Stonework for estates and gardens
—owner, Raleigh meditation garden
—owner, Durham garden patio
Stonefruit specializes in walls, pathways, patios, and custom installations. We build with flagstone, wall stone, brick, and veneer. We have projects in Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and beyond.
Led by stonemason Emily Shepherd, Stonefruit builds enduring stonework for estates and gardens. Our work includes elegant pathways, flagstone patios, boulder installations, natural stone veneer, and dry-stack retaining walls.
Built on tradition
Stonefruit’s work is grounded in study, observation, and practice. Under the mentorship of master mason Brooks Burleson, Emily refined her understanding of structure, balance, and the dialogue between stone and setting. Their work together has included large-format projects such as a dry stack retaining wall in Hillsborough and a reclaimed millstone patio at Duke Gardens, both built with the precision and care that define this tradition.
Featured work
Duke Gardens-Style Patio
Each massive stone in this 350-square-foot patio was hand-fit without mortar, a detailed geometric puzzle of flagstone and boulder designed to create seamless joints and lasting strength.
Elliptical Patio and Retaining Wall
To level a sloped yard, we built a retaining wall and matching patio designed around two symmetrical ellipses. The curved brickwork follows the natural topography, blending structure with landscape, and showcasing precise, custom stone and brick detailing.
Meditation Garden
This project features a pathway that shifts from order to organic form, blending function, symbolism, and design. Distinct gravel textures meet and merge, framed by brick edging that intentionally fades, as if time itself is softening its boundaries. Subtle details, like scattered bricks and a small patio beneath the bird feeders, turn the space into both a meditative walk and a living installation within the landscape.
Boulder Installation
Boulder placement is part art, part geology. Each stone has a natural grain, and setting it well means reading those lines, angles, and layers until the arrangement feels inevitable. These installations are buried partly below ground and oriented to the landscape, balancing peaks, rhythm, and shadow, so the boulders appear not added, but uncovered.
Flagstone Pathway with Brick Edging
We replaced a sloped concrete walk with a flagstone and brick pathway that extends to the street, and directs water away from the foundation. The new design adds curb appeal and drainage improvement, featuring a custom step with a hand-cut brick leaf pattern.
Reclaimed Brick Pathway
A new life for 300 salvaged chimney bricks. We adapted a homeowner’s original idea to develop this path for functional drainage and stability, resulting in a durable walkway that stays clean and easy to navigate.
Contact
stonefruitconstructionco@gmail.com
(913) 907-6077
