 different types of sand and a few pigments, some portland cement and some lime. I mix them up until they match the old cement. It’s like mixing paint colors, just takes a bit of patience.

Texture is also important.

You need to brush your joints, when they are ‘thumbprint hard’ in order to bring out the aggregate. And/or sometimes we acid wash the joints after they are completely set up, like a week later. Sometimes we’ll use larger sized sand…whatever it takes to match the style the old masons used. A perfectly smooth white joint in old masonry is bad, and will still look bad years to come.

In this case, you can surely see where the old mortar meets the new–if you look for it.Often, the masonry contractor will tell you “oh, the old mortar will blend in more, as it ages…but if the two colors are way off to begin with, then that’s a bunch of bologna. The real truth is that matching old mortar is not really all that hard–if your mason just takes his time. I’ve written a DIY article on repointing flagstone, if you’d like to know more about my process.

In the photo right above, the old mortar and the new are almost the exact same, the only difference is some splotchiness on the surface of the old…when the new material does age and does get dirty, then it will be utterly impossible to tell the difference. Scroll back up a few photos to the one of the corner of the house again–you just can not find a seam where the two mortars meet, the color match is just about perfect.

Fireplaces and interior masonry

fireplace surround Another contractor claimed to “know masonry” but did a poor job. Customer sent me a photo of what he wanted–I dismantled the existing work and replicated the photo using the same materials. Read the testimonial.

New steps built to match existing stone house. Color match on the mortar too

old house, new steps that match historic style

And sometimes a client just wants a new project to look like it belonged to the original house–that’s understandable. We can make that happen.

landscape garden planter/retaining wall and cemented in flagstone steps re-built. Villanova PA

Mortared walls and flagstone

Here’s another, from a few years back–a transitional piece of mine–it’s almost a dry stone hardscape….but no, there is mortar, concealed, within the wall.

When I first started this company, a lot of our work was traditional masonry, and a lot of our walls were stacked stone with concealed mortar joints. This next one was built way back in 2009. It stands well, and was reviewed by the homeowner 10 years later.