Recent Projects
The precision I had been trying to achieve in the joints lent itself to the clean, geometric look of the straight lines and right angles
Almost all the local quarries are offering sawn instead of split stone now, the opposite of the rugged, primordial look that I had been accentuating all along. It also blew open the door to endless geometric design possibilities
The sawn stone also makes a perfectly flat patio. This is a multi-point
pattern that could also have hidden images or words incorporated into it
Thinstone fireplace veneer
The light stone faces can be glued directly onto sealed drywall and then tuckpointed, creating the appearance of a century-old fireplace or thick stone wall
Stone Wall Repair
Thirty years of frost and inadequate drainage behind the wall had pushed it forward until it collapsed. I integrated the new section into the remaining wall at both ends, back on top of the original bottom stones. As a result of a tighter overall weave, the wall lost a few inches in height
Old on the left, new on the right....
Raised Patio and Steps
Before....
After building the retaining wall I rounded up dozens of scrap pieces of 3" granite along with the step material. My idea was to stack them to support the steps of the same thickness
My idea proved more difficult than expected, as the stone had not been sawn with perfect consistency. Each piece had to be exactly the same thickness as the step at each level for them to be stable
Removing the layer of stone dust reveals the true colour of the granite once again
The top step became the 3" thick patio surface. I like my patios to be extra thick and durable. I used a favourite technique to tighten the flagstones to the point where a sheet of paper may or may not fit between them
The last step had to be far enough back to accommodate the storage door, so I added a stepstone at the door to compensate without losing precious deck space
Re-stair-ation of concrete steps, before and after
Rudinian Rockworks
Rock solid furniture designs and more by Rudi Stade
© 2019 by Rudi Stade
Photography by Rudi Stade