Stone

I really had no idea what stone I'd finally end up with.  Below is the photo I've shown everyone from the beginning, of the look I wanted.  I wanted smooth--worn from ages of wind and weather--gray stone, with heavy mortar (called German smear) in a slightly warmer color.  Skip, the builder, got samples of several stones.  They were all what I'd call 'typical'--rough, more white or tan than gray.  Since that seemed to be the closest I was going to come to my vision, I settled on one.

Then one day stone arrived, and it was very different from what I thought I'd agreed to.  It was huge slabs of limestone--some eight feet long--quarried in Indiana.  Evidently my lack of enthusiasm had shown through, and Skip was determined to come closer to what I had in mind.  But I couldn't imagine what they'd do with these slabs.  This is just one of many loads.  

I was told that Victor (a short, but solid Ukrainian) was the genius of local stone cutters.  And now I'm a believer!  He cuts every piece to different sizes, roughs up the edges, and makes his masterpiece.  Each piece is four inches thick--you can imagine the weight--and they have to be attached to the wall every two feet.  

Victor doesn't work alone.  He has his brother, brother-in-law, son-in-law, and three of his nine children working with him.  It's amazing that they can all work on different walls, and it comes out looking like the same person did it.  It's tedious work, a dying craft, and they take great pride in what they do.  

Here's the cottage.  The left side is power-washed, and possibly still a little damp.  The right side is still covered with limestone dust.  The 12 inch slabs around the windows were not my original plan--but I love the simplicity--and they actually closely resemble my original photo.  The window sills are 12 inches deep also. 

This is the NE corner of the house.  You can see that they've started adding mortar at the top.  I wanted a light ochre cream color, and after some effort, they achieved the right mix.  (I learned you don't add color to mortar like you do to grout.)  It would be more the norm to have the mortar a light gray with gray stone.  But I worried the overall look on dreary days would be gloomy.  I like the warm contrasting with the gray.  The stucco chimneys will be a close buff color.  

I'm satisfied that we've come as close as we can--without centuries of wear--to the look I'm after.  I have Skip to thank for pursuing alternate stone options to achieve my vision.