Craftsmanship in stone
and wood since 1981
SUMMERSTONE.COM
Stonework Warranty
All stonework built by SUMMERSTONE LTD. Is warranted to be free of defects in workmanship and materials for a period of five (5) years from the date of the completion of the work.
SUMMERSTONE agrees to repair or replace , at its’ discretion, any work found to be defective in that period.
Your stonework at __________________________________________________ was completed on _____________________________. This warranty runs to _________________________.
Signed by __________________________________for SUMMERSTONE LTD.
5 YEAR LIMIITED WARRANTY ON STONEWORK
& Maintenance Advice
This warranty does not cover the following situations;
1— Natural change in colour or fading of the stone itself caused by exposure to light, water or air.
2— Deterioration of the mortar, concrete or stone itself caused by the application of salt or other chemical de-icer. This means that no chemicals of any kind can be applied to melt ice. They all damage the mortar whether the package says that they do or not. Those that say that they don’t damage cement just do it more slowly than salt does.
Salt will destroy a flagstone walk in one winter if it is applied regularly. Deterioration in the mortar joints can sometimes be seen after one application. The other de-icers take about ten years, and the effect is not noticeable immediately, but once it becomes visible, major repairs, up to and including replacing the entire walk may be necessary.
SUMMERSTONE recommends shoveling snow promptly with a plastic shovel and then sweeping with a yard broom to remove the rest of the snow. Inevitably, however, in our climate, we will get some ice. Sand can be used to create some traction on icy flagstone and will speed the thawing of the ice. If you are someone who absolutely requires an ice-free walk, you should not install flagstone.
3— Damage caused by physical blows. (Ice chopper, dropped stone, your roofer drops his hammer on the stone, you hit the edge of the stone with your snowblower, etc.)
4— Slight movement at expansion joints. These joints are installed to allow movement. Significant displacement (1/2” or more) is covered.
5— Efflourescence on the joints or stones in the first year after the work is completed. Efflourescence is a powdery substance left on the surface of the stonework when water which has moved through the work evaporates, leaving salts or other chemicals which were dissolved in the water on the surface of the stones or joints. It commonly occurs in masonry that is in touch with the ground. It usually appears within weeks of the completion of the work and usually disappears normally within a few months. The powder can be washed or scrubbed off with water if you wish, but will disappear on its’ own under normal conditions.
7— Movement caused by subsoil conditions beyond our control. This particularly applies to the backfilling around new homes, but could include other conditions such as swampy soil.
The use of a good backfill material and its’ proper compaction is the responsibility of the home builder. If poor material or little or no compaction is done during the backfilling process, the area directly adjacent to the home may continue to settle for many years. Unless we excavate to the footing and refill, this settling is beyond our control.
8— Damage caused by abuse or neglect. In other words, don’t drive a bulldozer over the walk. Or, if a stone comes loose, call us and let us repair it before water gets in and the problem spreads, whether it is in the warranty period or not. You should have no problems in the warranty period, but everything requires maintenance. For instance, the area on a walk near the driveway will get some salt on it from people walking on the road and then on the walk . It would not be unusual for this area to need maintenance on the joints between 5 and 10 years after the walk is built. Typically, that work can br done in a few hours and would cost between $100.00 and $200.00. If it is left for a few years until all the stones are loose, the cost would be much more to repair it.
