Benjamin Stoneworks is now offering a consulting service to landowners, Landscape Architects, and Designers. John Benjamin, at 56 years old, is getting too "bouldered out" to crank it everyday. As a Hudson Valley stonemason with over 30 years experience, John is well known for his design sense and honesty and will visit your proposed building site to analyze available resources and provide "real life" estimates of work proposed, etc.
Wallers taking a break after a hard morning.
Exterior work
Are you planning to build your dream house? Or perhaps hoping to purchase a heritage property? Perhaps an old stone farm house? Before you leap, it will pay to consult with a stonemason who can analyze your prospective site. Are there structural defects in an existing building or foundation? Can that root cellar be salvaged? Is there enough good stone on that property to build a hearth warming fireplace, Trombe wall or garden hardscape? How can we rebuild the collapsed stone walls that surround our property without having them look "over-worked," brand new or out of character?
How do we maintain the integrity and "sense of place" that makes each property unique?
Typically my service includes a site visit, extensive look see and concludes with a written evaluation as required. The consulting fee is based on a rate of $60 per hour.
I also offer appraisals for insurance purposes. Did you realize that those stone walls along the road you like are usually included in your insurance coverage? So the next time that teenage neighbor crashes into it, get an appraisal! They are quite expensive to repair!
I also offer fair market estimates of stonework that is proposed in order to give an order of magnitude of work that lies ahead. I am available for doing stone wall workshops, on your site or in your neighborhood.
Over the course of the last 30 odd years I have been involved in numerous stonework projects. Most work has been residential in scope with great detail given to honoring the historic and cultural tradition of the place,using indigenous fieldstone if available. The compliments most cherished: "Looks like that's been there forever!" "It's so natural!" "Now, tell me exactly what is new here anyway?" "I can't believe it cost so much!" Here are a few photos of some of the work done over the years...
Exterior work
Interior work
Benjamin Stoneworks 265 Avery Road Garrison, NY 10524 845.424.4276 Contact us