Questions about stone work
Cost and payment
What decides the cost of a stone job?
Stone type, how tall and how long the work is, how hard the site is to reach, what the ground needs underneath, and how far the stone travels to get to you. We put each of those in a written quote after the site visit. We do not give figures over the phone.
How does payment work?
A deposit holds the stone order and the start window, then payments follow the stages of the job, and the last one is due at the walk-through. The quote lists the amounts and the methods we take.
The work
What happens at the site visit?
Someone from the crew walks the site with you, measures, checks drainage and access, and asks how you use the space. The written quote follows by email once we have priced the stone.
How soon can you start, and how long will it take?
The quote names a start window and a finish window. A short garden wall can be a few days; a courtyard or a long retaining wall is weeks. Stone orders and the weather move both.
What about rain, snow or freezing nights?
Mortar does not cure well in a hard freeze, so mortared work waits for milder weather. Dry-stack and flagstone work can go on through most of the winter if the ground is not frozen. In July through September we watch the sky and drainage closely.
Do you build dry-stack or mortared walls?
Both. Dry-stack suits garden walls and low retaining walls and lets water through. Mortared walls suit piers, tall walls and anything that has to look tight. We say which we would choose for your site, and why.
What should I do before you arrive?
Move cars, planters and furniture out of the way, and show us where water lines, gas lines and irrigation run. If you can, mark where you want a path or a wall to start and stop.
Rules and permits
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. The license and insurance details are in the footer of every page, with a link to look the license up where the state allows it.
Do I need a permit?
Taller retaining walls usually need a permit and sometimes an engineer’s drawing, and Santa Fe reviews walls and gates that face the street in its historic districts. We tell you at the visit whether your job is likely to need either, and you confirm with the city.
Is the work under warranty?
We repair settling, loose stones and failed joints that come from our workmanship for one year after the walk-through, at no charge for labor or stone. It does not cover damage from flooding, a vehicle, a tree, changes to the ground made after we leave, or stone you supplied. The full terms are written into every quote.
Where do you work?
In and around Santa Fe, as far as Los Alamos, Pecos and Edgewood. The service area page lists the towns and the places we do not go.
Still have a question?
Send it with a photo of the site if you have one.