Masonry Contractor in Fall Creek, WI
Chimney repair and removal, fieldstone foundation repointing and brick work for older homes and farmhouses in and around Fall Creek. Free written estimates.
Based in Eau Claire. East on US 12 to Fall Creek and the farms around it.
Fall Creek was founded in 1870 and takes its name from the rapids on the creek beside it. For its first four years the post office here was called Cousins.
It is still a small place. The census counted 523 people in 1910 and 1,422 in 2020. By Census Bureau estimates about one in four homes in the village was built before 1940, and three in four are detached single-family houses. Past the village limits it is farm country, and plenty of the farmhouses date from the same decades.
Old houses in the country share two masonry problems: chimneys that have outlived the stoves they were built for, and stone foundations whose mortar has been washing out for a century. Eau Claire Masonry & Stucco is a masonry contractor in Eau Claire, and those two are what this page is about.
Chimney Repair, Rebuild or Removal on Fall Creek Farmhouses
Many old farmhouses were built with a chimney for each stove: one for the kitchen range, one for the parlor heater. A furnace replaced the stoves long ago, and often one stack now vents nothing at all. It still stands in the weather, and it still leaks. There are three honest ways to deal with it.
| Repair it | Rebuild from the roofline | Take it down | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When it fits | Brick is solid; the crown, cap or flashing has failed | Brick above the roof is loose or leaning, and the chimney is still in use | Nothing vents into it and nobody plans to use it again |
| What happens | New crown or cap, flashing redone, open joints repointed | Stack taken down to sound brick and relaid with new flashing, crown and cap | Stack removed to below the roof deck, the opening framed and roofed over |
| Keep in mind | The cheapest fix, and often the only one needed | Costs the most; brick and mortar are matched to the house | One less thing to leak, but the house loses a chimney for good |
A starting point, not a diagnosis. The answer comes from looking at the chimney up close.
The repairs are described on our chimney crown, cap and flashing repair page. Rebuilds and take-downs are on the chimney rebuild and removal page.
One thing to know before a take-down on an old house: some stove chimneys were never carried down to the cellar floor. They start on a wooden shelf or bracket partway up a wall. Removing the top of one changes the load on what is left, so we find out how the chimney is supported before any brick comes off.
Fieldstone Foundation Repair in the Fall Creek Area
A fieldstone foundation is a thick wall of rounded stones bedded in lime mortar. The stones are close to permanent. The mortar is not. After a hundred years of damp it turns to sand and runs out of the joints, and then you see daylight between stones, a line of grit along the cellar floor, or a stone you can wiggle by hand.
The repair is repointing: loose mortar raked out deep, joints packed full in layers with a lime-rich mortar, and any shifted stones reset. Hard portland cement and spray foam are the two patches that do harm, because both trap moisture in a wall that was built to breathe.
Most of this can be done from inside the cellar, in any season. Mortar and method are on our tuckpointing and repointing page. A wall that has bulged or dropped is an engineer's call first, and that line is drawn on the masonry foundation repair page.
How a Masonry Job in Fall Creek Gets Scheduled
We are not around the corner, so the order of things matters a little more out here.
-
Photos first
Text a picture of the chimney from the yard, or of the foundation wall from inside and out. From Eau Claire that often settles whether a visit is needed at all.
-
A visit, usually grouped
We try to see Fall Creek jobs on the same trip, and on an old house we look in the attic and the cellar as well as on the roof.
-
The permit question
Inside the village, permits are required for new construction and alterations, and they come from the Administration Office. The village asks for at least five business days because the building inspector keeps limited hours. Outside the village, your town has the say.
-
A weather window
Exterior mortar needs days above about 40°F to cure. Tear-downs, cellar repointing and estimates can happen in the cold; new brickwork on a roof waits for spring.
An Unused Chimney Still Leaks. Text a Photo of Yours.
One photo from the yard and one from the attic, if you can get up there, tell us most of what we need: whether the brick is sound, how the top is finished, and what it would take to repair it or take it down.
Masonry Questions From Fall Creek Homeowners
Do you come out to the farms around Fall Creek?
Yes, in the village and the countryside around it in Eau Claire County. Estimates are free. If you are a long way past Fall Creek, call anyway, and if it is too far for us to do the job properly we will say so.
Is it cheaper to take down an unused chimney than to rebuild it?
Often, when it only comes down to below the roofline. HomeAdvisor's national guide puts rebuilding the stack above the roofline at $1,500 to $4,000. Taking the same stack down instead skips the new brick, crown and flashing, but adds a patch in the roof deck and shingles. Removing a chimney all the way through the house is a much larger job.
Can I cap an unused chimney and leave it standing?
Yes, if the brick above the roof is sound. The cap should still let a little air through so moisture does not condense inside the flue, and the crown and flashing still need upkeep like any other chimney. If the brick is already loose, a cap only hides the problem.
Should a fieldstone foundation be sealed or parged on the inside?
Repoint it first. A parge coat over the inside can tidy the wall and keep sand off the floor, but it is not waterproofing. Dampness is better handled outside with gutters, downspout extensions and soil graded away from the house.
Do I need a permit for chimney or foundation work in the Village of Fall Creek?
Possibly. The village says it requires building permits for new construction and alterations to existing structures, and it lists roofing and siding among common residential alterations. It does not name chimney or foundation repairs, so we check before a removal, a rebuild or any structural repair.
My farmhouse still heats with wood. Will you work on that chimney?
On the masonry, yes: crown, flashing, brick and joints, or a rebuild from the roofline up. Have a certified chimney sweep inspect the flue first, because a chimney in daily use has to be safe on the inside as well. We do not sweep chimneys or install flue liners.
Get a Free Masonry Estimate in Fall Creek
Tell us what the chimney is used for now, if anything, and what the foundation is made of. Send the address as it appears on your mailbox so we can find the place. You'll get the options in writing with a price on each, including the cheapest one.
Closer to Eau Claire the houses and the problems are newer. See our page for a masonry contractor in Altoona.
- We look at the masonry in person, not from the truck window
- You get the scope and the price in writing
- If it can wait a season or needs a different trade, we say so
Get a Free Estimate
Tell us what's going on with the masonry or stucco. Prefer to talk? Call or text (715) 597-4359.
Thanks, we have your request.
We'll be in touch about your estimate. If it's easier, text photos of the job to (715) 597-4359.
Old Chimney or a Stone Foundation Near Fall Creek?
Call, or text a photo from the yard. We'll tell you whether it needs repair, a rebuild or nothing yet.