Certified conservation wallers · Working nationally
Responsible conservation of Canada's historic dry stone walls and features.
We identify and assess historic dry stone structures and provide custom conservation solutions.
What we do
Consulting, planning and reporting
Technical planning and reporting support for historic dry stone walls and the teams that care for them.
On-site conservation and repair
Heritage walls taken down, inventoried and reset on sound footings, with matched stone where repair calls for it.
Survey, recording and documentation
Condition assessment and course-by-course records before a single stone is lifted.
The co-operative
Certified wallers, co-owners of one insured business.
Our members are self-employed dry stone wallers and stone masons from regions across the country. The co-operative allows these professionals to combine their skills and experience to complete complex projects in the public sphere.
How the co-operative works
Selected projects
All projects
Little Dutch Church
An ironstone slate wall bordering the burial grounds, collapsing and leaning into the street, recorded and rebuilt in two phases for Parks Canada and St. George's Anglican Church.
Halifax, NS2022–2023Ironstone slate220 ft (68 m)National Historic Site
Kingston Frontenac Public Library
A c1860 farm wall on a designated heritage property, recorded metre by metre, dismantled into labelled pallet bags for a bridge project, and rebuilt at 70 degrees to its original line.
Kingston, ON2021–2023Limestone16 m (55 ft)Relocated at 70°
Solar Alignment Feature, Amherst Island
A sinking pillar on a community landmark, dismantled to diagnose a bedrock shelf nobody had encountered, then rebuilt on solid foundation.
Amherst Island, ON2024Dolomitic limestoneOne pillar, 79 inRebuilt to bedrock
Featured project
Little Dutch Church, Halifax
The wall survived the Halifax explosion of 1917 and wore a concrete cap for a century afterwards. By 2020 it was collapsing in several places and leaning far enough into the street to close the sidewalk. We recorded it, took it down, and reset it in two phases — working alongside the conservator, the architect, the archaeologist and Parks Canada, and finishing on time and on budget through three hurricanes.
Credentials
- Standards and Guidelines
- We work to the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada when assessing, planning, executing, and reporting. This is essential when working alongside other conservation professionals.
- Training
- Our members are experienced stone masons and dry stone wallers, trained in the construction and restoration of structures built without the use of mortar. Initial training is gained through Algonquin College’s Heritage Masonry program and instruction through dry stone walling associations in Britain, the USA, and Canada.
- National Historic Sites
- Provincial, municipal, ecclesiastic and institutional heritage properties.
What our clients say
Read allHave a wall that needs looking at?
Tell us about your project and we'll get back to you — with what we see, and whether it needs rebuilding, repointing or simply monitoring.