The masonry on this project along with our Brewer Hill Project was designed in collaboration between myself and Alexandra Eidenschenk. Alexandra is a fantastic designer who appreciates the history and use of stone as much as myself. She does not cut corners in her projects when it comes to quality materials and traditional methods. These characteristics are never more evident than when she styled this classic cape completely around the central hearth fireplace.

The idea of the central hearth is a simple concept that has been around forever. Heating and cooking from a central space in the home that draws people in for warmth and radiates heat efficiently. This one would serve the first floor with a fireplace in the living room and a fireplace/ bake oven in the kitchen. We decided on new brick vs. reclaimed but chose a water struck style that is made in Massachusetts with similar attributes to antiques like density and a handmade aesthetic. For the living room fireplace we used a local marble for the face stones and wood shelf. In the kitchen Indiana Limestone was used to accent the brick along with a beautiful slab with a chiseled margin that was used for the hearth. The space between the back to back fireplaces is so limited the bake oven took on a kidney bean shape just to get the extra floor space. We fit this behemoth 9’ x 6’ masonry structure into the middle of this modest house while staying accountable for every inch of usable space. Though not having more fireplaces upstairs, the chimney did create an accent wall in the hallway and an interesting shelving nook in the den.

Outside we took advantage of a spectacular view of the Berkshire hills with a large red herringbone brick patio. The water struck brick we use are never a precise size which makes the pattern tricky, but the character in the bricks detail creates a timeless patio that will only get better with age. Granite window wells, planters, fieldstone steps, all elements that add to the homes enduring charm. The design of the entry walkway and patio grill became slightly more modern but use of the same classic materials, granite and brick, bind them to the rest of the house and ensure they have a lasting effect both visually and structurally. Lastly the new addition had worsened an already steep grading problem at the head of the driveway. Here we built an 80’ long fieldstone retaining wall which would be the focal point on the driveways approach. It began at 7’ tall by the house and tapered down to 4’ where it terminated into a large weathered boulder found on site.