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Serving Massachusetts, Rhode Island & New Hampshire
Stone Walls
New fieldstone walls, mortared garden walls and careful rebuilds of old farm walls, laid on a real base so they stay straight.
The short answer
Stone walls are part of the New England landscape. Many yards around Marlborough, Hudson and Sudbury still have the old fieldstone walls farmers stacked a century or more ago, and a well-built new wall makes a property look like it has always belonged there. We build new stone walls along property lines, around gardens and beside driveways, and we rebuild old walls that have slumped, bulged or lost stones over the years.
The difference between a wall that lasts and one that leans after a few winters is mostly underground. Frost in Massachusetts can push soil up and down every season, so we dig out topsoil, lay a compacted gravel base, and set the largest stones at the bottom with a slight lean back into the wall (the batter). That is how a dry-laid wall moves a little with the frost and settles back instead of falling apart.
Machado Landscaping & Construction Inc is a family-owned company based in Marlborough, MA, with over 25 years of hands-on experience in construction. We work directly for homeowners and also as the stone and hardscape sub for builders and general contractors across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
A dry-laid wall is stacked without mortar. Each stone is fitted to the ones around it, and the weight of the wall holds it together. It is the traditional New England wall, it drains freely, and it tolerates frost movement well because there is no rigid mortar to crack. It works best for property lines, garden borders and low walls.
A mortared wall uses mortar between the stones and usually sits on a concrete footing below the frost line. It gives a tighter, more formal look and can be built thinner and taller, which suits entry walls, pillars and walls near the house. The tradeoff is that a mortared wall needs a solid footing, because frost heave under a rigid wall shows up as cracks.
For stone, most clients choose between fieldstone (rounded, weathered, the classic farm wall look) and quarried natural stone with flatter faces and tighter joints. We talk through what is available, what matches your home and what fits your budget during the free estimate.
Frost heave is the big one. Water in the soil freezes, expands and lifts whatever sits on it, then drops it again in spring. Walls set right on topsoil or clay rise and settle unevenly until stones roll out. A compacted gravel base and a wide footprint at the bottom keep the wall stable.
Water is the second problem. A wall that holds back soil collects water behind it, and saturated soil pushes hard. We add clean drainage stone behind those walls so water can get out instead of building pressure. Tree roots, buried stumps and old wall debris also come out before the base goes in.
When we rebuild an old wall, we take it down to solid ground, sort the original stones and reset them. Reusing the original fieldstone keeps the character of the property, and we add matching stone only where pieces are missing.
Stone work is heavy and messy if nobody manages it. We stage stone in one area, protect lawns and driveways where machines travel, and clean up at the end of each day. When the wall is done, we rake out the work area, haul away debris and walk the wall with you before we leave.
Call or text (508) 663-9401 with a few photos of the area and a short note about what you have in mind. We reply within 1 hour during business hours, Mon-Sat, 8am to 6pm.
We look at the length, height, soil and access, talk through dry-laid versus mortared and the type of stone, and give you a clear written estimate. No visit fee.
We excavate, compact the base, set the stones course by course and cap the wall. Then we clean up the site, haul away debris and walk the finished wall with you.
Something else? Call (508) 663-9401. We reply within 1 hour during business hours.
It depends on the stone, wall height, dry-laid versus mortared, and site access. As a rough market reference, stone walls in New England often range from about $40 to well over $100 per square face foot, with mortared walls on footings at the higher end. Your free estimate gives you the real number for your yard.
Often, yes. If the stones are still on site, we can take down the failed section, rebuild the base and reset the original stones. That keeps the look of the old wall and usually costs less than a new one.
A dry-laid wall needs a compacted gravel base, not a concrete footing, because it is built to flex a little with frost. A mortared wall is rigid, so it typically needs a concrete footing below the frost line to avoid cracking.
Yes, if there is enough usable stone. Many New England yards have stone from old walls or excavation. We look at it during the estimate and tell you whether it will cover the job or needs to be mixed with purchased stone.
Yes. We are based in Marlborough, MA, and we work across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. Call or text (508) 663-9401 with your town and a few photos and we will tell you how we can help.
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