Squam in a few facts
Squam covers about 6,791 acres and is the second largest lake that sits entirely inside New Hampshire. It has around 30 islands. A short channel drains it into Little Squam, and from there the Squam River runs down to the Pemigewasset at Ashland. On Golden Pond was filmed on Squam in 1981.
It is a quieter lake than Winnipesaukee, with more woods on the shore and less traffic on the water. Stone work here follows the lake's lead.
Four towns share the shore
Kevin works in all four, and each town page goes into the roads and houses there.
- Holderness: the biggest town center on Squam, plus Little Squam and the Route 113 shore
- Sandwich: the southwest corner of town, below the Sandwich Range and its old stone walls
- Center Harbor: several miles of Squam frontage, including the Chamberlain-Reynolds Memorial Forest
- Moultonborough: a corner of Squam in the northwest of town, near Red Hill
What Squam asks of stone
On Squam, stone veneer should look like it was always there. Pick stone the color of what is already on the shore: gray granite boulders, brown and rust stained ledge, a little lichen. Keep the joints a shade darker than the stone so the eye goes to the stone, not the mortar.
Squam also has a lot of woods right on the water, from the Chamberlain-Reynolds Memorial Forest in Center Harbor to the trails up the Squam Range above Holderness. A house that shares a shoreline with that much forest looks best when its stone stays quiet.
Access and timing
Squam lots can be hard to reach. Camp roads are narrow and some houses sit well below the spot where you park. In your first message, mention how stone would get from the road to the house, since that shapes both the plan and the price.
Outside work also depends on the weather. Mortar should not freeze while it cures, so exterior veneer in the cold months takes planning or waiting. A stone fireplace inside a heated house is a different story.
Other work around Squam
Beyond veneer, Kevin rebuilds tumbled fieldstone walls, lays flagstone paths to the water, and builds stone steps and patios. He paints Squam camps and houses inside and out as well.
