Far from being gray and lifeless, stone comes in thousands of colors and types, allowing you to choose the masonry that fits your property and your personality.

One of the most visually impressive ways to use stone in your landscaping is large walls or fences – either to create a “stair-step” pattern on elevation changes or to provide a perimeter around your home. Stone walls are much more permanent than chain link or wood fencing – requiring none of the painting and careful maintenance of their cheaper cousins. Many stone walls even outlast the homes that they are built around! You have two basic choices when it comes to outdoor stone walls – natural or cut stone – depending on how formal you want the walls to look. Masonry walls can be used in combination with other materials in your landscaping – and since they look more “natural” than synthetic materials, they look great with wooden decking.

Ever since the first cobblestone paths were laid by the Romans, people have realized the usefulness of stone as a paving material. Stone is virtually indestructible when it is laid correctly, and stone pavers are even less prone to breaking/damaging than concrete and pavement. Stone pavers also look far better than pavement, and they blend in better with gardens and other outdoor landscapes because they allow small amounts of grass to grow between the pavers for a more natural look.

As an added benefit to using stone pavers on a walkway rather than a solid sheet of pavement, this allows increased water to filter between the stones rather than pooling on the pavers and running into other parts of your landscaping.

If you want to incorporate stone as part of your own home – the best way to do this is with a stone veneer. A stone veneer is basically small pieces of stone that adhere to a single “sheet” that is then placed on the outside of your home – allowing you to get the decorative benefits of stone without having to pay for the massive quantity of stone that would be required to build an entire house. This also lets you use modern insulation techniques even though your home looks like it is made from stone. Stone veneer is also safer than making your house entirely out of stone, since there is less of a chance that pieces of stone will become dislodged and will fall on your or your family during an earthquake or other weather event. Inside your home, consider using glass blocks as an accent piece – allowing light into a room while still creating a partition. Glass blocks are also great as the window for a bathroom – since you can get glass blocks that are translucent and will protect the privacy of the occupants while still letting light in.