The Wow Factor

When Jim and Diane Tarulli moved into their Tudor-style home several years ago, they were faced with some updates that were required to maintain the homes distinctive character. A recent custom conservatory made them think about the adjacent outdoor living space.

“With beautiful views of our neighborhood golf course, it was almost a shame that we didn’t use our outdoor area more,” said Jim. “And besides, it really wasn’t configured properly for useful entertaining.”

Jim and Diane were particularly fond of natural stone, even though his home had man-made cultured stone accents. “Building a new conservatory and trying to match an exterior stone that was man-made was quite difficult and visually unappealing,” said Diane.

Jim began to pay more attention to other structures in the area that were made of natural stone. “I noticed one stone contractor that was doing work at the entrance to our community,” said Jim. “For two weeks straight, this company was there day in and day out, and the quality of their work was stunning. In my neighborhood, where there is a good bit of remodeling, you begin to hear stories of unreliable contractors, so you notice the firms that do repeat business. I stopped one day to get more information and it was one of the best things I’ve ever done for my home.”

Stoneworks Design Group was the firm that was doing the stone work at the entrance of the golf neighborhood. Matt Ward is their president.

Matt is the kind of person, who you instantly like. There is a calm but firm underpinning of his personality, that when combined with true craftsmanship and high moral values, results in a wonderful experience for his customers.

“I take enormous pride in my work,” said Matt, “and there are core values that my company operates by—high quality, attention to detail, God-given stone masonry skills, reasonable prices and fundamentally doing what we say we will do.”

For the Tarulli’s, these things manifested themselves in an absolutely beautiful outdoor living space.

Just steps away from the kitchen and new conservatory is a multi-level patio featuring abundant perimeter seating, an outdoor kitchen with bar / serving area, outdoor lighting, built-in planter beds and a stunning 15-foot-tall fireplace.

“The focal point of this space is clearly the fireplace,” said Diane. “In just under three weeks, we have extended our living space for year-round benefit for our entire family.” Jim added, “We are amazed at the overall execution from start to finish, the end result and the responsiveness of Matt’s entire production team. I have total trust in Matt’s skills and craftsmanship. In fact, we have hired him to replace the cultured stone on the rest of the house.”u

Stoneworks Design Group can be reached by calling 704-821-9141 or visit them online at www.stoneworksgroup.com. Stoneworks would like to thank NiteLites of Charlotte, Blue Max Building Materials, Barbeques Galore, Rinaldi Landscaping and Griffin Painting, for their help on the project.