Hear from Our Customers
A lot of masonry work looks fine on day one. The real difference shows up after the first winter after Glenolden’s freeze-thaw cycles have run through 90 rounds and the ground has shifted, contracted, and expanded more times than you’d want to count. When we properly compact the base, build in drainage from the start, and choose materials for this climate specifically, you’re not calling someone back in three years. The work just holds.
For homes in Glenolden especially in Glenolden West and Briarcliffe, where a lot of the housing stock is 60 to 80 years old this matters more than it does in newer developments. Original walkways, front steps, and retaining walls built in the 1940s and 50s weren’t designed with modern drainage standards in mind. When we replace or repair that work, we account for what’s actually underneath, not just what’s visible on the surface.
Glenolden also sits within the Darby Creek watershed, which affects how water moves through and around your property. On the compact lots that are typical throughout the borough, water that isn’t directed away from your masonry ends up underneath it. Proper drainage isn’t an upgrade here it’s the difference between a retaining wall that lasts and one that leans again in four years.
We’re based in Aston right here in Delaware County and have been doing residential masonry and hardscaping work throughout Glenolden and the surrounding area for over 15 years. That’s not a tagline. It means the crew showing up at your property on MacDade Boulevard or off Chester Pike knows this area, knows the permit process at Glenolden Borough, and knows what the ground looks like after a mid-January freeze.
Every project runs with one experienced team from start to finish. No subcontractors handed the job halfway through, no strangers showing up on day three. The same people who assess your site are the ones building it and cleaning up when it’s done. In a borough as tight-knit as Glenolden where 7,200 people share the same school district, the same park, and the same neighborhood streets that kind of accountability isn’t optional. It’s just how the work gets done.
It starts with a site visit, not a phone estimate. Glenolden lots are compact most are under a quarter acre and the specifics of your yard, your grade, your drainage situation, and your existing masonry matter before any number gets put on paper. That visit shapes everything: what materials make sense, what the base preparation needs to look like, and whether a permit is required before work begins.
On that last point Glenolden Borough requires permits for new or expanded patios, hardscaping, and retaining walls over four feet. We handle the permit process correctly, every time, because starting work before that approval comes through doubles the permit fee, and that cost falls on you, not us. We don’t cut that corner.
Once permits are in order and the project is scheduled, our crew handles base excavation, proper compaction, drainage installation, and material placement in sequence not skipping steps because the day is running long. When the work is done, the site gets cleaned. What you’re left with is a finished product and a clear understanding of what we built and why it will hold up through the winters ahead.
Ready to get started?
The masonry work we do in Glenolden covers the full range of what older Delaware County homes typically need: stone patios, brick walkways, retaining walls, concrete work, outdoor fireplaces, masonry repair, concrete curbing, and decorative gravel installation. These aren’t add-on services they’re the core of what residential hardscaping actually requires in a borough where most of the housing stock was built before 1970.
Masonry repair is worth calling out specifically, because it’s where a lot of Glenolden homeowners are sitting right now. Cracked mortar joints, loose bricks on front steps, a retaining wall that’s started to bow these are small problems that become expensive ones fast once a Delaware County winter gets involved. Water enters a crack, freezes, expands, and what was a $500 repair becomes a $6,000 replacement. Catching it early is almost always the right call.
For concrete curbing and decorative gravel, the practical value is real on Glenolden’s typical lot sizes. Defined bed edges keep mulch where it belongs, control water flow during heavy rain events a legitimate concern in the Darby Creek watershed area and cut down on the seasonal maintenance of redefining edges by hand. Decorative gravel we install with proper weed barrier and drainage consideration gives you a low-maintenance ground cover that actually stays put, instead of migrating across the yard after the first heavy rain.
Yes, in most cases. Glenolden Borough requires permits for new or enlarged patios, hardscaping projects, and retaining walls over four feet in height. The permit has to be approved before work begins not applied for and then started while waiting. If a contractor starts work before that approval comes through, the permit fee doubles, and that penalty falls on the homeowner, not the contractor.
The borough’s code office is open Monday through Friday, 8am to 4pm, and permit requirements can vary depending on the scope of the project and your property’s specific zoning. If you’re not sure whether your project requires a permit, the safest move is to ask before anything gets scheduled. We’re familiar with Glenolden Borough’s process and handle it correctly, which saves you from a headache that can follow the project all the way to resale.
Pricing varies based on the type of work, the materials selected, and the condition of what’s already there. As a general range, masonry wall installation in the Delaware County area runs roughly $34 to $47 per square foot installed. Pennsylvania flat stone a common and climate-appropriate choice for this region typically runs $40 to $50 per square foot including labor. Retaining walls average around $20 to $25 per square foot, and masonry repair work can range from $500 to $2,500 depending on the scope.
Delaware County pricing generally runs 15 to 25 percent above national averages, which is worth knowing when you’re comparing quotes. If one estimate comes in significantly lower than others, it’s worth asking specifically what’s included in the base preparation and drainage those are the steps that get cut when a contractor is trying to hit a number, and they’re the steps that determine whether the work holds up through Glenolden’s winters or needs to be redone in a few years.
The freeze-thaw cycle is the main thing to plan around. Glenolden’s January average low sits around 25°F, which means the ground and anything built into it goes through repeated freezing and thawing throughout winter. Materials with high water absorption rates absorb moisture, freeze, expand, and crack. That’s the mechanical process behind most of the masonry deterioration you see on older Glenolden homes.
Natural bluestone and Pennsylvania fieldstone both have water absorption rates in the 1 to 2 percent range, which makes them well-suited to this climate. They’re also regionally sourced, which means they’re available in styles and finishes that complement the older home architecture common throughout Glenolden. Concrete pavers vary widely in quality some hold up well, others don’t so the specific product matters more than the category. If you’re replacing original masonry on a pre-1960 home in Glenolden, it’s also worth discussing whether the existing base and drainage need to be addressed at the same time, because putting new material on a compromised foundation just restarts the clock on the same problem.
It depends on what’s actually failing the surface material, the base, or both. For a lot of Glenolden homes, especially those built in the 1940s and 50s, the surface masonry may look worn but the underlying structure is still sound. In that case, repointing mortar joints, resetting individual stones or bricks, and addressing any drainage issues is often the right call. It’s less disruptive, less expensive, and extends the life of original material that may be difficult to match exactly with new stock.
Where repair doesn’t make sense is when the base has failed when there’s significant heaving, widespread cracking, or structural movement in a retaining wall. At that point, patching the surface doesn’t fix the underlying problem, and you’ll be back in the same position within a few years. A proper site assessment is the only way to know which situation you’re in. If a contractor gives you a recommendation without looking at the base preparation and drainage, that’s a gap worth questioning before you sign anything.
For spring projects which is peak season in Delaware County you’re realistically looking at booking two to three months ahead. Contractors in this area fill their spring schedules fast, and homeowners who call in April hoping to start in April are usually scheduling for June or July at the earliest. If you want work done before summer, the window to reach out is late winter, ideally January or February.
Fall is the second busiest season, and for good reason masonry installed in September or October has time to fully cure before the first hard freeze, which is better for long-term performance than work done right before winter. Summer work is possible but requires more attention to mortar curing in high heat. The short answer is: the earlier you reach out, the more flexibility you have on timing. Waiting until the ground thaws and then trying to get on a schedule usually means waiting longer than you’d like.
Because everything you see on the surface is only as stable as what’s underneath it. A patio or walkway that looks finished after installation can still fail within a few winters if the base wasn’t properly compacted, if the gravel depth was insufficient, or if drainage wasn’t addressed before the first stone went down. In Glenolden specifically, this matters more than it does in communities with larger lots and more natural drainage absorption the borough’s compact lot sizes and its position within the Darby Creek watershed mean water has limited places to go, and it will find the path of least resistance under your masonry if that path exists.
The base preparation work excavation depth, compaction, gravel type and depth, drainage slope is the part of the job you never see once it’s done. It’s also the part that gets cut first when a contractor is under-bidding a job or rushing a schedule. Asking a contractor specifically what their base preparation process looks like, and why, is one of the most useful questions you can ask before signing a contract. The answer tells you a lot about whether they’re building something that lasts or something that looks good in photos.
