Hodge Podge Stone Bench

Have you got a few cinder blocks or old bricks out back behind the shed? Been collecting some stones from the side of the road? Willing to do a little wheeling and dealing with your local nurseryman for the small pile of 10 or 15 pieces of flagstone? Maybe pick up 3 or 4 bags of mortar mix after you next stop at Home Depot or Lowe's? Hey, you've just put together a neat little sidewalk bench!

plants in photo: (left) ivy in container, (right) rosemary

Outdoor Fireplace Using Veneer Cast Stone

This recent project found me near Irondale, Alabama. The homeowners decided they wanted an outdoor fireplace for their backyard. They had already installed the masonry insert, themselves (and did a great job) when they called me. My part of the project was to install the stone over the insert. The “stone” was actually manufactured veneer cast stone (best I can tell,,,a light weight concrete aggregate poured into molds and dyed). I'll have to admit, the product can be easy to work with (not always the case when dealing with angles that aren't 90 degrees) and it looks pretty much like actual stone unless you do a close inspection or notice that there are some repeated pieces. I think I'm still partial to real stone, but for a first time using this, I'll have to say it turned out better than I imagined. Other notable aspects of the fireplace is the television mount on the chimney (the homeowner is going to move the mount a couple of inches; after that is done, a tan stucco will be applied around the mount. Also some sort of iron art or perhaps a wreath will be used to hide the mount when the television isn't mounted). The hearth is a big ol' piece of limestone (snapped, not cut!) and the mantle was milled by my good friend, Herb, using local cedar.