A Grand Entrance, Built from a Single Image
Our client had seen a portico in a magazine and knew immediately that he wanted one. There was no architect's drawing, no detailed specification: just a clear vision of what the entrance to his home should feel like, and a straightforward instruction to make it happen. Coulon Stone produced the drawings, handled all structural detailing and fabrication, and delivered and installed the finished piece.
The Material
Semi Rijo limestone, imported from Portugal, was selected for its warm, refined character and its ability to take a clean, precise edge. Cut and polished in-house at the Coulon Stone workshop, it gives the portico the weight and quality the design demands.
The Design
Four freestanding limestone columns support a full entablature, complete with L-shaped coping stones that wrap the structure cleanly at the top. The copings conceal a hidden steel fixing system entirely from view; secret bolted fixings pass through the stone into the frame behind, with just enough clearance for a spanner to tighten them. There are no visible fixings anywhere on the finished piece. The result is a structure that reads as solid, sculpted stone from every angle.
The Challenge
The installation sequence was the critical challenge. The four columns had to be positioned and left freestanding while the steel frame above was manoeuvred into place, bolted into the column tops, and fixed back into the building facade. Only once the frame was fully secured could the coping stones be hung and the hidden fixings tightened. Every stage depended on the one before it, with no margin for adjustment once the stonework was in position.
The Result
The finished portico is a striking addition to the property: visible from the garden, and immediately establishing a sense of arrival that the plain facade previously lacked. The columns and entablature give the entrance the grandeur the client had in mind, creating a sheltered, ceremonial threshold that sets the tone for the house beyond.
From the client's initial instruction to installation complete, the full project took 12 weeks
