For a quick and affordable touch of high-end appeal, Custom Stone House can add stone to a fireplace, create an accent wall, or do a foundation wrap

By Laura Briedis

When hanging strands of garland and dressing up your fireplace mantel with other holiday decorations this year, imagine something more permanent that will add the wow factor year-round—a fireplace makeover.

“Your fireplace is really the showpiece inside your home, and it does not cost nearly as much as other remodeling projects to revitalize,” says Ronnie Stout, owner of Custom Stone House. “A fireplace adds extra warmth during the cooler months, creates a stunning design focal point and increases your home’s value—making it the perfect home renovation project.”

Nowadays, there are so many ways to update your fireplace, including floor-to-ceiling stonework using modern dry stack stone, ledgestone or fieldstone.

Specializing in fireplace makeovers, Custom Stone House offers everything in-house, from helping you design the stonework to manufacturing the stone and installing it.

“We also can install barn beam mantels over the stone that are hand-hewn by Amish craftsmen and can be stained in any color,” says Ronnie.

If you have an outdated fireplace, or just want a new look, and are considering whether to paint it, rip it out or cover it, Custom Stone House can take your fireplace from drab to fab and install a new one in just a couple of days.

“When renovating your fireplace, we offer many stone styles and custom color choices,” notes Ronnie. “And your original fireplace does not always have to be removed. Often we can install stone over old brick.”

In addition to fireplaces, stone also can add an architectural design element to a kitchen counter facade or serve as an accent wall in any room.

“We use stone to set the mood in a room to reflect a client’s personality,” says Ronnie. “We install a lot of accent walls in basement bars and also in family rooms that don’t have a fireplace to create a mood, rather than just having painted drywall.”

Custom Stone House has a showroom in Medina with sample boards featuring a palette of 40 colors that offer design inspiration as a starting point. Then the staff helps you narrow down your color choices and customize them to your preferences. Since Custom Stone House manufactures its own stone in a 7,200-square-foot plant in Lodi, it can make an almost limitless array of colors.

“By manufacturing our own stone, customers can customize their stonework instead of picking from stock colors,” says Ronnie.

In addition to thousands of color options, there are a number of different stone styles that can be manufactured—from Roman quarry to stacked stone to limestone.

When Ronnie started the company in 2015, he wanted to offer an affordable option for homeowners by cutting out the middleman. “We have wholesale prices, so rather than going through a supply store you get a better price directly from us,” he says.

Stone also is a popular option for your home’s exterior. Ronnie says they work year-round installing stone exteriors, foundation wraps and yard hardscapes—even during the winter months.

Custom Stone House is located at 107 N. Court Street in Medina. Hours are by appointment, Monday through Saturday. For a free in-home estimate, call 330-635-2319 or visit CustomStoneHouse.com.