Expert: Bruce E. Johnson - 1/11/2009

Question
I would like to replace the shingles on the exterior of my ranch home with stone facing. The frontal Part of my home has a three foot over hang. I would want to cover all of the exterior wth stone facing. I would of course need to place a wooden, concrete or steel wire support structure from the ground upwards. Question ....How would you construct the stone facing support structure which will bring the stone all the way up to the roof.

Answer
Hi Winston,
Normally you would need to pour a concrete footing for the stone to rest on.  Depending on the size of stone and weight of the new wall this could be substantial, two feet wide, a foot thick, with two #5 rebars continuous around the perimeter.

Once the footing is in place then you lay up the rock.  To tie the rock into the house you use masonry wall ties that are embedded in your mortar joints and screwed to the existing wall studs.  These ties can be purchased where most masonry products are sold.

You should leave an air space of 1/2 to 1" between the rock and the wall framing to allow for moisture to weep to the bottom of the wall and then have weep holes along the base for the water to escape.  Strips of cotton rope laid across your footing prior to your mortar bed work good for weep holes.  They allow for moisture to escape but help keep bugs out of the wall cavity.
I hope this information helps feel free to write again regarding this or other matters, sincerely bruce e johnson..bejohnsonconsulting.com