It’s all in the details.
Take a look at the chisel held in master mason, Dan Smith’s, hand… you can barely see it from the vibration after being struck with a stone hammer.
Dan is here shaping the tapered course of a soon to be built solid stone chimney.
Nice stone isn’t it?
Originally posted 2015-07-27 14:12:32.
We once restored a stone home in Northern Virginia… it was a mess when we began, and a beauty when we finished.
Originally posted 2015-07-18 12:22:35.
A log home without a stone chimney is like a canoe without a paddle.
Originally posted 2015-07-10 15:45:12.
Like toadstools the porch post columns pop out of the ground.
Originally posted 2015-07-10 15:04:11.
I find that my eye is always drawn toward, and entertained by, roof rafters. I’m not sure why… maybe it’s their simple repeating geometry.
Notice also the exterior stone entry into the basement has been moving along…
Originally posted 2015-07-09 21:28:20.
The stone masons began their work in building the chimney.
They start in the basement in by creating a “wood-stove enclave” … which is basically an attractive area where one can place a wood-stove… something beyond a blank wall with a hole in it.
Originally posted 2015-07-06 16:03:30.
The new kitchen addition instantly became the main point of entry into the home.
It’s so small, this little area… but yet, so inviting.
My aim was to create a “stone dairy” feel with this addition. I think I came close, and as a bonus, without trying, I achieved a space that would easily fit into the Shire. I can see a Hobbit being comfortable here.
Notice that the cabin’s owner elected to replace his roof with copper… even with his limited budget the long term savings and zero maintenance of copper proved too irresistible.
Originally posted 2015-06-23 15:52:30.
Here you can see the finished stone addition and the newly rebuilt chimney…
This is the back of the house… the area where we were invited to practice our craft… and now the most attractive side of the home…
Originally posted 2015-06-23 14:36:39.
Here’s my own fireplace… it got plenty of use this last winter.
Notice the stones that create the arch and how they rest on larger stones. This not only gives the arch a strong base upon which to stand, but it also creates a definitive visual starting and ending point for the arch.
Originally posted 2015-06-20 14:09:02.
Here we see a secret stone mason method of laying stone revealed today for the first time!…
Whenever possible lay stone while reaching out of a window! lol
BTW… the stone mason seen here is Will, one of three talented masons who worked on our team over the years. Will went on to become a priest within the Episcopalian church after leaving us…. I was never certain if that was a compliment to those of us with whom he had worked with… or a means of recovery and penance for having put up with us during those years. 🙂
Originally posted 2015-06-13 15:12:03.
