About Us

We are Schist Cladding Specialists, a team from within Architectural Stonemasonry company: Southern Stonemasons Canterbury Ltd.

We work exclusively with Schist in all its applications, utilising seismic resistant solutions on every project with a full satisfaction guarantee.

Our experienced and qualified stonemasons install stone efficiently, correctly and to meet every client's particular needs and wants.

Contact David Packman on 027 272 1145 with any enquiries. He's a qualified Stonemason, Quarryman and member of the board of the New Zealand Stonemasons Association (NZSMA).

Competence.

Qualifications

Our Stonemasons are all rigorously trained in the age old skills of traditional tooling along with safe modern installation methods. Every project is overseen by a foreman with a Level 5 Stonemasonry Qualification. The highest possible standard.

Exceptional Health & Safety

We have an in-house Health and Safety Officer that keeps our team up to date on all aspects of safety and training.

This ensures we stay safe on sites and also maintain our Site Wise Gold Accreditation.

Plant & Stone Processing

In addition to the traditional tools of the trade we run a full stone processing and quarrying yard that enables us to select, break and cut our own stone. This way we get the best raw materials to work with - and save clients money along the way.

Partners

FAQ

Is stonework safe?

Our stonework is incredibly safe due to our fully trained staff adhering to the strictest stonemasonry standards.

We also use an incredibly strong seismic resistant stone-tie that can increase the holding strength of your stonework by up to 400%

Stonework installed correctly before the Christchurch earthquakes did not fail. The only stonework to fail during the seismic events was either on very old buildings with inadequate foundations or on modern homes that had stonework installed by unqualified contractors.
Is stone work cost effective?

The initial cost of stonework places it with the high-end cladding products. However over time the maintenance-free aspect and durability of stonework soon proves itself economically sound.

In 2022 building costs have nearly doubled because of increases in material costs. However the cost of stonework has remained stable due to it being a natural product sourced locally.

It's a beautiful, cost-effective and environmentally friendly option for cladding.
How long will my stonework last?

Modern stonework is the strongest it has ever been with the use of modern stone ties and engineered building substrates.
Todays investment in stonework will become the heritage features of the future lasting hundreds of years.
What cladding system or stone solution should I specify?

We strongly recommend specifying work according to the NZSMA Best Practice Guide and using the systems they've created. Available for download below.