Completed Projects 1 Stone, Stone/Brick


Welcome to our completed projects section. Within the next four pages you will see many years of our fine craftsmanship from across the United States. We have a huge collection of pictures from over the years of residential brick and stone work to commercial CMU strip malls and gas stations. I will do my best as a novice web page builder to show off our stuff. I hope you Enjoy!

First up, the stone work. We don't get to lay as much stone as we would like to, so when we get a stone job we really let the artistic abilities out.

In this small section you will see pictures of different varieties of natural stone as well as the "lickum stickum" Cultured stone.

The Fettgeather residence located in the lovely countryside in Dubuque, IA. I choose this job to show first because it is the most unique material we have ever used as a veneer. All of the stone used here was salvaged from scrap piles at a local stone quarry and let me tell you, It was a challenge building theses walls but the results are one of a kind. Mr Fettgeather tirelessly collected scraps from the quarry for many many years until enough was gathered. We helped Mr Fettgeather realize his dream after all those years of hard work.

Next up is the Miller residence in Dubuque,IA. We worked closely with the owner developer Mr Chris Miller of locally owned Miller Development Group on this unique project. This particular stone was ordered in from Colorado. This stone was so dense that it could barely be chiseled or cut!! Still after the battle with the rock it produced an awesome veneer to compliment Millers exceptional building skills. More pictures of this job can be seen at www.millerdevelopmentgroup.com

And yet another unique stone project, the Smith residence located in Dubuque,IA We worked closely on this project with owner and contractor Tim Smith to create a beautiful stone exterior with a cozy outdoor fireplace for those brisk fall days.

While I'm on a role with our unique stone work here are a few pictures of my kitchen floor. This floor covering is all made up from scrap recycled marble and granite counter tops that where discarded in a dumpster. See what a little elbow grease and some creativity can produce, not to mention being green!!

Good old "Lickum Stickum" Most masons disregard cultured stone as a viable building material. In fact Ive been on jobs where masons have grumbled the whole time simply because they prefer the old fashioned real stone to the new school CS. While natural stone is much more durable and esthetically appealing, Cultured stone if laid by a proud open minded masonry craftsman can produce a finished product that is very  hard to differentiate from the real thing.

We have completed over 20 cultured stone veneers to date. Our next picture show here is of a trend we are seeing more and more these days. People have gotten tired of the old plain jane brick house, they can't quite afford the premium price that genuine stone demands, and the middle ground is where they tend settle. Cultured stone is often marketed to the masses as a DIY weekend warrior application. If your somewhat handy than yes, you can probably produce a job well done.   I will tell you its quite a bit more challenging than the marketeers want you to believe it is. And that reason alone is why we have completed so many of these types of projects. A lot of the fundamentals of laying genuine stone come into play here, but not quite as technical or skilled.

Here are a few of our larger completed cultured stone projects.

First up is a spec home built by Matt Rellihan Construction in Asbury,IA This veneer is a mock ledge stone. It is cost competitive when compared to brick, and offers a stunning curb appeal. Good taste by Mr Rellihan and Co.
 

Our next project for show is a Dubuque Parade of Homes Entry built by Steve Gudenkauf Construction in the new Timber Hyrst Estates subdivision located on the west side of Dubuque. This CS veneer is a mock cobble stone variety. The CS veneer accents the intricate woodwork and Hardi Plank siding very well.

Brick, Stone, Cultured Stone? what should I choose? Well many people enjoy a mix of both. Meaning a mix of brick with natural stone, or brick mixed with cultured stone. Either or its a sure fire way to set off that major curb appeal. I am a personal fan of the red brick on limestone blend and someday when i build my dream house that is whats on the menu. Nothing pops like that red brick on native Dubuque or Anamosa quarry stone. Those are 2 of my favorites but there is a multitude of stone varieties out there as well as brick colors and textures to work with.

These next few homes demonstrate just that. Curb Appeal.

First up is a new home built by local contractor Chad Ellis of Chad Ellis Construction. This home is located near the Dubuque Regional Airport
in a cozy new subdivision in Key West,IA

This next home was built in 2004 by Dubuque home builder Joe Mond of Copper Mill Construction. This is one of our older projects from the ever expanding portfolio.

Some builders/homeowners will choose a bit more stone over brick, or more brick and a bit less stone. Here are a few examples of some brick veneers accented with stone.

This home was built in 2003 by Doug Hefel of Star Builders Inc. Dubuque,IA Doug a former Commercial Masonry Contractor himself, inspired the design of this particular masonry veneer. As a matter of fact he taught me and my crew a few old school tricks of the trade on this project. I have taken a lot of advice from Mr Hefel over my years in this trade and he has been a mentor to me on many occasions. Thank You Doug for passing down the knowledge.

As you can see not much stone is used here in comparison to brick. It is still enough to accent the brickwork with exceptional appeal.

And here's yet another Dubuque Parade of Homes house we veneered for local builders Royal Oaks Development of Peosta,IA. Just a simple stone banding combined with the brick to make the property standout.

Lots more pictures to come on this particular page of our stone, stone/brick. Please check out our completed projects pages 2 and 3 for our brick and block projects.