Hope Reflected

Encouragement and Hope from God's Word

outdoor project Archive

Tuesday

7

June 2016

Dry Lay Stone Bench, Part 2

Written by , Posted in Gardening

dry lay stone bench

It’s been a while since we provided an update on the DIY dry lay stone bench that Wes has been working on. [Side note: Please excuse the weeds; it’s a work in progress, folks!] Last weekend, Wes was able to bring the project even further along, and we’re at a point now where we’ve got to decide how we’ll cap the bench.

dry lay stone bench

Our initial idea was to pour a concrete cap, however after some discussion and observation, — the wildlife in our yard seems to enjoy landing on the stone bench and using it as a favourite vantage point, — we’re actually considering planting some grass or moss on top of our stone bench.

dry lay stone bench

Wes’s methodology behind using an earthy substance is that by growing grass on top, the grass will eventually go to seed and grow a new lawn base around the bench. If we plant moss, it would make an attractive and distinguished cushion for the top of our DIY dry lay stone bench.

dry lay stone bench

We’ve decided that this bench may only be for occasional human use, and more for the natural world to enjoy.

What are your thoughts? We’ve looked at a few European examples, which lend more to our latter idea. Would you cap our stone bench with concrete, grass, or moss?

 

Monday

18

April 2016

Dry Lay Stone Bench, Part 1

Written by , Posted in Gardening, Hope's How-To

apr18_dryrubblelaystonewall2

I’m pretty excited about the latest DIY project at our house: A stone bench. Being married to a master stone mason is a big blessing! This past weekend, Wes started to tackle the large stones we have surrounding one of the trees on our property. They were originally part of a tree well, and now these stones are being used to make a very attractive (and practical) dry lay stone bench (or two).

dry lay stone bench

On Saturday, Wes started the project, and began selecting and striking the stones. Eventually, his dry lay will form a bench, and he’ll pour a cap on the top to create the bench part.

Creating a dry lay formation of any kind — whether it’s a bench, a wall, or even a foundation — requires the mason or enthusiast to constantly keep a cool head and maintain a lot of patience.

This DIY dry lay stone bench project is in the very early stages, and I’ll post further updates as we move ahead. Wes’s plan right now is to create two benches, one that faces east, and one that faces west.

dry lay stone bench