A passion project gives you satisfaction and happiness. Large or small, it provides great satisfaction in both the eye of the beholder and the person completing the project. A mason by trade as well as a project manager at Douglas Landscape Construction, Chris Peeters' most recent passion project truly shows off his love of masonry and stone. Limestone has been used for carving by French masons for centuries and this has long been a favorite of Chris'. When he first approache

(and How to Do It Right) Walk into a Bay Area design firm right now and you'll probably spot a sample on the table that wasn't there five years ago. It's a piece of natural stone, usually warm and tactile, sometimes cool and grey, and often headed for a fireplace. Designers and architects from Palo Alto to Tiburon have quietly stopped reaching for painted brick and tile-look-everything. They want materials with more texture, weight, and character. We see the same shift from

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 M