Masonry in Montreux

Hiring a mason in Montreux is not the same as on flat ground. The Riviera town stretches along Lake Geneva and climbs towards the villages above, and almost every site has to deal with a slope, a narrow access or an existing wall that must be respected. Whether you are looking for a masonry firm in Montreux for a wall, a slab or a small extension, this page explains what the location changes about the work and how to prepare your request.

The most common masonry work in Montreux

The trade covers walls, openings in load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls, foundations, slabs, low walls, small extensions and repairs to concrete or stone. In Montreux, this work often takes the following forms:

• Retaining walls and terrace walls. Where neighbourhoods rise in tiers from the lakefront to the heights, the ground is held in place by walls. Restoring them or building a new one is mason’s work that needs careful preparation.
• Concrete repair. Balconies, outdoor stairs, garage slabs and cellar walls suffer from damp and freeze-thaw cycles. Cracks, spalling and exposed reinforcement should be dealt with before they get worse.
• Openings in a wall. Opening up a kitchen or creating a passage between two rooms is common in the older buildings by the lake, as in the villas on the hillsides.
• Small extensions and slabs. A covered terrace, a utility room or a garage need foundations suited to the ground, which is far from trivial on a slope.
• Stone repair. Old walls, stairs and stone plinths are repointed or reworked by hand.

Slopes, lakefront and upper villages: what the terrain demands

Montreux is a town built in tiers. Between the lake level and the villages of Glion, Caux and Chernex, the difference in setting is considerable, and what applies on the lakefront does not always apply at altitude.

On a sloping plot, the first question is water. A retaining wall that is not drained accumulates the pressure of waterlogged earth behind it; this is a classic cause of cracks, bulging and collapse. A reliable mason therefore looks at what is happening behind the wall as much as at the wall itself. In your request, describe the signs you can see: seepage, moss at the foot of the wall, joints opening up, a structure that leans.

Foundations deserve the same attention. On sloping ground, they are not laid at the same level on both sides, and the soil can vary from one plot to the next. For an extension, a slab or a new wall, the quote should say how the mason plans to deal with this.

The climate also plays a part. The canton runs from the fairly mild shore of Lake Geneva up to the Vaud Alps, where snow settles in. The heights above Montreux are more exposed to damp, frost and snow than the lakefront, which matters for the choice of materials, the protection of concrete and the timing of an outdoor site.

Then there is access. In the narrow streets of the upper villages, getting a concrete mixer lorry, a crane or a rubble skip into place can become an operation in itself. A firm that knows the area will allow for it; it still needs to be told when the quote is prepared.

Old stone and heritage: proceed with care

Montreux is known for Chillon Castle and the Montreux Jazz Festival, but its older buildings are not limited to famous monuments. Old stone walls, plinths and stairs are part of the landscape, and the canton of Vaud has several old towns as well as the Lavaux vineyards, a World Heritage site. In a region where the landscape of hillsides and stone walls is precious, an old structure should not be replaced with new concrete without thought.

In practice, a stone wall is often better repaired with compatible materials and mortars than with a rigid solution that would damage it. If your property is in a protected area or affects a listed building, check with the municipality or the relevant cantonal department what is permitted before choosing a method.

Permits and consent: what to sort out before the work

Opening a load-bearing wall. This work requires a civil engineer’s calculation and often a permit. The mason does not decide alone: the engineer determines the beam, the supports and the stages, and the firm carries out the work. Never entrust this type of opening to anyone who offers to “do it without a study”.

Building permit. In the canton of Vaud, the building permit is issued by the municipality. When cantonal departments have to give an opinion, the file goes through the cantonal permits centre (CAMAC). For a retaining wall, an extension or a change to a facade, ask the municipality whether a public notice is required. This check should be made right at the start, because work begun without a permit can be stopped.

Energy. If the work affects the building envelope, the Vaud energy law and the cantonal energy directorate may come into play, and a cantonal subsidy programme exists. Check the conditions with the relevant department before starting, without counting on a specific amount.

Tenants and co-owners. A tenant needs the landlord’s written consent to touch a wall. In a co-ownership, load-bearing walls, the facade and shared areas belong to the community: the assembly or the administrator must be involved in the decision.

Preparing your request to get comparable quotes

The more precise the description, the more comparable the quotes will be. State:

• the type of structure (wall, opening, slab, low wall, repair) and its location;
• the approximate dimensions, or at least photos of what exists;
• the setting: lakefront neighbourhood, hillside or upper village, with the nature of the access;
• the current condition: cracks, damp, age, original material;
• your status: owner, co-owner or tenant with the landlord’s consent;
• when you would like the work to take place.

A good masonry quote details what is included: any demolition, the engineer’s study, propping, materials, drainage, rubble removal, protection of neighbouring surfaces, reinstatement. What makes the cost vary in Montreux is mostly linked to the terrain: the slope, the difficulty of access, the nature of the soil, the extent of the structure to be reworked and the constraints of the permit. To compare, put the quotes side by side, line by line, rather than looking only at the total.

Once your description is ready, you can request a quote: your request is passed on to tradespeople and firms in the area, who will contact you to prepare a free, no-obligation quote.

Other useful pages for your project in Montreux

• The general page on masonry
• Work in Montreux
• The canton of Vaud
• For a neighbouring project: thermal insulation in Montreux, plumber in Montreux or roofing in Montreux