There are three entrance stone walls located within ten miles of my home. Each was built using a different path.

I did not play a part in any of them. But, I think there is a lesson that can be learned by each.

The first one seen here was contracted out to a local stone artisan. He had a reputation of being a “unique character” with a known history of creating some beautiful stone structures.

He was asked to come in and “build something nice” by the folks that hired him. And, that is what he did.

This is how I build houses. Hire the best, and let them practice their art.

Originally posted 2015-03-30 14:47:34.

I was always amazed at the stone foundations that I would see over in West Virginia.

Either the folks over there were blessed with naturally occurring perfect cubes of stone, or the men over there were some of the most gifted stone masons on God’s green Earth.

I finally encountered an old country gentlemen who showed me the secret. He grabbed an axe and placed it in the back of his pickup truck and invited me to go for a ride. We later stopped up in a holler where an ancient rock formation was exposed.

It turns out that the sandstone over there that has remained wet in the ground shapes with an axe easier than any piece of wood does. And, once that same stone is left in the sun for a couple of weeks, it hardens right up into… well… solid stone.

Mystery solved.

What an incredible resource they have over there.

Originally posted 2015-03-22 22:03:53.

One last photo of the log and stone cabin to share. This is of the finished chimney… made out of solid stone. Pretty nice isn’t it?

Our small city offers a tour of new homes each year and I normally go out to see what is being built by the other area builders. This last time I don’t recall seeing a single house that had a real masonry chimney. A few of them had wood sided chimneys, and one had a chimney that was brick veneered to look like a real chimney. Geez.

I never thought I’d see the day that ANY home came without a real chimney. And now NONE of them do. The transition was quick… over the course of a decade… and now no one questions how we have lost a central feature of all homes going back centuries in time.

I guess it’s all about priorities.

I did see some pretty floors… even though they were a sixteenth of an inch thick veneer. And there was some mighty fancy trim work… even though it was foam. And look! here’s a remote for the fireplace!

So sad.

Originally posted 2015-03-22 10:39:55.

Here’s the arched windows from the inside.

I like how deep the window sill and jambs are… that’s due to thickness of the stone wall.

Originally posted 2015-03-21 21:36:35.

Originally posted 2015-03-21 21:31:40.

To make a stone arch for each of the windows the mason used a form which was removed once the stones were cemented in place and allowed to set.

Originally posted 2015-03-21 21:26:43.

Assembly required.

Yes, it looks like a mess… but there is just so much potential. 🙂

Originally posted 2015-03-21 16:52:04.

Next up on my “to do list” was to find enough high quality stone to build the foundation of the log cabin, the stone section of the house, and the massive two-fireplace chimney.

That’s a lot of rock.

About that time I received a call from the public school system in one of the counties over in the Valley. Years ago they had torn down one of their school buildings, but the foundation was still in place and they wanted it removed for safety reasons.

The stone was perfect for this project.

Originally posted 2015-03-21 16:45:34.

This little cottage required a lot of stone to build… a lot of stone… as you can see in the photo with the blue tarp.

I’ve also included a couple of photos showing the same area of the house as we were building it… the first shows the stonework in a phase that we call “dry laid”… the stone has been shaped and put in place using cement (most clients prefer this look and so this is where we stop.

The historic stone house that is on this property, that we restored, is a typical Valley home in that has decorative pointing that is applied between the stones once finished. And that, is what we did to this little cottage… as you can see in the final photo.

Originally posted 2015-03-09 14:42:20.

This Valley stone house appears large, but she is basically just a three room home.

The top floor is a single bedroom with bath.
The main floor is a large family room.
And on the basement level… you will find the kitchen/dining area.

Originally posted 2015-03-07 18:51:43.