From simple stone walls to elaborate homes and studios, this is the ideal book for any DIY builder interested in working with stone. Thanks to its utility and cost-effectiveness, stone is an ideal construction resource for the astute owner-builder. Cheap and readily available, rock can be gathered from streambeds, abandoned quarries, and open fields with relative ease. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find a natural landscape devoid of building stone. In this book, beloved home-building expert Ken Kern teams up with fellow stone masons Steve Magers and Lou Penfield to present the ultimate guide to DIY stone masonry. THE OWNER-BUILDER'S GUIDE TO STONE MASONRY is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of building with stone. Everything from detailed information on sourcing, sorting, and selecting stones, to the various methods of building with stone. There are even chapters on building fireplaces, steps, floors, and arches.

This book traces methods of Egyptian stone construction during the pharaonic period, from the construction of the step pyramids at Saqqara to the obelisks of Tuthmosis III to the temples of Rameses II at Thebes. Dr. Arnold covers all aspects of building, including planning, measuring, quarrying and production, transporting heavy monuments, building, digging shafts, repairing damages, and securing tombs. Richly illustrated with photos and field drawings by the author, ancient representations of building activities, and illustrations of tools and objects in museum collections, this book offers a frank appraisal of current knowledge of the process of Egyptian stone construction.

The house of your Dreams does not have to be expensive. The key is all in the planning. How much a house costs, how it looks, how comfortable it is, how energy-efficient it is--all these things occur on paper before you pick up even one tool. A little extra time in the planning process can save you tens of thousands of dollars in construction and maintenance. That is time well spent! Living Homes takes you through the planning process to design an energy and resource efficient home that won't break the bank. Then, from the footings on up to the roof, author Thomas J. Elpel guides you through the nuts and bolts of construction for slipform stone masonry, tilt-up stone walls, log home construction, building with strawbales, making your own terra tile floors, windows and doors, solar water systems, masonry heaters, framing, plumbing, greywater, septic systems, swamp filters, concrete-fly ash countertops, painting and more. Living Homes was completely re-organized and revised for the new sixth edition, based on five additional years of building experience with low-cost, high efficiency construction methods. Get the latest ideas on how to build a high-performance house that will stand the test of time! The sixth edition includes fifteen pages of new material covering the latest stone masonry tips, plus revised and expanded tips and techniques throughout the book.

Jesus: His Story in Stone is a reflection on still-existing stone objects that Jesus would have known, seen, or even touched. Each of the seventy short chapters is accompanied by a photograph taken on location in Israel. Arranged chronologically, the one-page meditations compose a portrait of Christ as seen through the significant stones in His life, from the cave where He was born to the rock of Calvary. While packed with historical and archaeological detail, the book’s main thrust is devotional, leading the reader both spiritually and physically closer to Jesus.

A stonemason's story of the building of Britain: part archaeological history, part deeply personal insight into an ancient craft. In his thirty-year career, stonemason Andrew Ziminski has worked on many of our greatest monuments. From Neolithic monoliths to Roman baths and temples, from the tower of Salisbury Cathedral to the engine houses, mills and aqueducts of the Industrial Revolution and beyond, The Stonemason is his very personal history of how Britain was built - from the inside out. Stone by different stone, culture by different culture, Andrew Ziminski (with his faithful whippet in tow) takes us on an unforgettable journey by river, road and sea through our countryside showing how the making of Britain's buildings offers an unexpected and new version of our island story. 'My school history lessons were focused around flat pages of facts, events and royal personalities, but for me it was the material aspects of the past, the tangible remnants left behind that were thrilling, and that it was these buildings and places, and learning how they worked, that really brought the past alive.'

Concrete and stone seem made to last forever. But the fact is they develop problems. It is not always as dramatic as the collapse of a section of the roof of the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport in 2004. Gradual changes also occur that may compromise the appearance and structural soundness of buildings constructed with these materials. These changes can be created by efflorescence, thermal stress, weathering, leakage and corrosion. This book explains how to avoid typical kinds of failure. With this in mind, it systematically analyzes cases of damage in contemporary international architecture. It also offers strategies for minimizing the risk of damage. Examples include such high-visibility structures as Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, Parco della Musica in Rome and Vontz Center for Molecular Studies in Cincinnatti. In eight chapters, typical kinds of damage are explained and illustrated with examples. Beton und Stein scheinen für die Ewigkeit gemacht. Dennoch kommt es hier zu Bauschäden. Nicht immer sind sie so dramatisch wie der Deckeneinsturz im Terminal des Flughafen Paris-Roissy 2004. Es gibt auch schleichende Veränderungen, die Erscheinungsbild und Statik von Beton- oder Steingebäuden beeinträchtigen können. Dazu gehören Ausblühungen, thermische Auswirkungen, Materialunverträglichkeiten, Korrosion oder massive Krafteinwirkung. Dieses Buch zeigt, wie sich typische Schäden vermeiden lassen. Zu diesem Zweck analysiert es systematisch Schadensfälle in der zeitgenössischen internationalen Architektur. Ebenso werden Strategien vorgestellt, mit denen sich das Schadensrisiko minimieren lässt. Zu den Beispielen gehören so bekannte Bauten wie die Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, Renzo Pianos Parco della Musica in Rom oder Vontz Center for Molecular Studies in Cincinnatti. In insgesamt acht Kapiteln werden typische Schäden erklärt und dann mit Beispielen illustriert.

First published in 1966, this acclaimed Irish classic is an account of time as an apprentice stonecarver by a craftsman who was one of Ireland’s most respected sculptors. The young Seamus Murphy, studying modelling at the Crawford School of Art in Cork in the 1920s, took the unusual step of apprenticing himself to a master stone carver to learn the ancient craft of the mason. ‘Stone Mad’ tells the story of his seven years of growing knowledge of the challenges and joys of stone – and of the men who worked it. His artistic feeling for quality responded to his workmates’ reverence for the ‘well made thing’. The result is a book of surpassing beauty, full of warmth, humour and profound perception.

"A complete primer, 'Masonry' explores the basic steps in diagnosing and treating dozens of typical problems, explaining necessary safety precautions and helpting you understand why masonry deteriorates and what can be done about it. The book stresses maintenance techniques, providing a checklist every homeowner should have. Other helpful items include an extensive inspection table, a quick diagnosis chart, the Secretary of the Interior's Rehabilitation Standards and a reading list."--Back cover.

Practical Stone Masonry is the first major book in nearly seventy years on the craft of the stonemason. Today the work of the stonemason is almost exclusively confined to the repair of historic buildings, requiring a full working knowledge of the detailed traditional craft practices relating to repairs. This book addresses that need. It covers the basic methods of working stone, the making of specialized tools, and, for the first time, a full analysis of the procedures for setting-out for repairs. A broad description of the nature and problems of stone also includes guidance on selection. In addition, the authors look at the causes of decay in stone and outline methods for repair of both stone and mortar. "Practical Stone Masonry" contains essential advice for working masons and apprentices, and all those engaged in planning and supervising such works. It includes: the basic methods of working stone; how to make specialized tools; the procedures for setting-out for repairs explained; and, the nature and problems of stone plus a guide to selection.

Simply and clearly written, Modern Masonry presents students with a thorough grounding in safe methods of laying brick, block, and stone. This thoroughly illustrated text provides a broad understanding of materials and their properties. It covers all important aspects of the masonry trade.