Expanding an Old Farmhouse and Getting Ready for Winter - Part Two - Building a Field Stone Hearth

Selecting the right stone pattern.

Washing and prepping the stones.

Mixing the cement.

Homesteader's are always trying hard to use what they have on hand. Even though we may have wanted tile or brick for our wood stove area we chose to use what our land provided. We walked our fields and woodlands to find all the needed stones for our project. 

Laying down the first field stone.

My husband then laid out the pattern we wanted. He did this outside so he could easily play with this puzzle before bringing anything inside. He also took pictures so he could easily see how this puzzle fit together. 

Piecing the puzzle together.

Next, he built a wooden frame that would be a mold for the hearth area. The frame is to hold the cement and stones together until the cement was set and dry. 
So to cut down on cement cost he used old broken cinder blocks, old brick and other stones as filler.

Making sure things are somewhat level.

When you are mixing cement be sure to be wearing a mask. Cement mix is very dusty. You do not want cement dust in your lungs. 

Almost there.

Project done for the day.  Sleep a much needed reward.

The process of cementing stone is very tedious. I do not know this from personal experience. I know this by the painful task of watching my dear husband do this project. He was constantly checking the height, putting the right about of cement, packing it down and positioning each stone correctly. Every time he put a stone into place my anticipation grew. I knew each stone was a stone closer to having our warm, cozy winter. A hearth with wood stove fire as snow is falling outside. It was hard to have this vision when it was an usually hot day in early September. Even though it was so hot Rob worked on ,as a good husband does, knowing it would provide exactly what his family needed for winter. 

Back to finish the job.

Rob and our sons continued this laborious task for 3 days. My tasks as the wonderful wife/mother were to: #1.  provide food and refreshments throughout the day to the hard workers. #2. rub Rob's tired muscles with a mix of essential oils to help ease any soreness the next day.  And #3. put in my 2 cents whenever I felt the need.

Final step is grouting. 

After the last stone was laid down and cemented. The stones and cement were left to dry for a few days before removing the wooden frame. The whole thing was brushed off and vacuumed to remove any loose cement. The final part was grouting to give it a finished look. 

Grouting looks fun. The kids fight for the job

A job well done.  It took 17 bags of cement, 1 bag of grout, free field stone, other loose stones and recycled cement/brick, 2 great sons and 1 awesome husband.