Masonry in Sion

Are you looking for a mason in Sion to open a wall, pour a slab, build a low wall or repair stonework? Masonry in Sion is practised in a particular setting: the capital of Valais stretches across the Rhône valley, beneath the hills of Valère and Tourbillon, with an old town, apartment districts and villas. Each of these settings raises its own questions of structure, access and permits.

This page presents the most common jobs in the trade, what the town changes in practice, the formalities to plan for and how to prepare a quote request.

Common masonry work between Valère and the Rhône plain

The mason works on a building’s structure. In Sion, requests fall naturally according to the type of home.

• Openings in a wall: widening a passage between kitchen and living room, creating a large opening, widening a door. Everything depends on whether the wall is load-bearing.
• Foundations and slabs: for a small extension, a garage, a patio or a garden shed.
• Low walls and retaining walls: very common wherever the ground is not flat, which is frequent at the foot of the hills.
• Concrete repairs: external staircases, balconies, thresholds, façades marked by time.
• Stone repairs: joints, loose stones, old walls to be restored.
• Small extensions: adding a room to a villa, closing in a covered area, raising a modest volume.

The trade is learned through a CFC (the Swiss federal vocational certificate) as a mason. You can ask the firm that responds how it runs the site and who does what, in particular whether an engineer or another trade needs to be involved.

Old town, apartment buildings, villas: three ways of doing masonry in Sion

The old town and its stone walls

In Sion’s old town, you find old walls, often thick and built of stone. The work differs from that on a recent building. A mortar that is too hard or an unsuitable render can damage the stone instead of protecting it, and a poorly thought-out opening weakens a wall that carries more than it appears to. Before drilling through or reworking a façade, it is wise to ask the municipality whether the building is subject to particular requirements, and to describe the visible condition of the wall to the firm: cracks, damp, moving stones.

Apartment districts

In apartment buildings, most projects concern the inside of a flat: opening a partition, widening a passage, reworking a slab or a balcony. The central question here is whether the wall is load-bearing. You cannot tell by eye: it is a civil engineer’s calculation that says so, and that defines how to take up the loads. In a block of flats, the landlord or the owners’ association must be informed, because the structure belongs to the building as a whole.

Villas and their surroundings

Around villas, masonry extends beyond the house: garden walls, patio paving, an external staircase, a small extension. The slope of the plot then becomes the main subject. A low wall that holds back earth is not built like a simple fence, and rainwater must be able to drain behind the structure rather than push against it.

Retaining walls and sloping ground around Sion

Valère and Tourbillon overlook the town, and the relief is felt in many districts. At the foot of the hills, terraces, vineyard walls and embankments are part of the Valais landscape. For an owner, this means that many plots need a retaining wall, an access ramp or a masonry staircase.

An old dry-stone vineyard wall is not repaired like a concrete wall. If you own such a wall, describe it precisely when making your request: approximate height, condition, presence of a path or a building just above or below. These details guide the type of firm and the type of intervention.

Dry, sunny climate: what the sun does to a façade

The climate in Sion is dry and sunny, hot in summer, as throughout the Rhône valley. For masonry, there are two practical consequences. First, surfaces exposed to the sun, such as renders, exposed concrete and patio joints, undergo temperature swings that can crack them over time. Second, a masonry job in midsummer requires protecting concrete and mortars from drying too fast; this is a point to raise with the firm when you discuss the schedule.

Building permit and other formalities in Sion

In Valais, the building permit is issued by the municipality in the building zone, and by a cantonal commission outside the building zone. In Sion, most projects located within the built-up area therefore depend on the municipality. A few pointers:

• Opening a load-bearing wall: a civil engineer’s calculation, and often a permit.
• Small extension, new slab, garage: in principle to be reported to the municipality before any work begins.
• Retaining wall or substantial low wall: to be examined, because it affects the ground and sometimes neighbouring plots.
• Old or protected building: to be checked directly with the municipality.

If your project involves insulation or energy, for example an insulated extension, the cantonal energy and hydropower service runs a cantonal subsidy programme: check with it before signing. In every case, it is the municipality or the competent cantonal service that confirms what applies to your situation.

For rented homes or those under condominium ownership, also allow for the consent of the landlord or the owners’ association, to be obtained in writing before the work starts.

Preparing your quote request for a mason in Sion

A quote is only useful if the request is clear. Before filling in the form, gather:

1. The type of property: flat, villa, apartment building, old building in the old town.
2. The work wanted: open such-and-such a wall between two rooms, pour a slab, build a low wall, repair a façade.
3. Photos: of the wall, of the access, of the plot if the slope is marked.
4. Site access: narrow staircase, courtyard, sloping street, no room for a skip.
5. Existing documents: plans, previous permit, information given to the landlord.

When you receive the quotes, compare them item by item. A good quote specifies the demolition or opening, propping of the structure if necessary, materials, rubble removal, finishes and making good. Be wary of very short offers that cannot be compared. The cost depends mainly on the nature of the wall or structure, whether an engineer’s calculation is needed, site access, the slope of the plot, the type of stone or concrete, and the extent of the finishes. It is the quote, drawn up after your project has been described, that gives the figure.

Ready to describe your project? You can request a quote: your request is passed on to tradespeople and firms in the region, who contact you to prepare a free, no-obligation quote.

Further reading in Sion and Valais

• The trade page: masonry
• The town page: work in Sion
• The canton page: canton of Valais
• Other work in Sion: thermal insulation in Sion, plumber in Sion, roofing in Sion