Customer Reviews

The Art and Craft of Stonescaping: Setting and Stacking Stone

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you a novice at working with stone like I am yet desire stone walls, paths and waterfalls in your garden, then this book is for you. Reed writes in a simple, straighforward style that is easy to follow and the accompanying photos are excellent. He shows how to construct a beautiful dry stacked retaining wall and I never imagined that it is so easy. I also found the chapter on building a waterfall very helpful and I hope to do this soon. Also covered are chapters on making paths, courtyards, steps, terraces, benches, etc. It is an excellent book, well worth the money and one that I have referred to countless times.

David Reed covers the gamut of stonework techniques from selection to design to implementation in this book. His treatment of the subject is straightforward and easy to understand, while at the same time working in the history, emotional appeal and crafter's zeal I associate with stonework. Thankfully absent from this text is the typical extensive coverage of concrete and other 'wet' media: Reed and his contributing authors work mainly with dry-stacked stone, preferring a more natural look. One failing I saw was a concentrated discussion of stone types native only to his area; wider coverage of various types of stone and perhaps a pictoral glossary, would have been appropriate and worth-increasing. In total, nonetheless, a well-written, well-organized motivated treatment of what the author clearly loves.

My wife and I just built a new home in Eastern CT. The site is very wooded and the area has a great tradition of drystacked stone work which is evident everywhere we travel in the "Quiet Corner" of CT.

I wanted to create a 30' dry stone retaining wall as well as a set of steps to transition between the walkout basement area to the rear garage area of my new home. After the initial excavation and construction process I was left with a sandy and steep slope of about 10'in the rear of the house. The rain was causing sand and soil to block the walkout basement area - - this was not acceptable. The solution I selected for the problem was to build a dry stacked stone wall and a set of steps.

Mr. Reed's book was clearly written, concise as to materials, tools, and basic techniques, and he did a good job of clarifying the underlying elements of constructing dry stacked stone retaining walls, steps, and tree wells. The book is well organized and starts with the tools then moves on to more challenging projects.

After reading the book I was confident that with the basic tools, the right materials (which were in abundance) and some help from a 10 ton excavator I would be able to construct the walls, walks, and steps I needed to make the site interesting. I am just about done with my project and all of the "local" guys have been favorably impressed with what I achieved. They grew up doing this work.

Make no mistake, moving 20-200 lb stones with hand tools is hard work. On the otherhand the satisfaction you receive from standing back and looking at what you have done is worth every drop of sweat.

I can only recommend Mr. Reeds book - - - in theory and in parctice it was well worth the money and and easy read that is well illustrated with drawings and photos.

George O'Neil

This is an absolutely terrific publication. The illustrations, diagrams and explanations are well written in simple language. Great photos of both In-progress and completed stonework; lots of tips and practical information, and attractive projects. The book also features a comprehensive guide for locating and using the proper tools. All around great book for your stonecrafting reference library.

When I started a stone-project at our farm in the Catskills -- re-cycling some old, fallen-down stone walls into a new retaining wall -- I bought a half-dozen books, including David Reed's Stonescaping. Although Reed's book was not the best one for my particular project, as a good how-to book, it is very good and as an idea book, it is excellent.

On the plus side, Reed provides details and plenty of full-color pictures for everything from tools to stone varieties to uses for stone. He expands far beyond free-standing and retaining walls to benches, paving stones, terraces and even sculpture. After reading this book, I realized that I can use the stone I have at hand in quite a few ways besides walls.

The main negative is the book is just too pretty to drag outdoor where I'm working. Of course, the easy solution to that is to photocopy the appropriate pages and take them to my worksite.

It is a great book for anyone interested in adding stone texture to the garden, lawn, or general landscape.

If your looking for a book on patios, walkways, steps, or walls this book is a "must-have". David Reed has done an excellent job with this book. It is well written, with easy to follow instructions. This book is nicely illustrated; many photos demonstrate a step-by-step progression of the work, as well as showing the reader how the project should look when completed. The author also does a good job of covering tools and gives some helpful tips on the handling of stone.

This is a decent book for the novice to overcome any initial trepidation about building drystone features. It is well illustrated, and comprehensive enough to get you started. However, with a few exceptions, the stonework illustrated is of average quality. For a true photo reference on the art of drystone, I would recommend Dan Snow's "In the Company of Stone" over Reed's book any day. Combine it with John Vivians "Building Stone Walls", and you will have everything you need to enter the world of drystone work: quality pictures of excellent stonework for reference, and solid, no nonesense text to guide you.

A good book for anyone interested in landscaping their yard with dry stacked stones. It teaches you much more than just making retaining walls. Learn how to make paths, steps, benches, pools, and how to integrate plants into the stonework. It could have used some more photos of finished projects, but overall it should be enough to help you finish any stonescaping project you take on.

This book is full of beautiful photos and ideas for stonescaping. It includes stone paths, patios, steps, retaining walls, and even how to make an impressive stone waterfall. However, it's not only the wonderful photography that makes this book great, but it also includes information about how to accomplish these things. I would have to say this is a great "how-to" book that disguises itself as a beautiful coffee table book.

i have had this book for years and i absolutely love it. i worked for champion stone stone yard where i gained an interest in masonry. this book, however, will teach anyone the skills necessary to complete a variety of projects in a professional manor. i still refer back to it for the stunning photography and as a refresher. i have never seen a "how to" book as good or as complete as this one.