Use of Stone in Houses

Use of Stone in Houses

Pictures of the use of stone and cobble stones in houses, including stone walls, whole houses made of stone, and various decorative effect achieved with natural stone work.

Country Stone Houses

¶ In the building of modern country homes there seems to be no end to the adaptability of cobblestones and boulders in connection with the sturdier kinds of building material, for, if rightly placed with regard to the structure and the surroundings, they can be brought into harmony with nearly every style of architecture that has about it any semblance of ruggedness, especially if the surrounding country be hilly and uneven in contour and blessed or cursed with a plentiful crop of stones.

Split Stone vs. Cobble Stone

¶ We have never specially advocated the use of cobblestones in the building of Craftsman houses, for as a rule we have found that the best effects from a structural point of view can be obtained by using the split stones instead of the smaller round cobbles. Splitting the stone brings into prominence all the interesting colors that are to be found in field rubble and it is astonishing what a variety and richness of coloring is revealed when the stone is split apart so that the inner markings appear. Also a better structural line can be obtained when foundation and pillars are clearly defined instead of having somewhat the effect of a loose pile of stones. Very few houses that are possible for modern civilized life outside of the mountain camp are sufficiently rough and primitive in construction to be exactly in harmony with the use of cobbles, and always there is a slight sense of effort when they are brought into close relation with finished structure.

Cobblestone Path
Cobblestone Path.
Cement paved terrace of a California house, showing effect of cobblestones in walls and pillars, and the way they harmonize with the rough shingle and timber construction.

Veranda Terrace
Veranda Terrace.
Veranda and terrace of the same house, giving a good idea of the way cobblestones may serve to link the house with the surrounding landscape. The effect of the rugged form of pillars and parapet in connection with the shingles of the wall and the lacy foliage of the tree is especially striking.

Next Page: Cobblestone Houses.



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