The Wicked Yard

An updated stone fireplace can transform any space, adding rustic warmth and coziness to a living room or turning a backyard patio into a glowing gathering place for year-round enjoyment.

While heavy brick or thick stone veneer can be labor-intensive and difficult to install, thin stone veneer from Swenson Granite Works provides an excellent alternative for homeowners. Made of 100% natural stone, thin stone veneer achieves the same durability, functionality and beauty of full bed veneers.

If you've ever seen a set of granite steps, you know their natural beauty enhances the home's appearance. If you own a set of granite steps, you’ve experienced their durability, low-maintenance and long-lasting quality. If you've ever installed a set of granite steps, you know they're heavy. So heavy that in order to install them, a 55,000 pound truck with an 18-foot bed and crane bolted to the back needs to deliver them to the site. That crane can reach 28 feet with about 4,000 pounds (phew!) In order to get these beautiful, durable, long-lasting (and heavy) steps to look the way they do, Swenson Granite Works personnel are trained to install them using certain tools, including straps, clamps, shims, and chisels.

In many ways, a home is your foundation. Having a safe and soundly-built structure brings peace of mind for every design that follows. When it comes to the entryway, a properly constructed base ensures that the steps leading into your home will remain solid for decades. Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional, base preparation for your set of Swenson Granite Works steps is essential.

Today, more than ever, natural stone is a favorite choice of material for designers, architects and homeowners — not only for exterior projects, but for interior design as well. Whether it’s thin stone veneer walls, granite kitchen shelves or bluestone floors, incorporating natural stone into your home’s interior design means a detailed and customized appearance that is unique to the space. 

Take a look at how these New England homeowners used thin veneer, granite and bluestone from Swenson Granite Works to decorate their home interiors.

Over the past several years, outdoor living has become a top priority for homeowners. Backyards are turning into entertaining spaces, outdoor eating spaces and outdoor living rooms. To make this possible, homeowners are incorporating features like patios, outdoor kitchens, fire pits and outdoor fireplaces into their yard designs. For evening entertaining, more and more homeowners are installing lights to illuminate their granite and natural stone hardscape designs.

Adding a fire pit to your backyard is one of the simplest ways to transform it into a four-season outdoor living space. For Jen Migonis, home design blogger, real estate investor and mother of four, a DIY Woodbury Gray granite fire pit from Swenson Granite Works was the perfect addition to the Nantucket style backyard retreat at her newly renovated Cape-style home in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts.

Accent pieces handcrafted from granite best suit outdoor spaces, as they seamlessly align with natural surroundings and add an element of lasting elegance that will never go out of style. Rather than give into fads and trends involving mass-produced products, consider the timeless, handcrafted granite ornamental treasures from Swenson Granite Works — chess tables, compasses, sundials, and millstones. Classic and enduring, these ageless decorative items bring antiquity and functional beauty to your yard.

Also consider the moon gate, a decorative dry stone walling feature, for your garden. This timeless architectural feature can actually be constructed with the Swenson Granite Works fire pit.

The inspiration for the re-imagining of Dartmouth College’s treasured Moosilauke Ravine Lodge in Warren, New Hampshire was all about bridging the past and present. Think: A new look with the same old soul. To keep in line with its North Country heritage, the historic lodge was outfitted with the same kind of rustic charm as its former structure, but it also had to meet Dartmouth’s standards for low maintenance and functional elegance.

To accomplish this ambitious, enviable goal, Dartmouth needed the perfect partner. Enter, Swenson Granite Works.

Every successful home project by Swenson Granite Works is a true testament to the power of teamwork. From the contractors to the skilled stonemasons to the homeowners themselves, no one part of the process is less important than the other. To create these masterful home designs, we are proud to work with professionals who create high-quality products and demonstrate the kind of expertise that is only developed through years of hands-on experience in the industry.

For most of us - and more often when the weather cooperates - a meal outside on the patio in the fresh air can be an enjoyable experience. Backyard chefs are packing up their old rolling barbecue cart, paper plates, and plastic utensils to make their outdoor dining spaces a bigger priority when planning home improvements. More and more, outdoor home entertaining is a gourmet affair, requiring easy access to equipment like sinks and stovetops and thoughtful seating areas. A well-designed and fully functional outdoor kitchen built with granite and natural stone from Swenson Granite Works guarantees a memorable outdoor dining experience and increases your home’s value.