# Recycling old stone homes



## joejeep92 (Oct 11, 2010)

I have a place to build and I'm now going through options as far as housing. I really like old stone homes and so does the other half. We have several abandoned old stone houses in the area that have lots of good material. How practical would it be to remove stones from older houses to build another?


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## wharton (Oct 9, 2011)

joejeep92 said:


> I have a place to build and I'm now going through options as far as housing. I really like old stone homes and so does the other half. We have several abandoned old stone houses in the area that have lots of good material. How practical would it be to remove stones from older houses to build another?


There may be a more pysically demanding, difficult and time consuming way of building a structure, but I can't think of any. Here in the Mid-atlantic region, stone building happened for one reason, and only one reason, there were no good options. By about 1850, sawn timber was readily available, and stone work, above grade ended quickly. Stone is about astetics. It's beautiful, and that's all it is. It's a massive amount of hard work. It makes for a cold, damp structure that is nearly impossible to heat, and there is no place with any code regulations at all that would allow a solid stone wall home to be built. Stone veneer over a well insulated structural wall is fine, but not a solid wall, like old fashioned homes had.


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## lovinthislife (Aug 28, 2009)

I may not be a builder but I disagree. I have cousins who live in a totally stone home, well the roof ain't stone. lol but, once they get that place heated up with a wood cookstove, it stays warm inside. It's not a bit damp in my opinion. I think the only down side to using stone would be the back braking work involved.


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

Stone and the real brick homes of long ago have a lot of thermal mass. They stay cool longer and retain heat. In European cities, the building code will not allow stick built construction. I can't tell where you live. Depending on the area you may be able to find a mason that can assist you. Long ago when labor was cheap, stone and brick was a good option. That's not to say you can't do it today especially if you can salvage the stone.


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

joejeep92 said:


> I have a place to build and I'm now going through options as far as housing. I really like old stone homes and so does the other half. We have several abandoned old stone houses in the area that have lots of good material. How practical would it be to remove stones from older houses to build another?


My grandfather (b. 1890) was a stonemason. In the 1940s, he built the house my mother and her siblings grew up in. My grandma told me the stone came from the foundation of a barn that had been taken down. As far as I know, the house he built is still standing today. 

I have always loved stone houses, too. Guess it's in my blood!


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## Big Dave (Feb 5, 2006)

Lots of them around our place in westen Arkansas. First off is it your stone? Second can you get more or enough to build what you want. 
Those structures that were built of stone in used farms are still standing around here. Good luck on your venture.


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

I love stone structions. Especially chimneys...for reasons I don't know.

I don't know also why you could not use stones from an old house. I would like that better. "If those stones could talk." I feel that even if they can't talk they still have a story.

The only drawback I can think of is that reclaiming stones from an old house may double your chances of smashing fingers and add time to the project. Enjoy the journey. Where gloves. Good luck.


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## fordson major (Jul 12, 2003)

haveing built a fair bit of drystone wall, that would be a great way of rounding up stones. you could also post an ad in feed stores saying you are looking for stones, many farmers are quite willing to deliver!


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## joejeep92 (Oct 11, 2010)

I have several old houses at my disposal to build with so yes I can round up WAY more than enough to build with. My grandparents live in an all stone house from 1871 so yes they are great as far as heating and cooling go.


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## sustainabilly (Jun 20, 2012)

If you don't mind the labor and have the time, yes, go for it. But, it's not speedy when done right. This should be thought of as a labor of love, not an expedient bldg. method.

Try to keep track of what stone went in what area/level when demolishing. Also, pay attn. to which structures seem to have held up the best and emulate any unique characteristics they have.

Make sure the mortar you use is the correct type for stone, ground contact,...etc. Lastly, think about building the entire perimeter to a predetermined height, instead of different walls stopping at different levels. That way, if you decide it's too much effort, you may be able to continue on with alternative bldg. materials.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

willow_girl said:


> My grandfather (b. 1890) was a stonemason. In the 1940s, he built the house my mother and her siblings grew up in.


That is such a wonderful heritage to have. 

I love stone homes. I don't think the work involved in dismantling, recycling, and rebuilding would be something that most people would take on though. If the OP does it, then he is a brave soul who is not afraid of work.


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## avrugu (Jan 17, 2012)

cleaning the mortar off the stones would stink


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

mekasmom said:


> That is such a wonderful heritage to have.
> 
> I love stone homes. I don't think the work involved in dismantling, recycling, and rebuilding would be something that most people would take on though. If the OP does it, then he is a brave soul who is not afraid of work.


My grandfather build the house during WWII, when gasoline and cement both were rationed. My grandmother told me that when they got their ration coupons, they'd put gas in their truck, drive out to the farm where the barn was being torn down, and haul as much rock as they could on the allotted gasoline. Then they'd buy as much cement as they could and my grandfather would lay up stone until he ran out of materials. Then they'd have to wait for a new batch of ration coupons.

My grandmother sold the house after my grandfather died and she remarried, but later my uncle bought it and lived there for a little while. I remember a family reunion being held there when I was about 10.

My grandfather also built this stone fountain in Clinch Park in Traverse City, MI in the early 1930s. Inside the heart, spelled out in rocks, was the city's slogan -- "The Heart of Nature's Playground." Sadly, it was torn down in the 1960s when the adjoining highway was widened. I've been able to find a few postcards of it over the years.


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## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

Sweet!, WG


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

More stories: During the Depression, my grandparents traveled around the country in a travel trailer, stopping wherever my grandfather could find work as a mason. My grandmother once told me that he wouldn't look for work until he was down to his last dollar, and then when he did, he had a novel way of going about it. 

Granddad was a WWI veteran who had received the Purple Heart. When he needed money, he'd dust off his old Army uniform, pin on his medals and give a speech at a fraternal club --Lions, Elks, Eagles, etc. -- in whatever town he happened to be in. The gist of his spiel was that the club should take up a collection to build a monument to the town's glorious war dead and veterans. And, of course, Gramps was the man for the job! And it seems very often he would get the commission. (I'm told he was a likeable fellow.)

So, if there's an old stone monument of some sort in your town, look for the initials "RCS" in the concrete!


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## TxHorseMom (Feb 21, 2011)

I have a question. You say they are abandoned homes, but are they truly your stones to take? I would try to get the owners permission first before removing these stones. People have sued for lesser things.


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## joejeep92 (Oct 11, 2010)

TXHorseMom-Yes they are mine. There are several that are mine and several that my family owns.


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## TxHorseMom (Feb 21, 2011)

Perfect. Sounds like a lot of work, but worth it. Good Luck.


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## Adamb (Jul 15, 2012)

Absolutely, its been summarized well here; it can be done but adds to your labor costs. Its also important to remember that in the old days if a building was being built where either it was replacing a preexisting structure that was damaged or being replaced or there was old tumbled down buildings around they would nearly always recycle the old stones from the prior buildings to create the new building(s). In those days it actually saved time, resources & energy because instead of hauling the stone from a quarry that then needed to be shaped & squared, they could just haul the stone from the prior building sites (which was often closer to the current building site then the quarry was) & wouldn't need to shape & square the stone (which was a significant part of the costs of getting the stone from a quarry). So absolutely go ahead, if the stones being to you, then grab them, use them & enjoy participating in one of the oldest forms of recycling the world has to offer. 

Adamb

P.S. In ages long ago both stone & wood was theoretically available for building but if you could afford it stone was always preferred. Also stone could be had by purchasing it from the local quarry without getting any special approval but wood required you to either get special dispensation from the king or queen or risk running into serious terrible for cutting down the Crown's forest.


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## Adamb (Jul 15, 2012)

Oops, btw I meant... So absolutely go ahead, if the stones belongs to you, then grab them, use them & enjoy participating in one of the oldest forms of recycling the world has to offer.... Not "So absolutely go ahead, if the stones being to you, then grab them, use them & enjoy participating in one of the oldest forms of recycling the world has to offer. 

Sorry about that my spell checker substitutes words sometimes, in general its good but its not perfect.

Adamb


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## doc66 (Jul 22, 2009)

If you don't know about building with stone, well, research it. IIRC stone is harder to use than say, brick, and the walls have to narrow as the height increases due to the weight of the stone. 

But a stone home you built yourself would be awesome.


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## joejeep92 (Oct 11, 2010)

My better half also agrees. She loves the stone building and I am a fan of reusing so it works out for everyone. I was thinking two stories, three bed and two bath with basement and am looking into earth sheltered options.


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## blooba (Feb 9, 2010)

joejeep92 said:


> My better half also agrees. She loves the stone building and I am a fan of reusing so it works out for everyone. I was thinking two stories, three bed and two bath with basement and am looking into earth sheltered options.


2 story,3bed,2 bath with basement outta stone? I sure hope you have eaten your wheaties because your gonna need it.

Stone is a wonderful building medium, but your gonna be sore for a long time. With that much stone your gonna need as much heavy equipment and cheap labor as you can get. I know I would build as small of house as possible.


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## joejeep92 (Oct 11, 2010)

Heavy equipment is at my disposal. As well as a labor force.


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## sustainabilly (Jun 20, 2012)

joejeep92 said:


> My better half also agrees. She loves the stone building and I am a fan of reusing so it works out for everyone. I was thinking two stories, three bed and two bath with basement and am looking into earth sheltered options.


Applaud your initiative, jj. You may want to consider incorporating some post and beam in a multi story build. It may add to the structural integrity. If done creatively, it could also enhance the aesthetics. Your going to need a very robust footer for that much weight. How's your soil compaction there?


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## joejeep92 (Oct 11, 2010)

The soil compaction is good on the build site. I have considered adding in the post and beam...I think it would mix well with the stone construction.


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## Adamb (Jul 15, 2012)

Ummm, I could be wrong but one of the reasons for building with stone is the increased overall mass of the building makes it take a long time to either heat or cool, i.e. the amount of mass to surface area dictates how fast or slow a structure will take to change temperature. For example the earth's relatively large mass to surface area means that it takes a very long time to change temperature while a large stone sitting on the top of the ground relatively smaller mass to surface area means that it'll change temperature far faster then the earth but slower then an even smaller rock. 

This is of course influenced by amount insulation present. The issue with insulation is if its on the outside of the rock between the rock's surface & its environment then it helps keep the temperature of the mass even more stable. However if the insulation is placed inside (like insulation is placed in traditional housing construction in our society) then it serves to isolate the mass from its internal heat source & you lose the value of the increased mass. This is not such a big deal in the type of housing common in today's society because there is relatively little mass in the typical home built today but in a house with relatively large mass like stone buildings it does cause problems. This is the reason that insulation is placed on the outside in Bermmed/earth sheltered/buried houses. 

This is my understanding of the value & most appropriate use of mass & insulation. I could be wrong but its what I've been taught. If your concern is the loss of esthetic advantage of a stone buildings exterior then maybe you could use slip stone construction over top of the exterior insulation. But if you put it on the inside, you'll lose the benefit of its mass & the mass will remain whatever the outside temperature is. 

If I'm wrong please tell me but like I said that's my understanding of this matter.

Adamb


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## joejeep92 (Oct 11, 2010)

I understand what you are saying adamb. To me that is a major advantage of the stone. Having been around them with proper heating and cooling the house maintains temperature very well in both summer and winter.


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## Adamb (Jul 15, 2012)

Absolutely, my experience with stone houses is the same but in those cases none of the houses had any internal insulation. That also means I have no first hand experience in deliberately insulating stone structures internally with styrofoam so I could be wrong. I'm just applying what I know about underground/bermmed/buried houses to stone structures; I know that in those cases, the insulation has to go on the outside to retain the mass's ability to maintain a stable internal temperature by virtue of it's significant mass. 

I could easily be wrong in applying this underground building principle to a stone structure since I've never built a stone structure or been in one that was insulated internally. I also might be mistaken in thinking you are planning to insulate internally. It wouldn't be the first time I was wrong & it certainly won't be the last time. Either way it's your home & your call; no matter what you do I wish you the best of luck & I hope it works out for you.

Adamb


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## joejeep92 (Oct 11, 2010)

Adamb you seem very knowledgeable in this area. What are your suggestions as far as insulation go since I have not fully come to any conclusion as far as that matter goes?


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## spork.man (Aug 28, 2010)

@joejeep92 - There's a guy who sells a book on doing slipform stone masonry and I believe they use an insulated panel on the interior side but I could be wrong.


Slipform Stone Masonry: The Next Generation of Stone House Construction


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## sustainabilly (Jun 20, 2012)

jjeep, If I understand Adamb correctly, you might learn something about insulation vs. thermal mass conductivity (both loss and gain) if you research building methods which employ a thermal envelope concept.

There's a guy that does it with wood constr. and passive solar. It uses something like a thermo siphon principle to keep air moving and to moderate temp changes. Just can't recall the site it's on.


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## fordson major (Jul 12, 2003)

if you do go ahead with your project, you may want to look at getting one of these. friend has one for wood but showed off and picked up some pretty good sized rocks with his.

HARDY Forestry Equipment

sure wish i had had one when i built my wall!


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