Stone exteriors are expensive. And why is that? Aren’t stones just sitting in the ground, waiting to be dug up and taken? Yes, but they are very heavy and require skill to install properly.
No doubt about it — a pound of stone and a pound of vinyl siding are going to take up vastly different amounts of space. The weight of stone makes it challenging to mine and expensive to ship — even in today’s world of modern machinery. And the farther away you go to get it, the more expensive it will be when it arrives.
The Real Thing
The stone houses still standing on the East Coast were built with toil and sweat. They served a dual purpose, too — farmers cleared their land of annoying obstacles and got themselves a house in the bargain.
Nowadays, we don’t just dig up rocks and stack them together, stuffing moss in between for insulation. Stones are sorted by color, size and shape and then cut, if necessary.
Turning stones — or bricks — into walls is an engineering feat. When done correctly, the walls are veritably impermeable, and are left standing long after others fall (except in earthquake-prone areas).
Harristone
For those who are short on time and money (and after all, time is money) but still want the beautiful, natural look of stone, there is Harristone. Harristone is manufactured, so close to the real thing you’d swear it was mined from a quarry.
Harristone is able to fabricate such realistic-looking stones by going straight to the source — rocks collected from mountains, riverbeds and canyons across the United States. When they find the best ones, they bring them back to their Utah workshop, where they are chiseled into the ideal shape, then molded to create more just like it.
Faster and Easier
The advantages to engineered stone are many. First, the products are made to fit together easily, saving scores of hours spent by masons trying individual pieces until they get a good fit. In fact, if you are handy, you can build your stone wall yourself.
This wouldn’t be safe with real stone, because of its weight and the need for precise balance. None of this is necessary with the engineered variety.
Whether you want limestone, cobblestone, fieldstone or granite, it’s available in engineered. You can even get brick!
If you want the look of stone for your home’s exterior without the substantial cost, contact us at Renovation by Burbach. We install all types of home exteriors, including siding, stucco, and genuine and faux stone and brick. We can advise you of what would work best for your home — and your budget. Call us today to learn more about stone and faux stone exteriors.
