Building with Stone

Enhance your life with beautiful and durable stone structures. With easy-to-follow instructions and an approachable style, master stonemason Charles McRaven guides you through a variety of building projects that include walls, dams, bridges, and more. As alluring as a warm stone fireplace, McRaven s contagious love of materials and respect for careful craftsmanship captivates and inspires. You ll discover the beauty that can be created with simple materials, honest labor, and concentrated patience.

Charles McRaven is a stonemason and blacksmith, nationally known for building and repairing dozens of stone structures and log homes. He has written extensively on stone, including the books Building with Stone and Stonework, and articles for Country Journal, Fine Homebuilding, and many regional magazines. He lectures and conducts workshops and private courses in stone construction. Charles lives in Virginia.

Concrete and steel may weigh as much, but nothing can rival stone for its beauty and durability. Building With Stone is an introduction to the art and craft of creating stone structures and projects by a man who has made stonework his vocation. Throughout the book is Charles McRaven's stonebuilding philosophy -- that careful craftsmanship and time well spent during construction will repay itself many times over. The physical challenges will be offset by tremendous satisfaction and the knowledge that long after the builder is gone, the structure will stand as a personal and historical monument. Based on years of experience, this book will educate the novice and inspire the seasonal artisan. A stonebuilder at any level will learn how to evaluate each stone and undertake each step in the procedure with an eye toward aesthetics and useful permanence. In addition to introductory material on acquiring stone and what tools will be necessary, there are chapters with step-by-step instructions on how to build: -- walls -- buttresses -- stone fireplaces -- a barbecue pit -- a stone dam -- a stone bridge -- a spring house -- even a home or barn The final chapter is on proper restoration techniques for stone structures. Not just a how-to book, but also a good read, Building With Stone is sure to be a reference book and constant companion for all manner of stone journeymen, and will prove to be as enduring a volume as the structures it recommends.

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