Company Information
About Natural Stone Installation
Natural Stone Installation is owned and operated by myself, Brooks Burleson. I have over 18 years of experience working as a stone mason in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area. I have done everything from building stone fireplaces to constructing a 150 foot flowing creek in a client's front lawn.
In the past few years my creative interests have focused on building very substantial retaining walls with integrated boulders and quarried slab steps. In some instances using large machinery to set these stones is not feasible due to existing landscaping or other constraints. I study and practice old techniques of moving and setting very large stones by hand. Some of the stones I have worked with are in excess of 3,000 pounds. The tools I use to move these large boulders include sleds, log rollers, block and tackle, levers and fulcrums.Another of my favorite projects is building water features. I have built large scale private water gardens which include a stone waterfall, adjoining creek and recirculating pool. For the past several years I have done a water garden for the NC State Fair in the Garden Center as well. With the water gardens I build, I like to convey a natural look and feel with varying sized rocks and moss covered boulders.
Throughout my career I have found that I also enjoy doing restoration work on older stonework in need of repair. Doing restorations provides a unique challenge of matching new patches or additions to old styles and techniques. Recently, I had the opportunity to disassemble an old 1800's chimney and reconstruct the stones into retaining walls. I also had the opportunity to work on the Yates Mill Pond restoration project as well in which I built a new spillway.
Having an artistic background, I look forward to incorporating new ideas with each upcoming project. I enjoy doing stonework and I enjoy working with homeowners to help them transform their homes with beautiful stonescaping.
More Artistic Endeavors and Areas of Interest