S.A.Y Stone

A beautiful quarry day for selecting stone for an epic new build.

It has been a pleasure being feature as the Custom Stone Mason of the month on the Custom Creative Stone Work Facebook page thank you Pieter Schaafsma. The last leg of our journey on the Forest Path we descend down a series of nerrandering steps accompanied by a cascading stream and basins. I will let the photos speak for themselves on this portion of the journey .... Enjoy A special thank you to DJ Pond Work for their colberation and guidance on this series of streams and basins.

Continuing on the Forest Path from the stone sofa were we last left off on this walking tour. As you continue on the path you continue to ascend until you reach the follow feature that platues and raps around the pool house . located to your right is a infinity pond that is flush with the Forest Path and is entirely naturally feed by the mountainside with the flow mirroring the weather conditions.... Crossing the pond a stone lintel was placed "infinity bridge" for easy access and to fully immerse yourself by the sound of flowing water . Surrounding the water fall a lovely surprise of hand forged bear cubs taking in their surroundings while the mother bear is watching from behind the top collection basin. As we continue our journey on the path you are surrounded by more plantation and a collection brook to your right leading to the next event The Upper Forest Path. The Upper forest path is a secluded serpintine path with one point of access crossing a stone bridge that has a brook running under it and continues up the side of the path. The brook is naturally feed and mirrors the surrounding environment. The upper path restricts and controls your walk around large boulders causing you to pivot around them as you navigate to were it connects to the mountain walking trails in the mountain . This portion of the path was fun to create with a blank slate and a straight earth path leading up I knew it needed some curves. The appreance I was trying to create was a old stream bed that dried up leaving large boulders and water having to flow around them with the remnants of the stream located to the right of the path . Stay tuned for the next event

The next series of photos will walk you thru a woodland path with multiple features, plantations, sculptures and panoramic views named The Forest Path . The Forest Path has a dual purpose besides being a tranquil stroll, it also serves as a drainage system from the mountain side. While creating the Forest Path it presented many challenges from placement of very large boulders on top the hillside with many structures down hill. ... Working backwards like a typewriter from the bottom of the path and rapping around the hillside and coming to a conclusion beyond the Curved Wall . Integrating water features into the mountain side that are naturally feed and look natural . All the stones on the hill side were introduced with the exception of two areas that had natural bedrock formation that was integrated and highlighted. The lenght of this woodland path is 980 feet in lenght with 158 steps that very from 5 to 9 feet wide and 3 to 5 feet in depth with a constant rise of 5 inch for a smooth walking stride . Beneath the steps a swale was created with a 18 inch drainage tile surrounded with potatoe stones. This is connected to the estates drainage system and feeds the large pond on the properly so no water is wasted. Stay tuned for the next event.

Moving on to phase two of this dry laid stone walling project that had the purpose of persevering this beautiful tree with the changing landscape. The Tree Well features unique and functional designs that made this build such a joy. To allow access to the Tree Well step stiles were installed that offers a smooth transition from the higher elevation and leads you to the second feature. ... Located across from the step stiles is a grotto that has a built in stone drawer that allows access to a 12 inch drainage pipe to help mitigate any water issues . The diameter of the Tree Well is 27 feet with single horizontal caps of a depth of 18 inches with the curve cut into the face and back. The building style and stone blending ratio mirrors the Curved Wall . The height of the wall on one side is 33 inches and on the opposite side goes to 38 inch to match the 3% slope of the grade. A brief video is available to view for a more in depth viewing experience courtesy of the Stone Masonry Channel. https://youtu.be/GtJuUMlItIE

The Curved Wall Cheekend This photo was featured in The Stone Trust's yearly calendar for 2016 for the month of December. With this location landscaped upon site completion only a few photos documenting this hidden treasure remain. ... I thought I would include a few progress shots of the batter guides and the rear of the wall.