Stone Fireplace, Stone Staircase, Limestone Fireplaces

What a shame… yet again a year with no snow here in Leicestershire (on christmas day anyway!) So despite us being all gathered round the roaring fire, we didn’t have a very Christmassy scene to look out on. All the stone masons have gone home for Christmas and they come from far and wide: France; Germany; Spain. I’m sure they’ll be very happy not to have to make any stone fireplaces or stone stairs for a couple of weeks! Mind you, the world at large is still thinking of house renovation, and we get lots of enquiries over the Christmas period. I suppose it’s all those evocative films that are on at this time perhaps?  Films showing old stone fireplaces with roaring fires and all that sort of stuff.

Or it may just be that people have had a house so full of people, that they begin thinking about adding an extension to give them more space, or maybe an extra bedroom over the garage for the in-laws next year? Well remember to consider stone for your alterations: Stone mullions; a stone staircase; stone door surrounds: Whatever you build, stone will only make it better, so consider that when you see your architect, or look through some magazines to get some ideas.

Whatever you do… enjoy your Christmas, and we hope that you get some snow!!

Deciding a design for something in your home is always difficult, not just in the case of choosing a stone fireplace. The factor though, that may help when designing your stone fireplace, is the years of experience you can call on when you deal with us. We have made stone fireplaces of every conceivable size and style, and there are many examples that may give you inspiration on our ’special commissions’ page on the website.

Don’t however, feel that you are limited to one of those particular stone fireplaces. Just send us a picture of any fireplace you have seen and we will give you a quotation to make and install it for you, no matter how large intricate, or complex it may be.

If you haven’t got a photo, then do a sketch, or look in a book or on the internet, and find something similar that will do the job. We can turn it into reality. The same applies to any stone item: Stone stairs; stone mullions; stone doorways…. whatever you desire, we can turn into reality.

So get your creative head on, and start deciding what stone features could transform your home, and send us the details, and we’ll make it real.

Well I don’t know about stone fireplace carving… I think I guys could be ice carving today! It’s still minus 2 and the whole yard is frozen over. We’ve got a stone fountain with icicles about 3 feet long hanging from it, and everything looks very Christmassy….. but feels more like the Antarctic!

The forklift is frozen, and we have a big stone staircase to load, the van is frozen and the ice on the screen is about an inch thick. I’ve got the van started though, so that’s one good thing, and the farmer next door is going to push the Forklift into the factory with his tractor so that the mechanics can hopefully come and look at it. Trouble is, they work for a haulage firm, and I expect they’ll will be spending the day thawing out frozen lorries!

Oh well, looks like we’ll be loading 12 very heavy, and very cold stone stairs onto the lorry by hand! The other bad news is that my old farm cat has disappeared. He lived outside at home, and never fails to turn up for his tea. But he didn’t last night which is a worry. Some of the younger cats in the area sometimes give him a beating, and I hope that hasn’t happened again. I’ll nip home during the day and see if he’s reappeared.

So, only 5 more days to go to Christmas, and I hope you’re all prepared.

What a skill stone masonry is!  The ability to cut heavy blocks of very hard material into something of beauty. A stone mason is not just an artist, he’s an engineer too in many cases. He has to work out how to move massive pieces of stone into the most awkward places. He has to construct scaffold; cranes and lifts to move his stone about. He has to make sure that the stone structure he is building is capable of supporting its own weight, and the weight of whatever may be put on it. In the case of architectural stone, (mullions, door surrounds etc,) he has to ensure that his stonework is up the job of being a structural component, and that he uses the right stone if it is exposed to bad weather.

There are a thousand factors that a mason has to consider. Even a simple stone fireplace is not really simple, as he has to make sure that it is suitable for the job.

Stone stairs are obviously VERY complicated! Just working out how they will fit is a highly skilled task. How many steps; how much ‘go’ and how much ‘rise’ and if it’s a curving stone staircase, then working out the angle of each step, so that the top one ends up in the correct place, is critical.

That is why a mason’s training never really ends. Throughout his whole career, he will be learning new tricks and skills that make this incredible art so complex.

Christmas is only just over a week away, so you better get all those jobs done. What could be better than a roaring open fire; Holly on the mantle piece and a warming glass of Christmas spirit while sitting in front of a lovely stone fireplace?  Of course you better make sure your stone fireplace is a large one, as remember Santa has got to get down it next thursday night. Remember to leave him a mince pie on the hearth, and some of your ‘Christmas spirit’ too if you haven’t already drunk it all!

Of course if the chimney isn’t big enough, he’ll have to use the stairs like normal people. He’s got to go up them anyway to deliver the presents to all the children in their bedrooms so he may as well use that route and keep a bit of soot out of his beard.

He’ll certainly be impressed if you’ve got a stone staircase. And you don’t have to have a castle to have one of those. We can make a stone staircase to suit any house, but I wouldn’t ask for one for Christmas as they’re a bit heavy for Santa and the old Reindeer!

Anyway…. We hope you are well on your way to having done all your Christmas preparations, and that you don’t leave it too late to do the shopping. In the New Year, when you are back on to the plans to renovate or improve your house, come back and see if we can make a stone fireplace or some stone stairs to give your home another bit of magic.

I saw a film the other night about Russians coming to live in England. One girl said she always thought England was a land or princesses and fairy tale stone castles. She said she’d seen a play about a princess that lived in a castle in a country she thought was England, and one scene had the princess walking down a massive stone staircase into a massive ballroom. This she said is what became her vision of England.

Well of course, we know that’s not exactly what all of England and the UK is like, but the fact remains that we do Royalty; history; and old buildings very well. Probably better than any other country in the world. (France would no doubt dispute that?) Anyway, the russian girl was correct in identifying the beauty and lasting impression of a sweeping stone staircase (princess optional)

There can be few more impressive features than a flight of stone stairs. The beautiful craftsmanship that goes into them, and the feeling of ‘there for ever’ durability.

So, if you’ve got a bit of romance in you and want to give your house or building project that trumps everything, then incorporate a stone staircase, and you’ll never regret it.

Fitting your fireplace is almost as important as choosing it. While the standard range  are not complicated to fit, they are VERY heavy. Our stone fireplaces are made from very thick stone blocks, and are thus very heavy. This therefore involves careful handling and some forward planning, but any competant experienced builder will be able to do it.

The one essential difference when fitting stone, as opposedd to laying bricks, is the thickness of the joints. It is really important that the joints between the stone blocks are very thin. (ideally around 3mm) This is a lot narrower than the 10-12 mm joints that one would see in brick laying.

When you are next in a stone building you will see what we mean. Maybe your local church is built in stone? if so, have a look. Stone masons are highly trained and spend years learning their trade, and find joints is one of the skills they aquire. Of course it’s not just the joints, as in complex stone structures, the fine accuracy and sizing of the blocks is what makes the whole structure fit together correctly. This could be anything from a whole stone house, or a sweeping stone staircase, or a complex and elaborate stone fireplace.

Once you get into the more complex stone structures: Large architectural items, or stone stairs for example, then you do really need a trained stone mason. There are some very experienced general builders who do have sufficient skills, but they are rare, and in order to avoid any problems we would always recommend using a trained stone mason for any complex stonework.

Although we specialise in supplying stone fireplaces made in beautiful French Limestone, we can get other stone from different quarries/countries if you have a particular material in mind? We can supply Portland stone; Clipsham stone; and many others. Just ask.

We are currently exploring new suppliers so we can offer more choice of stone for our stone fireplaces, but in the past when we offered sandstone, and other limestones, almost all customers still chose a stone fireplace made in our French Limestone, because it is so beautiful!

Choice in anything can so often be counter productive. You see something you like at first viewing, and then you go and have a look at the full range. Although you really wanted the item as soon as you saw it, you are then shown a load of other options, and all that results is confusion and indecision.

So, that’s why Manorhouse Stone tries to keep the options to a minimum, so you don’t get overwhelmed! We try and stick to classic; traditional designs for our stone fireplaces, and to offer them in a limited range of sizes. One or other of these sizes or style of stone fireplace will suit 99.99% of situations.

If however you want something unique, bespoke, or contemporary, then our highly skilled masons can make it for you.

Don’t hesitate to call. If it’s a stone fireplace you want, then we’re the people to supply you with one.