Three kinds of Gilford homes
Gilford has Winnipesaukee frontage on one side, a mountain with a ski area on the other, and an old village in between. The right stone is different for each.
- Glendale and Governors Island: lake homes where the foundation faces the water
- Gunstock and the Belknap Range: hillside homes with exposed foundations and room for a big fireplace
- Gilford Village: older houses where new stone has to sit next to old
Fireplaces for mountain houses
Belknap Mountain, at 2,384 feet, is the highest point in Gilford and in Belknap County, and Gunstock Mountain sits right beside it. A house near a ski area gets used in winter, and that is when a stone fireplace wall earns its place.
Kevin builds natural stone fireplace surrounds and hearth walls inside the home, setting the stone on a block or concrete backing like the fireplace in progress pictured on this page. Cut granite gives a squared, solid look. Rounded fieldstone feels more like a camp. Either way the stone is real and set by hand.
Glendale and the shore along Route 11
Glendale is Gilford's lakeside village, and Route 11 runs the shore past Sanders Bay and Ellacoya. Governors Island, one of the five biggest islands on Winnipesaukee, is part of Gilford too.
On a lake home here, the wall facing the water takes the wind and gets the most attention. Veneer on that side has to be set with the flashing and drainage done right, or ice will find the weak spot.
New stone next to old in Gilford Village
Gilford Village still has its 1834 Union Meetinghouse, the Benjamin Rowe House from about 1838 and the John J. Morrill General Store from 1857. When veneer goes on an addition or a new foundation near an older house, the work is picking stone that does not look brand new beside the old. Weathered faces and a darker joint color go a long way.
Water coming off the mountain
The Gunstock River drains much of Gilford down to the lake. On a hillside lot, snowmelt and rain run toward the house, and the bottom of a veneer wall is where that water shows up first. Kevin sets the lowest stones up off the grade and leaves water a clear exit, which matters more on a slope than on flat ground.
Those same slopes are why Gilford jobs sometimes grow into a retaining wall, a flagstone walk or a run of stone steps up from the driveway. Patios and interior or exterior painting are on the list as well.
