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Building history, one stone at a time

By Scott Dalton
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE PEET

The traditional stone wall is as much a part of the New England landscape as McIntosh apples and small white churches. The oldest stone walls in this region date back to the 1600s, when farmers would arduously clear their fields, dumping the stones along the perimeter of their property.

These walls came to form rudimentary boundary markers. Practical and aesthetic considerations eventually merged, and a more formal-looking style of wall emerged in the late 1700s and early 1800s, defining the look we have come to know as a “New England stone wall.”

In recent years, this classic look has enjoyed newfound popularity as homeowners have sought to create the timeless feel of traditional New England in a contemporary setting. Nowhere is this trend more apparent than on Cape Cod, where local landscapers and stonemasons say more and more people are discovering the beauty of stone.

“It’s not an everyday item, but we do a lot of them,” Mark Coleman, owner of M.J. Coleman & Sons of Harwich, says of stone walls. “That type of work and workmanship is more popular than ever.”

Charles Thomas agrees. As the owner of the Eastham-based Charles Thomas Stone Walls, Thomas has been around stone all his life. He recalls traipsing through the woods and country roads with his grandfather in southern Vermont, looking for the perfect stone. When he was in junior high school in 1968, his parents took over an Audubon sanctuary in Norfolk, Mass. “There were a lot of old farmers’ stone walls,” Thomas says. “My chore was to repair them.”

Today, with more than 30 years of experience in the field, Thomas shakes his head in wonder at the extensive swath of varying stonework across the Cape. “The Connecticut look has invaded Cape Cod,” he says, describing a formal fieldstone look that is more refined than the rough, farmer stone walls of centuries gone by. “Everything is crisp and clean and cemented, with straight lines.”

At the same time, Thomas says, the Cape hosts an impressive variety of approaches that defy efforts to pigeonhole any one particular Cape Cod stone-wall style. He says anyone with an interest in stone walls need only drive along Route 6A between Sandwich and Brewster to experience everything the Cape has to offer in stone walls.

Thomas contrasts the “blander” fieldstone indigenous to the Connecticut look with the reddish and brownish tones found in local stones. Even on the Cape, there is variation: stones found on the upper Cape tend to be darker than their lower and outer Cape counterparts.

Today’s stone walls may resemble the walls of old in many ways, but their function extends far beyond the clearing of fields. Contemporary craftsmen use stone for walls, stairways, walkways, fireplaces and even entire houses. And while the functionality of stone walls as boundaries, retaining walls and drainage aids is important, it is their appearance that truly captivates most homeowners.

Local masons say there are a number of elements that should be taken into consideration when a homeowner begins to envision a stone wall on his or her property. Among them is whether one wants a wet-laid (with mortar) wall or a dry-laid (no mortar) wall. The latter is often more time consuming and therefore more expensive.

“Dry laying takes longer and a lot more finesse of the stone. Using cement as mortar allows you a little latitude,” Thomas says, adding that a dry wall is very secure, if you know what you are doing. “You can build a dry-laid wall out of any material, so long as you stay with the basics.”

Most of those basics involve planning well before the first stone goes in the ground. The course of the wall should be carefully laid out, with the path excavated to provide a proper foundation. Designers should also take drainage concerns into account so that water flow will not become an issue after construction.

Building the actual wall is literally and figuratively a balancing act. A wide variety of stones will enable the builder to create a secure wall. In a dry wall, stones should be packed tightly, with flatter, shimmy stones offering stability. Wet-laid walls are often considered easier to craft because their structure relies more on the binding mortar and less on the shape of the stones.

Many masons provide a third alternative: a wet-laid wall with minimum exterior mortar, giving the finished product a dry-laid look.

A stone’s appearance, too, plays a major role. The options are virtually limitless, with local fieldstone being a favorite choice. Regional granite is also popular. Each stone offers its own range of textures, shapes and colors. In fact, the ability to transport a wide variety of stone and other materials, sometimes over extreme distances, allows today’s stone-wall builder more options than ever before.

“Some customers want the wall stacked very tightly, so that it looks shipshape and strong,” Coleman says. “Others prefer a native fieldstone look, which is a lot more softball- and football-sized stones that are stacked in place. It’s going to do the same job; stone is stone and a wall is a wall. But what color do you want? What is your expectation? There’s a tremendous amount of choices.”

Although aesthetics are always important, cost becomes a factor as well. “It’s very expensive, time-consuming, tedious work,” Coleman notes. “The nature of the beast is to be fairly expensive.”

Thomas says homeowners can expect to pay between $40 and $60 per square foot of wall, depending on the quality of the craftsmanship, the type of stone and the type of wall. Some economies can be found in labor-saving approaches, such as the use of more cement and mortar. One option is a poured concrete wall with a veneer application, providing the appearance of stone. Thomas also notes that some masons use “cultured,” or synthetic, stone.

Regardless of the type of stone or, for that matter, type of stone wall, most homeowners see a value that extends beyond the immediate cost. These walls often become a focal point in a yard. They may have a functional value, but Coleman notes it is the aesthetic considerations that will draw and hold people’s attention. “That’s the type of item you put on your property and it’s there, with any luck, for eternity.”

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