Should dry-stacked stone be level?

16 years ago

We are finally in the stage where the ElDorado Mountain Ledgestone is going up on the outside and we've noticed that it doesn't appear to be level in all areas. We are having it dry stacked so no mortar is showing but should all of the pieces be level? The builder says if you make each piece level then there will be visible gaps and that makes sense. I'm hoping once it's all up, it won't be that noticeable, but at the same time, I don't want it to progress much further if it's supposed to be level. I haven't been able to find much information about it on the internet so I thought I would try here.

Featured Answer

brickeyee

16 years ago

Unless the stone you are using is ALL exactly the same thickness the individual stones cannot be level.

The assembled stones are made level, but not the individual stones.

Larger stones tend to make the variation more visible.

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Comments (9)

metaxa
16 years ago
You can get real nice and level using brick.

Let stone be stone.

Think like a glacier, they made some beautiful stuff as they rolled through. Only us humans want level. Shame, eh?
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swhite10
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the input! All of the pictures I've seen online, the stone appears to be level, but those are finished projects and this one is still in the works. If it can't be level due to stone size, that's fine, I'm sure it will add lots of character. Like I said, I just wanted to get input before these guys go any further with installation. We're spending about 40K on stone so you can see why I wanted to know prior to them starting up again.
sierraeast
16 years ago
It only needs to be level in transition areas where siding comes down to the stone as an example. You typically have a ledger there that breaks the stone up from the siding and it is installed level. The courses leading up to it are adjusted slightly over a period of 5-6 courses or so to the leveled ledger. The same process is used when bumping up to a soffit or any level area of the wall at a stopping point.
kudzu9
16 years ago
I wouldn't be satisfied with that appearance. If it were me, I'd stack it using mortar to level and even it. You can apply the mortar in such a way that it doesn't show at the front edge. That way it can look like it's dry-stacked, but not be all wonky....
sierraeast
16 years ago
I believe the op's application does have mortar. If her stone mason/setter is experienced, it will have the appearence of a dry stack and will be level where it needs to be. It's intented to look "wonky" with this type of ledger stone.
swhite10
Original Author
16 years ago
We actually saw our type of stone today on the outside of an Orvis store. It was not level in all areas but it didn't look bad at all. I feel much better after seeing it today, and reading these comments. Thanks!
rookie_2010
16 years ago
I'm glad you found a finished exterior to look at. If it were all level, it would look like legos. Much more natural looking when it's not level. Sounds like you're moving along, can I expect a progress pic on the September thread or what? :)
swhite10
Original Author
16 years ago
I hope so rookie! School starts tomorrow then I'm "free" to spend all of my time on house-building instead of running the kids around. Shingles and the rest of the stone go up this week, HVAC and electrical start as well, and hopefully the rest of the windows will go in. We were waiting for Hurricane Earl to chart his course before more was done. Thankfully we only got cloud cover and a little wind. I'm hoping to have more pictures by the end of the week. Feel like we're crawling!