West Coast contemporary residence interior/exterior

The architect designed his own 6400 sq. ft. West Coast contemporary single family residence in West Vancouver. The house is on an outcropping in Caulfeild overlooking the Burrard inlet and downtown Vancouver. The aesthetic concept was clean lines with an airy and spacious feel, while still creating a familiar and cozy space. The house was designed to have the outdoor and indoor spaces seamlessly unite, bringing the outdoors in.

Natural materials were used throughout the house such as wood and concrete but the most predominant material was stone, in this case, rhyolite. Rhyolite is a volcanic rock formed by the rapid cooling of magma when it erupts onto the Earth’s surface. If the eruption is explosive, it forms pumice. This stone was sourced locally.

Black Tusk Basalt Patio and Walkway in West Van

The owners of this oceanfront property wanted to improve their front entrance. We converted their old wood stairs into a beautiful Black Tusk basalt patio, walkway and stairs. This custom-sized stone with flamed tops and chipped edges, finished with acrylic sealer, came from Squamish.

Double-sided fireplace in Whistler lodge style home

Our client from Whistler, who has a beautiful lodge-style home overlooking Nicklaus North golf course, wanted to upgrade their existing fireplace. We suggested tight-fitting K2 natural ledgestone and a Pennsylvania bluestone inset hearth for an updated look. They decided to punch through the wall and make it a double-sided gas insert with a see-through view, which connected their living spaces. They say that the fireplace is now the true heart(h) of their home. We both love the result!

Grand Granite Enclosure Greatly Enhances Property

Our client in North Vancouver, who owns a large local garden supply chain, wanted to improve the front entrance of her heritage home. The residence is located underneath Grouse Mountain, near Lonsdale Quay, with a view of the ski hill. We built a grand set of granite pillars and retaining wall surrounding her property, out of local Hardy Island granite, applied in a uniform ashlar pattern. We partnered with Parascape Landscaping to do all the hardscaping. A new set of stairs included full length 72” treads and risers made out of solid granite, with clear cedar railings. An ambitious and fun project! See how stonework can add value to your property today.

WEST VAN OCEANFRONT BOATHOUSE

This beautiful home sits across from Bowen Island in West Vancouver, in an exclusive neighbourhood next to Whytecliff Park. Client wanted a beautifully designed retaining wall and stairs to fit into the landscape. Stairs were built for water access. The boat house at the top will be equipped with all manner of amenities for après water sports, including a working shower.

Materials were a mix of original stone from the property plus Hardy Island and Pitt River granite. Stone terracing was required for waterfront patio and retaining wall features (flat natural stone pavers to be added later). Excess stone pinning was needed due to the sheer angle of the cliff, and an anti-hydro chemical was added to the concrete so water wouldn't penetrate it from the huge waves caused by BC ferries passing by. This project was made to stand the test of time and nature!

CONTEMPORARY OCEANSIDE FEATURE WALL

This home was built in the ocean front community of Belcarra. Belcarra is a village on the shore of Indian Arm (a side inlet of Burrard Inlet) which lies immediately east of Deep Cove in North Van. Isolated by geography on a narrow peninsula, Belcarra is accessible by a single winding paved road or by water. The client asked us to do a feature wall to match the a modern, Scandinavian design of their house which has an open floor plan, many skylights, contemporary furniture, and a view of the ocean. The feature wall was made out of slate ledge stone veneer, and includes hidden A/C ducts for venting and a built-in flat-screen TV. We think it adds even more sophistication to this beautifully contemporary home.

CAULFEILD HOUSE FIREPLACE

“The history of the picturesque little village of Caulfeild is chiefly bound up with the latterday life of the highly respected and lovable English gentleman,  FRANCIS WILLIAM CAULFEILD. It was his sterling qualities of perseverance and rectitude and his great love of nature that enabled him to accomplish his ideals. He took great joy in his work, overcoming obstacles that would have deterred many a younger man, and left a creation that will forever remain beautiful, a village and estate of which resi­dents of Vancouver, and the North Shore of Burrard Inlet, will always speak of with pride, as well as with gratitude and admiration for the man and mind responsible for its creation.”
- H.A. Stone, A Short History of Caulfeild Village

Mr. Caulfeild was responsible for the West Vancouver hamlet that bears his name, which contains many luxury heritage homes nestled in Arbutus trees with views of the ocean. He was an Englishman who travelled all the way to Vancouver in 1898 and fell in love with the North shore mountains. To appreciate some of Mr. Caulfeild's difficulties, no road of any practical use existed to connect the property with other settlements on the North shore at the time, so a road to civilization was his first problem. The municipality of West Vancouver was not formed until 1912. 

Our client resides in Caulfeild’s first house, built in 1904, and wanted a fireplace that would match the heritage pedigree of the home – complete with historical plaque! They wanted to retain the heritage look of the old fireplace but update it with an efficient insert and more modern flair. Tetristone was involved in every stage of the process, which was a complete remodel. The stone was locally sourced slate from Vancouver Island. The owners were thrilled with the finished product, and it will no doubt add to the timelessness of the property for years to come.

ARBUTUS GREENWAY HERITAGE BRICK ENCLOSURE

The city of Vancouver paid $55 million to buy the nine-kilometre stretch of land along the abandoned rail line known as the Arbutus corridor. It was originally part of a CP Rail line known as the Marpole Spur, which ran from False Creek to Port Coquitlam. The space will become a public greenway for cyclists and foot traffic, comparable to New York's High Line. This route began construction in 1901, stopped serving passengers in the 1950s and was last used in 2001 for Molson's freight. This client's corner lot residence is located adjacent to the corridor, and since foot traffic has increased dramatically, we erected a heritage-style brick enclosure to protect their privacy. Because the property was sloped, the walls had to be terraced. The project consisted of heritage-style brick mixed with raked recessed joints, custom concrete caps and an exposed concrete footing. The wall included custom-built curved sections, brass plaques, inset lighting, an inset mailbox, and custom cedar gates. The ground cover for the entryways and interior were also done in paving stones. This was an ambitious project with a high degree of satisfaction both for our masons and the client.

SHAUGHNESSY HERITAGE RESTORATION

The owners of this heritage residence in Shaughnessy needed to update their front entrance with newer gate technology, so they had to rebuild their four main pillars as well as regrout their property's retaining walls. A new driveway was put in at the same time. In order to retain the property's heritage feel, we used century-old protruding grout techniques with modern materials. Not all the original stone could be salvaged, so some new stone had to be sourced to match. The original quarries that the stone came from no longer exist, so we used stone from Pitt Lake. The new granite caps came all the way from China!

Rebuilt pillar without the grout added

The original pillar had to be dismantled in order to accommodate the new gate technology, including new gate mounts and sensors inside the column. The design had to hide all conduits and wires.

WEST VAN OUTDOOR LIVING

This week we finished work on a kiosk for an outdoor pool area in West Van. It features a kitchen area complete with pizza oven and TV, and a hot tub. The kiosk is fashioned out of custom-cut limestone to match the shingles of the main house. We can't wait to see the finished product! This client is going to enjoy an amazing summer with stunning ocean views.

BASALT LEDGESTONE FIREPLACES

DECEMBER 2016

Mark wanted matching fireplaces for his house, upstairs and downstairs. We fashioned them out of dry stack basalt ledgestone, with custom-cut Douglas fir mantels. We think they are a cute addition to his beautiful home!

ATMOSPHERE PARK ROYAL

October 2016

During this winter's chilly weather, we stayed warm working on all the interior stone for Atmosphere's new store in the Park Royal South shopping complex in West Van. The project included a custom-cut stone background for one of the entrance signs...very tricky vectors!

WHISTLER CHALET FIREPLACE

August 2016

Natalie and her husband bought a chalet in Whistler that had a fireplace that stood unfinished...for 30 years! They bought it from an older gentleman who built the whole house as a passion project, but ran out of time. So the first thing they did was contact Tetristone to design one. The final fireplace was made from basalt ledgestone veneer – 70% snapped edge, 30% live edge. The hearth was made from custom-cut polished basalt slabs, with a Douglas fir mantel sourced from a local sawmill. They also added nighttime lighting for a shadow effect. The previous owner was astonished as he said it was exactly what he had envisioned! The new owners love it too.