Chapter 22 - Rock Work & the Finished Turret

In Chapter 18 - Entrance, Roof & Stucco you can see the demolition of the entrance and front of the house. Once the demolition was completed, we started to rebuild the entrance by creating a "Romeo & Juliet" balcony and a Grand Entrance with a turret. By October, the turret was ready for the rock finish.

Steve and I went back to the rock store several times to decide on just the right look. We chose the French Villa Chateau - Chablis fnish. The stones had a beautiful combination of brown, red and a little darker orange.  



The stone is not real stone but the fabricated concrete that is so popular out here in Las Vegas. It's about 1/4 the cost of real stone but adds color, style and a lovely finish to the home.

Pablo was the stone mason and he was terrific. He brought 20 years experience to our project and it showed in his excellent craftsmanship. The outside of the turret was actually finished in 4 days while the iron-railed  Juliet balcony was completed right along side. 

One of our favorite features is the floor pavers and bull-nosed step that give the entrance a very  "grand" but inviting look. The landscapers designed the pavers so that right by the door we could have small cypress trees, bushes and flowers with irrigation.  The entrance also has new 14 foot solid mahogany doors and Steve finished the roof with cedar planking. (Not one wood knot in any of the planks!) We will hang a gorgeous bronzed chandelier as the final touch.