Getting utilities through the wall of any stone building after the fact usually means somebody missed something on the plans. There are a lot of new and old homes with holes in stone walls for electrical service between rooms, gas lines, water lines, cable TV lines, ethernet wires, drains and more. But without some way to seal and make the void structural, there can be consequences. When it is a restoration project on a home that is over 150 years old you just have to make it work. Live long enough and you get two shots at it.

The first time

In 1850, there was probably an out-house and this small room was a bedroom or work room. But as time went by, the back room was converted to a bathroom. In the 70’s a tunnel was dug under this wall by hand and the drains and pipes were inserted and the soil neatly compacted. A good concrete and tile floor and, for the first year or so things were looking good. The experience of living in this home proved the upgrade to be a good idea, convenient, modern, but in the long run problematic.

First, there were tiny cracks from the floor up to the window above the earthen tunnel, and this allowed bugs to enter the home. Next the cracks continued to enlarge and the window stopped working well. The cracks also allowed moisture to get under the floor and then tiles started to loosen. Thankfully, nothing leaked or shorted. This was not a quick failure, it was more like a 25-year slowly worsening type of situation. Good skilled craftspeople can spot this type of rookie mistake a mile away. Our stonemason knew why it all happened in the first place.

The test

It was going to happen. As we restored and refurbished, certainly more issues were going to arise. And this is one of those first tests. The stonemason, the architect, and several others all gathered around to give the news. After a while, you can start to read the situation before the conversation starts. The non-normal “Hello”, workers deciding to go dig somewhere else when you arrive, everyone wondering what will happen. The experience of the team really did shine on that hot 104°F Texas day. They were cautiously relaxed, and had several solutions. Veteran problem solvers keep projects moving. There was the drill-holes-in-the-wall solution – no way, the good people at the Conservation Society would never approve. There was the unserviceable, put-all-the-pipes in a ditch and just pour extra cement – no way.

Then there was the most difficult and time consuming solution that sounded like it would last another 150 years. But there were many steps. Draw a structurally sound box, find the materials and a code welder to make it, grout it under the wall, repoint the wall inside and outside, refurbish the window sash, and then you can resume. It had to be the pass-through box solution. I helped dig the trench in 1970 and was not going to make that mistake again.

Those little details

When done correctly, all those little details are not seen. This may be the only record of the effort. There are many more details where modern ideas are good enough to be included in a home that is worth the effort.