Located within the exclusive Santa Lucia Preserve near Carmel, California, the Estancia Madera estate is a showcase of meticulous stone craftsmanship and thoughtful design by Richard Beard Architects. This project, which began well before the pandemic, highlights the challenges and triumphs of working with natural stone in a demanding luxury home environment. We spoke to the PBM team member, Shannon, that worked tirelessly with the masons, Walton & Sons, and contractor Drew Marin to source and complete this project.
Selecting the Perfect Stone
The vision for the stone was based on a previous high-end project in Atherton; the homeowners saw a residence also designed by Richard Beard Architects in a magazine and fell in love with the stone used there. The core material chosen was a variation of Tundra Cream stone, known for its soft creamy-gray appearance but lacking the richer rust and beige tones that the team wanted. Though the client and the designers loved the Tundra Cream, they wanted to really reflect the natural environment of the preserve.
To achieve the unique coloring, the masonry team had to innovate:
“Everyone knows Tundra Cream doesn’t have those deep reddish tones,” Shannon explained. “We used a different section of the stone block, a rougher portion, to bring out those brown and rusty hues.”
This wasn’t off-the-shelf work; it involved carefully selecting, cutting, and fabricating the stone entirely on site. “Walton & Sons had to do all of that manufacturing and fabricating on site. They probably had three saws at any given time running cutting that stuff,” Shannon said.
The complexity extended beyond the stone veneer to custom-built corners crafted from full ledge material, hand-boarded and cut to produce the sharp, crisp edges visible throughout the home’s interior and exterior. “None of those are veneer corners… they made the corners… they did everything,” they added. This level of detail speaks to the team’s commitment to authenticity
Complementing Stone with Paving
The stonework was complemented by paving materials carefully chosen to enhance the estate’s natural tones. Frontier Tan paving and pool coping was selected from the get-go, matching competitor samples but with better pricing and service, a decisive factor for the client.
A Project of Patience and Precision
The stonework at Estancia Madera, a testament to years of dedicated labor and close collaboration, is still in progress, with materials for secondary buildings like the barn yet to arrive.
“Scott and I spent countless days and hours on phone calls and meetings, refining every detail,” Shannon shared. “The care that went into selecting and fabricating each stone piece is really what sets this project apart.”
Conclusion
Estancia Madera’s masonry stands as a testament to the skill and perseverance required in luxury homebuilding — a blend of artistry, technical expertise, and thoughtful problem-solving. It’s a vivid example of how natural materials, when handled with care, can elevate a residence into a lasting legacy within one of California’s most treasured preserves.
This project was completed with help from the team at the PBM Pacific Grove Showroom and PBM San Martin Yard.
