Last week while I was at work Bobby and his team of stone and brick masons completed many of the remaining projects around the house. They built plywood forms onto which they laid brick in an arch that matches the shape on the upper portion of each garage door. After the bricks had setup for several days they added steel reinforcement above it to aid in carrying the weight of the stones. Here Mary and Ian were caught playing as Brenda photographed the construction.
After the forms were removed and the garage doors closed the stones were acid washed and their beauty revealed. I love the deep setback entryway into the garage of the first two bays. The third bay which is only slightly visible on the far left has a square brick wall facade and a stone flower box. It is set back a few feet and not visible from the street.
In addition to the garage doors, the stone masons finished hanging the outdoor mantle. They drilled four holes and set large stainless steel rods into the stone face of the chimney with epoxy cement. After it had set for a day or two they then glued the mantle onto the rods. The wood has been sealed with enamel normally used on teak sailboats and should provide years of protection against both sun and rain.
