Blairstown Township sits in the Paulins Kill valley in northern Warren County. At its heart is a historic village with older homes, churches and the campus of Blair Academy, and around it the land opens into farms, woods and scattered houses on large parcels. Many properties here have real stone in them, from foundations and chimneys to old field walls, so a lot of our work in Blairstown is about matching and repairing stone rather than replacing it.
Old stone and brick in the village
Homes near the village center often date back generations. Their foundations are commonly fieldstone or rubble, and their chimneys are tall brick or stone stacks that take the worst of the weather. When the joints wash out, water gets in and stones start to loosen. We repoint with a mortar that suits old masonry and rebuild sections that have moved. For homes with historic character, our historic masonry restoration work keeps original stone and brick in place wherever it is sound. If your property is in a designated historic area, review may apply to exterior changes, so we plan materials early.
Bluestone walks and stone walls on country lots
Out in the township, bluestone and natural stone suit the farmhouses and newer country homes alike. A bluestone walk from the driveway to the door, a set of stone steps up a bank, or a stacked stone wall that holds back a slope all look at home here. The valley also brings wet ground and plenty of buried rock. We dig to firm soil, use a compacted stone base and plan where water from the hillside will go. Retaining walls are often what turns a sloped yard into a usable terrace.
Good questions to ask about an older Blairstown home
- Is the foundation stone, block or poured concrete, and is it damp?
- Does the chimney crown have cracks or missing pieces?
- Have earlier repairs used a hard gray mortar on soft old brick?
- Where does roof and hillside runoff end up?
Chimneys and foundations
When a chimney or foundation wall has moved, a cosmetic patch will not last. We repair or rebuild with new foundations and repair methods that suit the structure, and we rebuild chimney tops and crowns in brick or stone.
We work throughout Warren County, including nearby Hope and Hardwick. To talk about your stone, brick or bluestone project, schedule a free estimate.
