Preliminary Abstract Outline

What methods of building exterior loadbearing natural stone walls are best suited for a residential home in the Kamloops area?


Of all the materials used in construction, there is none that is as durable, sustainable, or permanent as stone. It has been used for thousands of years to build the worlds greatest wonders, from cities on mountaintops to walls across countries. And yet, today, stone as a building material has been relegated to a few specific applications, mostly forgotten in the industries’ race to use the newest and most innovative materials. If stone is universally available, environmentally sustainable, has highly desirable qualities and has proven itself throughout the history of construction, then why not use it?

To re-establish stone as a viable building material, it will need to be integrated into modern construction processes and design. This report will attempt to demonstrate the possibility of using stone in residential construction.

The first step to this goal should be to examine how stone is currently being used in construction. Upon examination, stone is actually used a somewhat surprising amount, including vast amounts of crushed stone going into concrete, and a significant amount being used as compaction material. Neither of these uses really takes full advantage of this material’s wide range of desirable qualities, such as its undeniable aesthetic appeal or ability to withstand the test of time unlike any other building material known to man.

To actually integrate stone into the construction of new residential homes will require an evaluation of the ways in which it can be used. This report will focus on one particular use, that is, in the construction of exterior load bearing natural stone walls. Furthermore this information will be evaluated on the basis of the residential home being situated within the Kamloops area, taking into account local climate and material availability. Different wall details will developed, compared and evaluated based on a list of criteria relating to code requirements and material standards. These details will then in turn be compared to existing practices such as stone veneers and cultured stone on a number of areas such as environmental impact and economic feasibility among others.

Disadvantages must also be noted, these primarily include: the often prohibitive weight of the material, costs associated in transportation, the significant labor required, possible damage to the material from natural and man made sources, among others that will be discussed, analyzed and evaluated in this report.

In providing this comprehensive assessment of the potential for stone in construction, this report will attempt to find a practical solution for building the exterior walls of residential homes in Kamloops. Based on current research, this goal seems to be within reach, although the actual data may indicate otherwise once all the factors have been examined.