MASONRY
Stone That Reads as Part of the Land.
EHS masons work in fieldstone, creek cobblestone, brick, and paving stone, building and restoring hardscape that contributes to the vibrance of the property rather than sitting apart from it.
Good masonry disappears into the landscape. A stone wall that looks like it was always there, a terrace that holds the grade without announcing itself, a set of steps worn in just enough by weather and time to feel right. Getting there requires working in the right materials, at the right scale, with a genuine understanding of how stone behaves and ages.
EHS’s masonry capabilities span new construction and historic repair. The same crew that builds a dry-laid fieldstone retaining wall for a Design & Build project is the crew that repoints the garden walls on a Brandywine estate restoration. The knowledge required is not different. The application is.
WHAT WE DO
Dry-Laid, Wet-Laid, and Everything Between
Dry-Laid Stone Construction
Dry-laid fieldstone walls, terraces, and steps built without mortar, relying on proper base preparation, course selection, and the structural principles that have made dry-laid stone last for centuries. EHS works primarily in local fieldstone and creek cobblestone, material that belongs to Chester County, the Brandywine Valley, and Northern Delaware, not imported from a box store pallet.
Wet-Laid Masonry
Wet-laid patios, terraces, and formal hardscape in bluestone, paving stone, and brick. Wet-laid work requires precise base preparation, proper drainage planning, and the care to get joints and grades right before the mortar sets. EHS’s wet-laid projects are built to the tolerances that formal estate settings require.
Retaining Walls
Gravity retaining walls, terraced plantings, and engineered slope solutions in fieldstone, block, and wet-laid materials. Retaining walls on residential and estate properties are as much an aesthetic element as a structural one. EHS designs and builds them to do both jobs well.
Steps, Stairs & Transitions
Entry steps, garden stairs, and grade transitions in fieldstone, bluestone, and brick. Steps are among the most-used and most-seen elements on a property. Proportioned well, they anchor the design; done carelessly, they become a liability. EHS treats step construction with the same attention given to any primary architectural element.
Masonry Restoration & Repair
Repointing, course correction, and structural repair of existing stone walls, terraces, and hardscape elements. For historic properties, restoration masonry requires working in the same materials and techniques as the original construction: matching the mortar composition, the stone type, and the coursing pattern rather than substituting something easier to source. This is not a work-around. It is the standard.
Creek Cobblestone & Period Hardscape
Creek cobblestone edging, cobblestone drive aprons, and period-appropriate hardscape elements for historic and estate properties. EHS sources local creek stone and works in the traditional installation methods that give cobblestone its character: set by hand, leveled by eye, and built to last the way the originals did.
Custom Masonry Features
Fire pit surrounds, outdoor fireplace construction, stone planter walls, and custom masonry elements integrated into larger outdoor living designs. EHS’s masonry capabilities extend through the full range of Design & Build projects, building the elements that anchor an outdoor room to its setting.
Built by the Hands That Know It Best.
EHS works with senior project manager Thomas Arthur on complex design-build and masonry projects. A Professional Certified Horticulturalist, ICPI Certified Installer and former ICPI instructor, Thomas brings specialized depth in landscape design, timber framing and masonry to projects that demand it.
Stone is where we start. It’s rarely where we stop.
Also of interest
Masonry is central to both new design-build work and historic property restoration. See how it connects across EHS’s full range of work.
