HOMES & CONSTRUCTION

The use of stones in construction dates back to as early as man started inhabiting Earth. The caves in which early man lived is one way of using stones in your house. This shows that man has always looked at stones as a material he can rely on to get shelter.

In the present-day, stone is used in an unlimited number of ways in the world. 

According to architect Abdu-Wahab Nyanzi, it should be noted that stone is basically used in two major ways; structural stone work and ornamental stone work.

"If you would like to have stone as part of your house or interior, talk to your architect and together explore options available on its use. If not carefully worked out, a piece of stone work can destroy a great work of architecture," he cautions.

The use of stone also brings a special quality to the space.

Stone can be used to pull nature into the house, to tone down the monotony of paints on walls and to diversify floor finishes in the house.

David Kireli, a civil engineer at education ministry, says stones add beauty to any property but the most attractive walls are built with a variety of sizes and shapes.

Stones are used to build items on the house like walls, floors or columns. It is then left exposed to complement the aesthetics with its features of texture and form.

Nyanzi says in some parts of mountainous Uganda, rocks are still cut rudimentarily for this purpose. This kind of stone work was very common in early architecture where specialist stone cutters shaped rocks for construction.

Prices

Isam Matovu, who deals in and sells stones in Kyanja, says people like stones because they add beauty to a house and also because stones make the building stronger.

If you are to buy stones for finishing your house, a small truck like ELF costs sh350,000 but you have to hire stone cutting machine because different shapes go for different sizes.

Matovu says he sells one square metre of stone-cutting between sh35,000 to sh40,000. But he says the smaller the units, the higher the price because of the cutting expenses.

The most expensive stone type is random rubble, which costs sh130,000 per square metre. This type is used for decorations like in the living rooms, restaurants and some people use it in bars on the counters.

Tips for using stones

When you use stones it is one way to decorate your property beautifully.

Stones can also provide privacy to your home.

Today, a lot of stone is used as a finish applied on top of the structure. Due to advancement in technology, stone scan can now be cut and polished to suit a variety of finishes.

Even with this, in some cases stones look grand when used in their natural form.