Hardscaping – How to Expand Your Living Space
Landscaping isn’t just about planting things. It is the art of transforming the outdoors to suit your needs. And sometimes what you need is to create new spaces that provide comfort, usefulness, mobility and a mystique that draws people out of doors and into the outdoors. The use of construction methods to create structure in [...]
Fireplace Surrounds in the Seattle Area
Over the past fifteen years I have put in around the same number of fireplace surrounds. Sometimes I am covering an old brick wood fireplace, other times I am framing up a structure and cladding it in cement board and stone veneer pieces or tile. It normally involves finding a slab of solid wood for a [...]
Stone Walls Around Seattle
Here is a sampling of a few dry-stack stone retaining walls we’ve completed over the past few years. Well-built mortarless walls are actually superior to concrete because they drain well and can survive the inevitable shifting of the ground over time. Pennsylvania Bluestone – this little patio and wall are making good use of a [...]
Landscape Renovation – Eclectic Charm with a Modern Design
A New Design/Build Project We just wrapped up a relatively large job in the Fauntleroy neighborhood of West Seattle in which we completely remade the back yard from top to bottom. By large I mean that although the yard is somewhat small, there were a number of features built that kept us onsite for a [...]
Pennsylvania Drystack Stone Wall In Progress
We are currently working on a relatively large-scale project in West Seattle that, among several other features and a full landscape design/install, includes this Dry Stack Stone Wall made of a mix of Pennsylvania Split-Face Ledgestone and some Chilton Limestone pieces. This gives you an idea of the behind-the-scenes structural work that goes on with [...]
Mortared Stone Walkways in Slate
We spent over 2 months covering some concrete walkways with Argillite, a slate flagstone from Montana, which was supplied by Terrazzo & Stone Supply Company in Bellevue. It was part of a new home design that was built into a hill on Vashon Island, so there is a partially covered walkway upstairs at the entry [...]
Mark Shepherd
With over 15 years of experience crafting beautiful stonework & amazing landscape designs, Mark Shepherd invites you to share in articles on stone materials, building practices, history, and documenting his projects as they happen.
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Hardscaping – How to Expand Your Living Space
Landscaping isn’t just about planting things. It is the art of transforming the outdoors to suit your needs. And sometimes what you need is to create new spaces that provide comfort, usefulness, mobility and a mystique that draws people out of doors and into the outdoors. The use of construction methods to create structure in [...]
Fireplace Surrounds in the Seattle Area
Over the past fifteen years I have put in around the same number of fireplace surrounds. Sometimes I am covering an old brick wood fireplace, other times I am framing up a structure and cladding it in cement board and stone veneer pieces or tile. It normally involves finding a slab of solid wood for a [...]
Stone Walls Around Seattle
Here is a sampling of a few dry-stack stone retaining walls we’ve completed over the past few years. Well-built mortarless walls are actually superior to concrete because they drain well and can survive the inevitable shifting of the ground over time. Pennsylvania Bluestone – this little patio and wall are making good use of a [...]
Landscape Renovation – Eclectic Charm with a Modern Design
A New Design/Build Project We just wrapped up a relatively large job in the Fauntleroy neighborhood of West Seattle in which we completely remade the back yard from top to bottom. By large I mean that although the yard is somewhat small, there were a number of features built that kept us onsite for a [...]
Pennsylvania Drystack Stone Wall In Progress
We are currently working on a relatively large-scale project in West Seattle that, among several other features and a full landscape design/install, includes this Dry Stack Stone Wall made of a mix of Pennsylvania Split-Face Ledgestone and some Chilton Limestone pieces. This gives you an idea of the behind-the-scenes structural work that goes on with [...]
Mortared Stone Walkways in Slate
We spent over 2 months covering some concrete walkways with Argillite, a slate flagstone from Montana, which was supplied by Terrazzo & Stone Supply Company in Bellevue. It was part of a new home design that was built into a hill on Vashon Island, so there is a partially covered walkway upstairs at the entry [...]
