Stone is quarried, not manufactured, so no two pallets match and nothing can be reordered to match later. Veneer and slab work are dry-laid and sequenced on the ground before a piece is set, and anything holding back earth or water gets its backing, flashing and drainage detailed first. Marble, travertine, limestone, basalt and Hawaiian lava rock.
Marble, travertine, limestone and basalt, cut and finished to order: honed where it will be walked on, polished where you want the reflection, left raw where the texture is the whole point.
Stacked ledger and full-depth veneer, laid so the courses break irregularly instead of repeating a pattern up the wall. Columns, facades, and the elevation behind a stair.
Hawaiian basalt and lava rock, dry-stacked or mortared, for entry walls and garden features. Against white stucco it looks like it came with the land, not with the contractor.
Walkways, paver patios, pool decks and driveway aprons. Falls and drainage are designed first: a handsome terrace that ponds is a callback waiting to happen.
Indoor and lanai fireplaces, hearths and surrounds, detailed so stone runs into plaster or tile without a trim strip covering the transition.