Natural Stone and Masonry Project

About the Project

Location: Lakeview, Calgary
Project Duration: 6 months
Skills: Planning & design, stone masonry, custom carpentry, welding, landscaping, timber framing
Suppliers: Empire Homes, Chisel and Stone Masonry, Thunderstone Quarry

We were hired by a luxury home builder in Calgary to design and build full bed decorative stone features in and around a new home.

Our client wanted to create features that would set their home apart. Some of the elements that were important to capture included:

• The use of full bed (thicker pieces, rather than thin veneer) decorative stone.
• A continuation of materials from inside the house to outside, creating the feeling that the one is an extension of the other.
• A spectacular outdoor space with areas for relaxing and entertaining.

To complement the elegant lines and pale tones of the home, we chose locally quarried grey rundle for the foundation walls and beds. This natural stone is stylish and contemporary, while its authenticity is a testament to old world craftspersonship.

We started by building rundle pathways that meander past lush beds planted with a mixture of hardy perennials, and mulched with crushed rundle. A series of rundle pillars and wooden arbours provide flow and drama to the space,

This project truly came together with the help of Rod Dolan, master stone mason, and Sean Fediuk and Mark Baraniuk, journeymen masons. They hand placed each stone, as well as building two Rumford fireplaces. The first, inside the home, features a beautiful three-storey outdoor chimney chase clad in full bed rundle stone. The outdoor patio fireplace is a spectacular feature and a focal point for the yard – who doesn’t love to gather round a crackling fire with a glass of wine on a cool evening?