Tip to get free (or nearly free) fieldstone

[Mingy]

I more or less finished the build on my 42" Pompeii in November, so, with the good weather I decided to start to finish the outside. My wife wanted a 'fieldstone' exterior so I priced out stone veneers. $4,000 just for the material. You can imagine the cost for a whole house!

I thought about this for a while and realized - geez I live on 110 acres and there are stones all over the place! So I wandered around picking up stones here and there. Before I knew it, I discovered several piles of 'pre-picked' stone in the gaps between fields. These piles are huge! I'm saying maybe 10' or more wide and some are 5 or 6' high.

So, if you are looking for fieldstone and have a truck or trailer, drive out to the country and ask a farmer. Chances are his great great grandparents already found them for you. Chances are, he'll be happy to let you take them away for next to nothing.

If you are building in the general area of Milton, Ontario and you want 'you-pick' fieldstones and you have a truck or trailer, you can PM me.

Oven builders only!

[Kiwi_in_canada]

Re: Tip to get free (or nearly free) fieldstone

Love to see some photos, I'm up in Bracebridge and looking for ideas on the finish of the stand, field stone had deffinately come to mind, at the moment just a rough parged exterior.

[Mingy]

Re: Tip to get free (or nearly free) fieldstone

I've taken a hundred or so photos of the build, but I've only started the fieldstone exterior (it started getting cold). I'll post a couple tomorrow.

[Mingy]

Re: Tip to get free (or nearly free) fieldstone

Here are some early pix. I am about twice as high now, but the weather turned so I don't have updated pictures. I just found out there is a 'stonework' section. I'll post more there soon.

I should mention that the ugly brickwork near the oven entrance is just to add a couple inches height. I will put a stone or granite counter top level with the oven floor when I am done.

[Ken524]

Re: Tip to get free (or nearly free) fieldstone

That's going to look gorgeous when it's done.

[C5dad]

Re: Tip to get free (or nearly free) fieldstone

I too was looking at field stone (with all my free time.) I am glad to see someone doing it. As for the landing - that was my same thought on my oven - use pavers to lift the deck up for a piece of granite. Keep posting the pics.

CW

[Mingy]

Re: Tip to get free (or nearly free) fieldstone

Ken524 - Thanks!

C5Dad - I posted more pix on the stonework sticky http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/9/st...eas-885-4.html.

Thanks for the encouragement, all