Testimonials
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Phil & Lynlee
To Luke and all the team at ASR,
Thank you for the fantastic restoration job you did to the front of our house.
It looks brand new, and even the patch of new stone replacement is indistinguishable!
Unlike some experiences we've had with tradespeople, it was a pleasure to have you
all here working for 2 weeks.
You are quality craftsman and great guys!
All the best
Peter Daniel
I found Authentic Stone Restorations (ASR) online whilst searching for someone to help match the exterior of a proposed addition to our stone farm house on Northern Yorke Peninsula.
Director of ASR, Luke Dunbar, called in to the site not long after I initially contacted him and gave us a few ideas on how we could achieve the finish we had in mind. After meeting with several other stonemasons, I decided Luke’s company was the only one who offered anything close to a solution.
Our existing farmhouse was built of solid limestone around 1936 which was sourced from a no-longer existent quarry in our area. Our proposed addition of an open plan living area, kitchen and office had to look like it had been there from the beginning, or we wouldn’t be satisfied. Due to our reactive soils, building the 12x8 metre addition in solid stone would have required cost prohibitive foundations. Luke suggested building out of concrete bricks and then applying a custom cut veneer, pointed to give the appearance of solid stone, without the weight and complexities associated with solid stone construction.
After giving Luke some sample stone sourced from our property and a demolished house, he successfully faced the stone and cut it into a 40 to 50mm thick veneer. It was at this time two of his staff used silicon injection to treat salt damp in several walls in our existing house, another service provided by ASR.
Our builder and bricklayer were very difficult to persuade regarding the stone veneer idea, all in the “too hard basket”. Meanwhile, Luke took everything in his stride and was an exceptional help in sourcing old red bricks for our quoin work, liaising with the builder and bricklayer, sharing a wealth of experience, and encouraging me to hold fast to my vision of a seamless join between old and new. It was through this period Luke gave me the sound advice required to make sure our builder completed the job to my vision. Had he not been there through that difficult period we wouldn’t have ended up with the exceptional finish we admire every time we look at our home.
Luke’s great attitude and experience, along with his polite and very hard working staff, created a finish which we are delighted with. The new stone cladding matches almost perfectly with the existing house, which ASR re pointed and detailed at the same time. Of all the trades who worked on our project, the ASR team were certainly the most efficient and easy to communicate with.
We would certainly recommend Luke and ASR to anyone who is looking for a top quality job done in a timely manner with people who are great to work with.
Leonie Hallo
I'm very glad I chose Authentic Stone and Luke Dunbar to do a substantial stone restoration at the front of my house. Luke was very easy to relate to and he did a fantastic job.
The job was completed within the three weeks quoted and all of the people who worked here were pleasant and polite. The work was done to a very high standard as far as I can assess. Many stones were replaced, and there was complete cleaning and re-pointing of the front façade of my house. Mess was minimized and rubbish was removed.
My family and friends are very impressed with the completed work, and I noticed that someone else in my street now has Authentic Stone working on their house. I'm very happy to recommend Luke and his company.
Jill and Jim
In early March 2012, Authentic Stone Restorations commenced restoration of the stone work to the exterior of our property at Fullarton. The building is of substantial size, built in 1855 with heavily painted and lime washed stone on two sides that were in bad repair.
Within 2 weeks, the ASR team had removed the paint and repointed the stone and coin work around the many windows and door. The team was charming, efficient and highly skilled. Both the speed of the work and the quality were most impressive. In addition, the team performed a good cleanup at the end of the work.
Authentic Stone Restorations receive our highest recommendation.
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