6 Ways To Upgrade Your Home’s Exterior with Stone Veneer and Granite

If you’ve revamped your landscaping, but still feel like your house could use more curb appeal, it just might be time to give your exterior a makeover. With stone veneer and granite, you can make a big transformation to the look and value of your home.

Installing stone veneer on the exterior will give your facade the refresh it needs, and it’s also a smart investment. This organic material will give your New England home a sense of colonial charm.

Granite will protect your home while enhancing its design. From sills and water tables to wall and pillar caps, there are many creative ways to bring the timeless beauty of granite to your home’s exterior.

Swenson Granite Works has had the pleasure of supplying cut granite and natural stone for many home exterior projects. We’ve come up with the top six ways you can upgrade the outside of your home with stone veneer and granite.

Stone Veneer

Stone veneer lends an authentic beauty and a natural warmth to a home’s appearance. It weathers nicely and will look even better over time. More durable than vinyl or aluminum siding, stone veneer resists fading and chalking. It will also shield your home’s exterior from water and harsh elements.

Whether you plan to do the whole exterior wall in stone veneer, add some warmth to interior walls, or liven up your front entranceway, Swenson Granite Works can work with you to plan your project from start to finish.

We carry both full bed veneer and thin veneer at our seven store locations. If you want a classic old-world appearance, full bed veneer is the way to go. It allows for a deeper mortar joint, and adds an acoustic barrier to exterior walls. Thin veneer is used for projects where there isn’t much clearance or you don’t want to pour a frost wall for full bed veneer. Swenson stocks 100% natural stone thin veneers that can be installed on most surfaces including sheetrock, greenboard, brick and concrete. Granite, quartzite, and fieldstone veneers are available in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. This material is much lighter than traditional full-bed veneer, saving you on labor cost.

Our thin veneer installation guide offers detailed instructions and diagrams for each type of surface.

These New England home exteriors were upgraded with stone veneer from Swenson Granite Works. They may just inspire you to transform your own home’s appearance.

American granite square and rectangular veneer covers the exterior walls.

American granite mosaic veneer covers the wall of the front entranceway giving this home a bit of rustic charm.

A close up of the Corinthian granite square and rectangular veneer.

American granite mosaic veneer covers the foundation, step risers and landing area.

Stone Chimneys with Natural Stone Caps

Even an upgrade to your chimney can enhance your home’s design. A stone veneer chimney with granite or bluestone chimney caps adds visual interest to a roofline and makes even a modest home appear more stately.

Cut granite and natural stone caps will protect the chimney’s mortar joints, and keep out water, snow, dirt, leaves, branches, etc. They are naturally durable and will last a lifetime.

These New England homes are protected from the elements with chimneys that make a grand statement.

This chimney has Woodbury Gray granite caps and supports.

This chimney adds a finished detail with its bluestone caps and supports, and multi-colored rounds veneer.

Granite Sills, Headers and Water Tables

Granite sills, headers and water tables protect windows, doors and foundations with a classic, elegant appearance.

Wood will need maintenance over the years and plastic can warp and degrade in the sun, but natural stone will last forever and look even better over time.

Though they are traditional elements, these natural stone details provide an organic look to contemporary designs and helps connect them to the environment, as you can see in this home below.

The Woodbury Gray granite sills, headers, header supports, and Tumbled Gray Cobblestone window archway give this Lake Winnipesaukee home an old world style.

Woodbury Gray granite header supports and sill

The Woodbury Gray granite water table directs water away from the stone veneer foundation. It’s also the perfect transition between the siding and the veneer.

The Caledonia granite water table protects the stone veneer foundation and visually separates it from the siding.

Granite Wall and Pillar Caps

If you’re looking to balance rustic charm with polished curb appeal, granite caps can add a finished look to a stone veneer wall or pillar.

These New England homeowners have capped off their stone walls and pillars with the timeless beauty of granite.

Woodbury Gray granite pillar caps finish off stone veneer pillars.

This front porch wall blends formal architecture and organic elements. The Corinthian granite square and rectangular veneer blends beautifully with the Caledonia granite wall cap and traditional wood trim.

Our cut granite caps, sills, headersand water tables are stocked in Woodbury Gray, plus six other granite colors are available by special order: Autumn Pink, Caledonia, Deer Isle, Bethel White, Concord Gray, and Cambrian Black.

Complete the custom look with your choice of edge finishing in thermal, sandblast, sawn, polished, honed, and bush hammer.