Stone Buildings [Hardcover]

Pat McAfee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2001

This is the follow-up book to the best-selling. It discusses how to build, conserve or renovate stone buildings in the authentic way, using age-old techniques including lime mortars, lime washes and other finishes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A source of expert tips. -- Rick Yelton, Masonry Construction Magazine

About the Author

Patrick McAfee is an expert stonemason who runs workshops on stone and lime. He is the author of Irish Stone Walls.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: O'Brien (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0862785774
• ISBN-13: 978-0862785772
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,339,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars classic resource for traditional masonry construction, August 18, 2006

By 

Lawrence L. Lindsey (Princeton, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stone Buildings (Hardcover)

In connection with a construction project at Princeton University I searched hard, with assistance of the University's Library and interlibrary transfers, to identify the BEST resources on traditional masonry construction. STONE BUILDINGS, and its cohort IRISH STONE WALLS by the same author and publisher, are truly outstanding. One should not be distracted by the word Irish in a title. I'm not an art historian, but expect the principles and techniques described apply to any traditional masonry construction with English or Irish (and to some extent any European) cultural heritage. These are NOT field manuals for modern masonry construction using portland cement, steel reinforcing, assemblies and details now in widespread commercial use. Rather McAfee focuses on load bearing stone, dry laid or with lime mortar. Thorough knowledge of these "outdated" materials and techniques are of critical import in conserving and restoring old buildings. But the value of McAfee's work is not exclusively historical. Some of the principles we admire in old stone walls and historical buildings are properly applicable to new construction. McAfee's books will benefit any architect in using (or recognizing) traditional and "vernacular" building styles; to any mason working in stone; to anyone concerned with quality craft in masonry construction; to anyone else who appreciates historical building forms, materials and methods of construction. If bigger, Patrick McAfee's books would qualify as "coffee table" items; they are certainly beautiful enough. For those who are interested they also appear intensely practical, whether or not one is in a position to use the methods elucidated. The author dares to posit (rarely) a few aesthetic judgements, with which a reader might disagree or might find inconsistent with local project considerations. But even these opinions are valuable to anyone who strives to understand, or judge the qualities of, historical structures. Architects, trade craftspersons, preservationists, and all others interested in traditional masonry should have STONE BUILDINGS, along with its sibling IRISH STONE WALLS, in their libraries.