Masonry Contractor in Hershey, PA

What Hershey's Housing Age Means for Masonry

About two of every three Hershey homes were built before 1980, the Census estimates. About 1 in 10 dates from 1939 or earlier. About half are detached houses, and about 15 percent are attached homes such as twins and rowhouses.

New building is slow here. Derry Township permitted just 8 to 16 new single-family homes a year from 2023 to 2025. Those figures come from Census permit data. So most masonry work in Hershey is upkeep on homes that already stand.

On homes this age, the mortar joints often wear out before the brick does. Water soaks into a worn joint, and when it freezes it pushes the joint apart. Catching that early keeps a repair small.

Limestone Ground and Freeze-Thaw Around Hershey

Hagerstown silt loam covers more than 4 in 10 acres of Hershey, by NRCS soil maps. It formed from weathered gray limestone. The NRCS rates most of the town's ground at moderate frost action. In plain terms, freezing water in the soil can lift what sits on it.

Hershey sits between two NOAA weather stations, one at Harrisburg International Airport and one just west of Lebanon. Each averages 100 or more nights a year at or below freezing, and most of those days thaw again. Each thaw and refreeze works water deeper into joints and soil. That is why we set the footings for front steps below the frost line.

Derry Township's stormwater code calls for extra study when a stormwater system sits over karst. Karst is limestone ground where hidden voids and sinkholes form. So we pitch patios and steps to shed water away from the house. We also plan the drainage behind a retaining wall before it goes up.

Brick and Stone Rules in Downtown Hershey

Downtown Hershey has design rules of its own. In Derry Township's Downtown Core overlay, a design board reviews new walls and changes to exterior materials. The code asks that masonry and mortar colors follow the region's historic look. It also notes that Victorian buildings are relatively common in Hershey.

The code names brick in red color ranges, laid in traditional bond patterns. Its joints should suit the buildings next door. For stone, it names native natural stone set in ashlar and traditional bond patterns. Brick walks and patios there must use red-range brick, and stone ones need natural stone pavers.

Ordinary repair that keeps the same material skips the board. So do walls and fences at one- and two-family homes with no Chocolate Avenue frontage. The code also names limestone walls as heritage features in its Compact Development overlay. They may not be removed just to make room for a sidewalk.

Resetting loose stone and repointing old walls is stone masonry work. We match the stone and the joints already in the wall.

Which Office Reviews Masonry Work in Hershey?

Hershey has no borough government of its own. It is an unincorporated community inside Derry Township, Dauphin County. The township's Community Development Department issues building and zoning permits there.

Under the state code, an ordinary repair needs no permit. A retaining wall of 4 feet or less is exempt too, unless it holds back a load like a driveway. Both exemptions give way to local rules, so ask Community Development before work starts. We tell you what to ask.

The township's permit checklist also notes that a homeowners association may need to approve the work. Pennsylvania law calls for an 811 call three to ten business days before digging.