Okay, so I’ve been messing around with this idea of building a “house from the family stone,” and let me tell you, it’s been a journey! It all started when I saw this documentary about sustainable living, and I got super inspired. I thought, “Hey, I could do something like that, right?”
The Planning Phase (or Lack Thereof)
First, I gathered a bunch of stones from around our property. We live on a bit of land, so there were plenty to choose from. I didn’t really have a plan, just started piling them up. My wife thought I was crazy, bless her heart. She kept saying, “What are you even doing?” I just shrugged and said, “Building a thing!”
The Actual Building (aka Trial and Error)
Then came the hard part. I realized pretty quickly that stacking stones isn’t as easy as it looks. They’re all different shapes and sizes! I tried using some mud as a kind of mortar, but it just kept crumbling. It was a mess, honestly.
- Attempt 1: Mud mortar – Fail.
- Attempt 2: Slightly drier mud – Also fail.
- Attempt 3: Giving up on mortar temporarily – Surprisingly, more progress!
I decided to just focus on fitting the stones together like a giant puzzle. It took forever, and my back was killing me, but I slowly started to see something that vaguely resembled a wall.
The “Roof” Situation
The roof was a whole other problem. I had this ambitious idea of making a stone dome, but that was way too advanced for my skill level. So, I settled for a flat roof using some old wooden planks I found in the shed. Not exactly “all stone,” but hey, you gotta compromise, right?
The Finished Product (Sort Of)
After weeks of work, it was finally “done.” It’s not pretty, it’s definitely not weatherproof, and it’s probably not structurally sound, but it’s there! It’s more of a stone shed than a house, really. But I built it, and that’s what matters. My kids love it, though. They call it “Dad’s fort.”
Would I do it again? Maybe. But next time, I’ll definitely do more research and maybe get some actual building materials. This whole “family stone” thing was a fun experiment, but let’s just say I have a newfound respect for professional builders.
