The stonework in the fireplace and chimney (above) is all that remains of this home, after everything is gone. Now that’s durability. Was it wind, fire or rotting that disintegrated the rest of the building? Whatever tests and abuse this home received, it was the stone and stonework that stood up to the test of time when nothing else could. Mr. Wagler hit the brakes very quickly when his eye got a glimpse of this project. He was glad he had a camera along to capture the interesting situation.
In the picture above, the entire barn is gone. The fact that the silo stood the test of time is even more amazing considering that when a silo is filled with corn silage, the acid soaking through the silo walls is very hard on anything it contacts. It’s incredible this silo took this much abuse, especially since it might be 150 – 200 years old. The mortar had to be repointed, but the stone itself was very durable. I quickly pulled my camera out when I saw this one. I didn’t get the story on this one, so the writing about the silo is just an assumption, but it is in a very unique setting.
Approximately 40 years ago when Mr. Wagler was still working with his installation crew, he noticed bent up pieces of siding that had come off of a newer addition to an old farm house. The owners explained what had happened. The new siding was approximately 10 – 20 years old and due to the very high winds the night before, they had noticed the siding was loosening. To try to save it, the two brothers grabbed hammers and started to add extra stabilization nails. They said it was getting so windy that they were getting siding wrapped around their heads! Finally one yelled, “Let’s get out of here!” and they ran to safety. The amazing part of this situation was that the original stone house, 100 – 200 years old at this time, stood 15 feet taller than the addition and got much more wind that the siding section. The stone endured…no problem.
Another project Mr. Wagler saw was when a house burnt down in the city. The house next door had its siding melted and it liquefied and ran to the ground.The masonry work that Mr. Wagler’s employees had laid with a proper 1 inch air space behind it was still ok, even though it was on the same wall where sections of siding melted. It was very obvious that masonry is durable.
Still today people recognize the strength and durability of quality Natural Stone for their present day building projects. We sent six truck loads of Squared Elite Blue Granite to the house above. This project is in the mountains of West Virginia.
This customer in Cambridge ON had confidence in the durability of our Harvest Gold Limestone.
This customer in the Shelbourne ON area also had confidence in the durability and strength of our Weatheredge Limestone. It does have one of the better “Relative Density Ratings” in North America. It is sought after because it absorbs so little moisture, and is even used on shorelines because of its durability. (see below)
