Building with Stone

by Charles McRaven

Enhance your life with beautiful and durable stone structures. With easy-to-follow instructions and an approachable style, master stonemason Charles McRaven guides you through a variety of building projects that include walls, dams, bridges, and more. As alluring as a warm stone fireplace, McRaven’s contagious love of materials and respect for careful craftsmanship captivates and inspires. You’ll discover the beauty that can be created with simple materials, honest labor, and concentrated patience.

Genres: Construction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Joshua Horn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very helpful in preparing for a large stone project. The author has worked as a mason for many years, so all of his instructions and recommendations are based on a lot of knowledge for the craft. He also has a lot of stories and pictures of jobs that he has worked on. He rambles quite a bit with stories from his career, but I found that to be interesting, even if it wasn't exactly on topic.

McRaven also wrote a book called Stonework, which I think is a bit better if you are looking for a single book on masonry. It covers a lot of the same topics, but there is unique information in each book.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I found very useful with this book is that the very knowledgeable and experienced author points out quite a few errors that you must avoid to build any stone wall or structure.
He spins a few yarns from the building projects that he has worked on, and wanders, but he does share much valuable information and the book is covered with many beneficial drawings and photographs.
Both the newly interested and the experienced mason will benefit by reading this book.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A guide for building walls, fences, and houses from stone. Cover the various techniques with drawing to aid the do-it-yourselfer. Easy to read.