Poetry In Stone

Description of Work: Stone and patio work.

Description of Work: They do not do the type of work that we decided upon, but we're very helpful and considerate. When we do another stage in our long term plan we will definitely be contacting them!

Description of Work: Heavy slate and mortar patio within courtyard of 1909 Irvington home

Description of Work: I bought my house in 2002. It's a 1927 bungalow style, but it had a fireplace that had been done sometime in the '50s or '60s with that ugly pink brick with gold flecks in it. The only nice thing about it was the wood stove insert with a neat Mt. St. Helen's design on the doors. I decided to re-do the entire wall with built-in cabinets and a new fireplace facade. Dimensions are just under 5' x 5'. The hearth height is at about 1.5 feet tall. Matt covered the fireplace with a new veneer made out of Bitterroot stone. It was cut in a square and rectangular pattern. Grout chosen was black. The stone was placed very nice and even with about half-inch spacing between stones. Various areas were cut out to look like cracks in the stone, and assorted metal gears and cogs were placed behind it. He also replaced the boring flat steel shroud with a hammered metal and riveted one that he created completely from scratch. He also made matching metal and riveted guards on both edges of the hearth. It even has a beautiful bronze tile with his Medusa company logo in relief on the top! Fantastic! I wish I could share some photos. Words do not do it justice.

Description of Work: Poetry in Stone created two stone pathways for the front of my house. Matt helped me make decisions with color selection, type of rock, and layout of the paths. After hand picking all the stones, Matt cleared topsoil and measured out the pathways taking into consideration the depth and slope of the natural area. Matt cut no corners. He did the project right by compacting a bottom layer of gravel to stabilize the ground and create a level surface. All the mortar was dyed to the color of my choice and mixed on site. Matt consulted with me about the layout of the stones and how they should fit together to create interesting patterns. Matt hand cut each stone to piece together the pathway and spent time making sure that the joints fit just right. He also added two columnar basalt columns to either side of the front path. His sense of space, line and color is a major reason my paths are so cool!

Description of Work: Matt Goddard is the BEST and the name "Poetry in Stone" says it all: he's an artist as well as a craftsman and if you tour his website you'll get the idea. You can't go wrong if you hire Matt for stone work of any kind -- patios, walls, staircases, fireplaces and beyond. Matt provided excellent design ideas and superb workmanship for a set of granite steps and a landing in my front yard. It has become the showcase piece of the house. As well as being a pleasure to work with (on time, upbeat, energetic, communicative) he is an experienced master stone mason who knows his materials and his craft inside and out. He is well respected among the stone masons in the Portland area and beyond. I have seen his work first hand at a number of Portland sites over 12 years and cannot recommend him highly enough. Will Hornyak Milwaukie, Oregon

Description of Work: Go from bare ground to beautiful flagstone patio. Phase one. The Consultation : Matt came to my home and for a small fee drew plans and rough sketches of the project. Matt and my wife worked together until they both agreed on an approximate look for the finished project. Phase 2 The Contract: Matt is a super detailed contractor and thus the contract seemed a little overwhelming at first, however, he explained every line and detail. He made us feel that we were working with a real professional . Work begins: On warm day in mid Sept. two large drop boxes appeared in our driveway (we knew they were coming). Matt and his assissant began filling those boxes with soil and debris taken from our backyard. It seemed almost overnight there was a shape to our new patio. Next was delivery and installation of many yards of gravel. Next four inches of concrete was poured over the gravel and broom finished. Our patio now looked like all other concrete patios I had seen. Matt informed me the serious work was yet to begin. The arrival of the flagstone. Specially ordered from Oklahoma ! Also some antique reclaimed granite cobblestones. The pieces were large, and were hand cut into unique shapes just for our patio. The installation of the flagstone took about a month. The finished patio: We are now the owners of a work of art! My wife is so happy , and I'm impressed with the skill and artistic ability shown by Matt and his assisstant. .