Issues → October 2006 → Home & Garden →

New Hampshire Lake House

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(page 2 of 2)

"The architect wanted this house to look like it had always been here. We achieved that by using natural fieldstone, which is common to the New England landscape." Jim and James used stones from an old retaining wall that a landowner in Keene was going to bulldoze and bury (it is against New Hampshire state law to use fieldstones that mark boundary walls without the consent of both owners, or without the consent of town officials in the case of a roadside wall, but it's acceptable to use interior walls, such as old foundations). Though the masons work with brick and quarried stone, too, it is fieldstone that presents the greatest challenge. "I don't want to use a chisel or hammer," Jim explains, "because I will lose the smooth face of the fieldstone." Together, the men found just the right keystones for supporting each graceful arch. "This kind of masonry is like solving a giant jigsaw puzzle," says Jim.

This past summer, Jim built a fieldstone fireplace across the lake, testament to the fact that the best advertising is a word-of-mouth recommendation.

For more information, contact James A. Starkey Masonry, LLC, Keene, NH. 603-352-2919.

Resources

Architect: John Battle, Battle Associates, Inc., Boston, MA. 617-367-5975. battlearchitects.com

Contractor: David Wright, Wright Associates Builders, Keene, NH. 603-357-1435.

Cabinetmaker: Kenyon Woodworking, Jamaica Plain, MA. 617-524-6883. kenyonwoodworking.com