Fireplace Stone Work

Work continues on the fireplace. I just could not wait for the slate anymore, so last Sunday Patti & I started to put up the stone around the fireplace. I left a space for the slate to slide in at the bottom. In the three pictures it shows the different stages during the day. All the stone work was done in one day. It was sort of tricky to install them and make sure it looked natural. It was like putting together a puzzle at times. Most areas it seemed like we had to try just about every rock we had to see if it would work in that spot. Now that we have the technique down we can move a little faster. You can only do so much in one day because of the mortar needed to dry. We made it to the mantle in just the first day!! We are still waiting for the slate to come. The picture does not show the sides which need to be completed.