Stone House Construction

by Gunn, Sarah

• ISBN13: 9780643096370
• ISBN10: 064309637X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-08-31
• Publisher: Csiro

Summary

Stone House Construction is a comprehensive study of Australian stone building techniques in a residential context. It has a strong theme of historic stone buildings, as traditional forms of building respond to the need for structural integrity and stability over time against weathering. The book covers aspects of local stone building, from quarrying on site to building arches over openings for upper storey walls, and is a sourcebook of examples and methods to help the reader to carry on a tradition of building in local stone. Stone buildings inspire people because they transfer a natural beauty to a human achievement. Using natural local materials is in accordance with the principle of thinking globally, acting locally. The book shows many examples of Australian stonework that have not been given exposure in previous architectural references. It promotes Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) through the continuation of a stonework tradition in Australia

Author Biography

Sarah Gunn studied architecture at the University of Melbourne. Her first involvement in building with stone was on a job for her mother. The project was a country house with a tower, near Hepburn Springs. Sarah and her husband travelled around Victoria and New South Wales seeking out stone houses and quarries to photograph, and to learn from people who were building in stone. She continued her architectural work in Castlemaine, Victoria, then South West Rocks, NSW. She has contributed to the Good Wood Guide and grows rainforest trees on her property.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgements	p. x
Stone house design	p. 2
Thermal comfort	p. 3
The basics of passive solar house design	p. 4
Room layout	p. 8
Daylighting	p. 11
Construction considerations	p. 12
Thinking outside the square	p. 13
Cost-effective house design	p. 19
Perimeter proportions	p. 23
Geology of building stones	p. 24
Building stone	p. 26
Igneous rock	p. 27
Sedimentary rock	p. 31
Metamorphic rock	p. 35
Qualities of building stone	p. 37
Stone for heritage work	p. 40
Siting and stone availability	p. 42
The choice of stone	p. 44
The site	p. 46
Variety in stone or other materials	p. 47
Where to quarry	p. 52
The characteristics of a stone	p. 53
Small-scale quarrying	p. 60
Machine quarrying	p. 62
Quarrying with hand tools	p. 63
Quarrying with explosives	p. 66
Granite	p. 68
Basalt	p. 68
Sandstone and other sedimentary stone	p. 69
Slate	p. 72
Limestone	p. 72
Loading and unloading	p. 73
Shaping stone	p. 76
Techniques of wall building	p. 88
Footings	p. 89
Differential loading - doors and windows	p. 90
Damp-proofing	p. 92
Weatherproofing window openings	p. 92
Setting out	p. 92
Laying the stone	p. 93
Rubble walls	p. 95
Measuring	p. 99
Ashlar	p. 101
Mortar	p. 102
External walls	p. 106
Cavity stonework	p. 106
Stone veneer	p. 107
Formed masonry	p. 107
Flagg's mosaic rubble	p. 109
Framed formwork	p. 110
Slipforms	p. 110
One-sided formwork	p. 111
Services	p. 111
Finishing joints	p. 112
Cleaning	p. 112
Upper wall construction	p. 114
Wall thickness	p. 115
Scaffolding	p. 117
Lintels	p. 119
Flat arches	p. 121
Arches	p. 123
Arch stones	p. 124
Windows	p. 126
Dormer windows	p. 126
Wall flashings.and drip moulds	p. 128
Arched windows	p. 129
Arch centring	p. 131
Vaults and domes	p. 133
Roof fixing	p. 134
Parapets and upper walls	p. 135
Stone in the landscape	p. 138
Quarry reclamation	p. 140
Water and rock	p. 142
Symbolism	p. 143
The stone barbecue	p. 149
Garden spaces	p. 149
Garden walls	p. 150
The landscape as structure	p. 152
Natural landscape	p. 153
Fireplaces and chimneys	p. 154
Proportions	p. 156
Dampers	p. 160
Construction	p. 160
Storing heated air in a rock bed	p. 164
Chimneys	p. 165
Floors and steps	p. 168
Floors	p. 169
Heating and insulation	p. 172
Steps	p. 172
Drawings and specifications	p. 178
Sketch plans	p. 179
Working drawings	p. 180
Specifications	p. 183
Stone footings	p. 189
Retaining walls	p. 191
Arches	p. 195
Glossary of masonry terms	p. 203
Endnotes	p. 208
References	p. 210
About the photographs	p. 214
Index	p. 219
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