Costs for Stone - real v cladding / thin stone

Mac0783

Hi,

We're finalizing our plans and considering putting stone on the bottom half of a two storey extension, but of course cost is a major factor. I'd appreciate if anyone could give some advice.

Real Stone: we'd be going for Limestone, it seems to be the same price to put up as thin stone or Fern hill cladding, but I'm wondering are there costs we are not seeing? I know you have build differently to allow for the depth of the stone does that cost a lot when building?

Any advice or info. welcome.

FiOT

Mac0783 wrote: »

Hi,

We're finalizing our plans and considering putting stone on the bottom half of a two storey extension, but of course cost is a major factor. I'd appreciate if anyone could give some advice.

Real Stone: we'd be going for Limestone, it seems to be the same price to put up as thin stone or Fern hill cladding, but I'm wondering are there costs we are not seeing? I know you have build differently to allow for the depth of the stone does that cost a lot when building?

Any advice or info. welcome.

Oh I remember this decision - torture!

We went with Natural Stone in the end, Sandstone.

Savings with Thinstone seemed to be in the beginnings of the build: Smaller foundation, no steel/catnics over windows/doors, slightly less timber in the roof... However, bits of blocks and timber are the "cheap" parts so we had put them in anyway to allow us to make the decision later, few extra blocks for the foundations and other half is a carpenter so adjusting the roof wasn't an issue. I'm already sounding biased here... Apologies!

Savings with Natural Stone: Stone is much cheaper if you are going random rubble, about the same price (or even still cheaper) if you are going machine cut. Sand and Cement is your "glue", if you're going block build house you'll already have the on site or you'll need it for plastering later so it's never wasted. You could look at the glue for the thin stone as separate/an extra.

Labour: We got some stonemasons out to look the work before we decided on natural/ thin stone. All of them said the same thing, they hate doing thin stone and the labour cost is the exact same. Companies selling the thin stone had told us there was a fortune to be saved in labour but that wasn't my experience (maybe I'm the only one though!!) I think they say that anyone can fit the thin stone and maybe that's where the savings are, say if you were to get a handyman to fit it, then it would be cheaper. But a stonemason with an eye for beautiful design will be the same price no matter what.

Best of look with your decision, the final product will look amazing no matter what your decision. Funds are what decided it for us in the end but both products are fab!

Mac0783

Hi Fiot,

thanks for your reply, if I'm reading it right, you're saying there's no real difference in price at the end of the day?

That's what I'm kinda seeing at the moment and that's even allowing for the most expensive price per sqm I've heard for a stone mason.

In relation to how the build need to be difference to allow for the stone (real stone), is that much of an additional expense? Would you have any idea roughly how much extra it added?

While we're talking about finishes you don't know anything about zinc / zinc style roofs?