Hardscape as Art

By Christine Menapace, SYNKD Writer

Imagine a project the client dubs a “masterpiece” at completion. One that started with just a 30-second, single line drawing on a piece of paper and evolved into stone artistry. For Rob Hoffman, owner of Hoffman Stoneworks, LLC in Eugene, OR, this was a recent reality. Here, he talks us through the dry stone wall and patio he completed using locally sourced basalt.

Idid this project in several different phases. The first phase was a flagstone patio using large slabs. But then the client called me back and wanted to do another area with something new and different. So we ended up adding a second area. I had just started doing patios using basalt and really liked how they turned out. I ended up doing a few of these and realized it made a really beautiful patio surface. It’s lumpy, it’s not smooth, but it has so much character. And I just don’t think anything beats it.

The client had seen some of that work on my Instagram and said, “I want that.” I told him, “It’s gonna be very different from what you’ve got... but I think it’s going to look great.”

Breaking Basalt

The stone is all from my area in Western Oregon. The lighter grey stone is andesite. The darker pieces are basalt. It is all igneous rock and is generally referred to as basalt in this area. The pavers are all approximately

4" to 5" thick. So they are not wildly irregular, but they’re not exactly uniform either.

What’s interesting is this is a different style of paving. I came across it by accident because I was looking for something new— something besides buying big sheets of flagstone. It started with a project that was meant to have an Asian aesthetic. The patio had long planks—stone planks—and then this other kind of paving. I wanted to emulate Japanese fieldstone, but in my own way. So I started playing with basalt.

I get these big rocks, sometimes boulders, sometimes column chunks, slice them up, break them out. They come out of the saw looking weird, too clean. So I rough them up to bring back that natural feel. I chisel the whole top. The entire surface of the patio was hand-chiseled and all the edges. The only surface that stays flat is the bottom, which is the bed.

The andesite forms in vertical columns. You lop it across and get a disc, but then you’ve got to chisel off the sides to form something square for the wall.

The round river rocks have to be drilled, using feathers and wedges to split them. I leave the drill marks visible on the stones. There’s one that actually resembles a Chinese character, which I think is pretty cool.

It’s just an insane amount of work for each rock. I take my truck to the quarry, I have a crane, I pull them in, load them up, get them to my yard, dump them, cut them, get them all into blanks, and then get them over there to the job site, and then start plugging them in. No part of it is automated.

Every stone I laid was made from a template. I make a template for the specific spot, take it to the stone, shape it, and then bring it back to set.

I don’t use anything in the joints. Some joints are so tight you can’t even see the gravel. There’s no compounds, no cement. It drains beautifully. Water just goes straight through.

An Evolving Design

The client and I also brainstormed about adding an accent to the wall. At first, we were talking about adding steel or some kind of metal. And eventually, we landed on his idea of casting one of the actual stones in bronze. And I thought it was brilliant. That bronze piece—it’s going to age over time, develop a green patina. It’s already got great texture. It adds this subtle, but rich focal point.

It cost about $2,500. It’s hollow, but I really pushed for it to be solid. It was going to be six-sided either way. If it had been solid, it would’ve weighed 400 pounds—and cost an extra $2,500. I always push for solid, heavy, real. That’s just how I like to do things, but I didn’t win that one!

The wall itself is all dry stone. There are two through-stones that span the full depth of the wall. I left them projecting just a little on each side. And all the joints are tight. There’s no mortar at all.

The foundation is just compacted gravel, open-graded. I usually use ¾” to 1” gravel. No fines. It’s super solid and drains well. I didn’t use Cell-Tek, though I’ve looked into it. If I was doing a driveway, I’d definitely use Cell-Tek. But for this kind of wall, I just go deep with gravel. Especially since I’m excavating anyway. This part of the project took about three-and-a-half weeks. A lot of time goes into shaping. Even the backs of the stones—I don’t leave big voids. The faces touch, but I make sure the backs touch too. It makes a huge difference in the wall’s strength—even though no one sees it. The basalt is heavy and durable, and if you fit it right, you don’t have to worry about settling. And the wall isn’t very tall, two to three feet. So it doesn’t exert much pressure.

The inside of the wall is two feet above the patio. On the outside—because of the grade—it’s almost three feet.

There really wasn’t a design. We figured it all out as we went. Originally, we were going to curve the step back toward the house. Kind of wrap it in. But we got to that point during the build and were like, “Okay, well... what do we do with that next level?” There wasn’t a clear transition.

So we decided, let’s just take it all the way over to the wall. Once we did that, everything clicked. It made the curve feel anchored. It tied the patio to the wall—visually and structurally. It was the right move.

I do like having a design. It helps with estimating costs, planning materials, setting expectations. I don’t get full designs very often. Most of my clients just say, “We trust you.” Especially the ones I’ve worked with before like on this job. I’ve learned to work fluidly. And I’ve gotten pretty good at adapting on the fly.

Originally it was going to be a fixed bid, but once things started changing, I shifted to hourly. There was just no way to predict the time involved. With a client like this, who’s open and collaborative, it works. We could talk through changes and make decisions together.

The Cost of Craftmanship

Overall, this project took about nine to 10 weeks. Hardly anybody would do this (handsplitting and chiseling). It’s hard to make money at. You spend so much time on every piece.

But I just love it. And I’ve gotten to where I can make a living doing it. Eugene’s not a high-end market, but I’ve found the right clients—people who appreciate the craft.

Funny thing, I did the first basalt work a few years ago and thought: This is probably the last time I’ll ever do this. Just because it was so much money and work. But then I got three more of them that year.

I’ve done some travel jobs. I went to Maine and did a wall. I went to Wyoming for another one. But most of my work’s in Eugene. That said, I’m totally open to traveling. If someone sees this and wants me to come build something—I’d do it.

I do a lot of things that don’t make sense if you’re just chasing profits, when you step back and say, “I could’ve done this job easier, quicker, made more money.” But I’m committed to doing the best possible work.

I’m not crafting something just for the sake of being different. I want to build something where, when I finish, the client looks at it and says, “Wow. That’s amazing.” Not just nice—amazing. You can tell when people feel that. Even random people who walk by go, “What is this?” That’s what I want. To do something undeniably cool.

That’s what I love about basalt. It’s structural and beautiful. In Eugene, everything’s wood. We’re a timber-dominant area. So this is different. And we’ve got amazing rock here. It’s unlike anything in the rest of the country. There’s just no real tradition of building with it. Maybe only in the Pacific Northwest. It’s expensive—way more than flagstone. But people really love it. It’s unique. They’ve never seen anything like it.

I feel like I’m inventing the visual language as I go. There are no expectations, no rules. n

Hoffman Stoneworks, LLC Eugene, OR hoffmanstoneworks@gmail.com www.hoffmanstoneworks.com