NATURAL STONE PORTICOS
We are passionate about designing, manufacturing and installing beautiful, natural stone porticos.
You may be looking for a stone portico to embellish your existing building, or it may be part of a completely new facade: we provide the full service from design and selection advice, through to detailed drawings, manufacture and build.
Designs by A F Jones can follow time-honoured classical styles, or we can develop contemporary and very unique styles of portico depending upon your preference and style of home. And for either of these main options we will take care in creating a design that works for the specific conditions at your home or site.
By working closely with your general builder, and where appropriate your architect, we ensure that the process is smooth, resulting in an elegant natural stone portico that truly uplifts and adds value to your home or project.
Stone Porticos
A stone portico is a porch structure that leads to the entrance of a building, comprising a roof structure over front paving, supported by columns, and can be enclosed by ashlar walls.
It is typically located at any key entrance to a property, often the main front door, and can include classic or contemporary detailing according to preferred architectural style.
These are popular as they add elegance and finesse to the entrance of a property.
Choice of Natural Stone
Our porticos are made exclusively from natural stone.
Using natural stone and not cast stone means that your portico will age gracefully (cast stone is essentially a cement-based product, and is not something that has the elegance of natural stone, nor does it age like natural stone).
A natural stone portico will add huge value to your property for centuries and will improve with age.
We offer a range of natural stones (in fact we can make porticos from any natural stone you desire).
The choice will depend upon a mixture of aesthetic, practical and budgetary options. The best route is to talk to us about the best options and visit our workshops to view samples.
Popular options include Portland, Bath, Cadeby, Clipsham, Moleanos or Mocha Creme amongst many others.
TYPES OF STONE PORTICOS
Some of the most popular styles of portico are explained below.
Types of stone porticos
Most portico designs follow classical styles and arrangements that are time-honoured, true to architectural proportions and details, and in harmony with natural stone (block sizes) and stonemasonry craftsmanship. Such designs by A F Jones will include skilled decisions relating to column slenderness, column spacing, architrave geometry, pilasters, cornice configuration, and the classical detailing style.
We recommend that the main columns of the portico are entasised (i.e. ‘tapered’ in the upper 2/3rds using classical parabolic curvature) to give the correct proportions and classical appeal. (Our designs and costs include for this process in manufacture).
The roots of most classical designs stem from Roman and Ancient Greek architecture: and these key styles are Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan or Composite.
Over the years, they have been modified, lengthened, shortened and amended in a number of ways. And they are often embellished with paneling, carved detailing, triglyphs and so forth.
Why choose a stone portico?
A stone portico has the ability to not only transform your home, but also significantly improve the desirability and curb appeal.
Natural stone porticos and facades are features that have become extremely popular with many homeowners as they are one of the easiest ways of adding financial value to a property.
They can be part of a new build project, or as an enhancement of an existing property to add style and grace, and have been and are likely to be desirable for many decades/centuries to come.
Stone portico design and build
Our designs are built up from our library of elements which can be selected according to the overall style & geometry requirements, combined with your preferences and input. The styles described all have their own set of pros, cons and price points. We will guide you on this journey to create a design that suits you.
We are independent of any quarry/suppliers, so we provide impartial advice and guidance.
Whether you want a portico with or without pilasters, with two columns or four, we are able to cater to all styles and preferences.
All of our portico designs can be complemented by steps, thresholds or enclosing ashlar to enhance your property even further.
State-of-the-art manufacturing
All of the porticos we produce are manufactured and designed at our state-of-the-art facilities in the heart of Oxfordshire.
Having these facilities enables us to deliver high-quality work, to meet the timescales required.
We are experts at construction logistics for stonemasonry projects.
From site planning & project management, to deliveries and sequencing, to lifting and Health & Safety: let us integrate with your construction team to plan and deliver your stone project.
Stone Construction Experts
Call or email us today for more details.
Realise your project, guided by our architectural stonemasonry experts.
