Limestone facades, natural stone accents, architectural features — premium stone installation that elevates any home's character and holds up through Chicago winters.
Natural stone and limestone carry real weight — literally. A facade this heavy either transfers its load correctly to the structure behind it, or it eventually doesn't. There's no partial credit on a stone estate.
Of stone tonnage engineered to a verified load path
Visible mortar staining tolerated on finished stone
Setting limestone and natural stone in Chicago winters
Every stone facade starts with the math: shelf angles, relieving lintels, and anchor spacing sized to the actual weight of the stone specified — verified before the first piece goes up, not adjusted after something moves.
Porous limestone stains permanently from the wrong cement. We spec non-staining, low-alkali mortar by stone type and control the batch so color reads identical across an entire elevation, corner to corner.
Stone holds and moves moisture differently than brick. We build the through-wall flashing, weep spacing, and cavity depth around that fact, so the wall behind the stone stays dry through every freeze-thaw cycle.
The mason who scribes a stone to fit is the one who sets it. Nothing gets chipped in transit between a cutting sub and a setting crew, because on our jobs there isn't a handoff — there's one crew, start to finish.
From shelf-angle load math to final sealing — the sequence our crew follows on every Chicagoland stone build.
We size shelf angles and anchor spacing to the exact weight of the stone specified, confirmed with your structural engineer before ordering.
A load path that is only estimated, not calculated, is how a heavy stone facade eventually shifts.
Stone for your project is pulled from a single vetted batch, and we inspect color and cut consistency before it reaches your site.
Natural stone shifts color between quarry runs. Catching a mismatch in the yard is free; on the wall it costs.
Through-wall flashing, weep spacing, and cavity depth are built specifically for how stone sheds moisture, not copied from a brick detail.
Stone drains differently than brick behind the face, and the wrong cavity hides damage for years.
Every section is dry-laid first for your approval on pattern and joint width, then our in-house crew sets it permanently in matched mortar.
Approving the layout before mortar goes down keeps custom coursing looking deliberate, not accidental.
We apply a penetrating sealer suited to your stone, then walk the finished facade with you and your builder before closing out the job.
The right sealer is what lets limestone handle Chicagoland winters for decades without staining.
Limestone and natural stone leave no room to hide a mistake. One in-house crew handles the load math, the cutting, and the setting — start to finish.
We build the CMU load-bearing core ourselves, so we know exactly how to anchor heavy limestone and natural stone back to it — not guess at someone else's substrate.
Sweeping arches, carved keystones, limestone window surrounds — the details that separate a stone estate from a stone veneer job. This is where our crew does its best work.
Stone work takes an artist's eye and an engineer's discipline. We never sub this out — every artisan setting your stone is a trained, insured AMS employee.
A long-standing family business, not a franchise. GCs hand us their most expensive stone estate builds because we don't miss on the finish that everyone sees first.
Homeowners commissioning a stone facade have usually been planning it for years — they know what they want it to feel like. Builders and architects need the load math to hold up and the schedule to hold too. Our mission is delivering both without either side compromising on the other.
Limestone weathers slowly and honestly if it's set right — sealed correctly, drained correctly, anchored to a load path that was actually calculated. We choose materials and methods for how the facade holds up against a Chicago winter decades from now, not just for the day the scaffolding comes down.
"We spec stone for the freeze-thaw cycle it hasn't survived yet, not the photos we'll take next week."
Chicago winters destroy unsealed or improperly installed stone.
Find the right stone for your home's architecture — in 3 minutes. Free.
Answer a few questions about your home's architecture and we'll match it to the stone species, cut, and pattern that actually belong on it.
"The selector recommended Indiana limestone for our Tudor-style home. AMS installed it — every person who visits asks who did the stone work."
— Sandra K., Winnetka homeowner
Stone recommendations are based on common Chicagoland home styles and climatic requirements (2026). Your free on-site estimate from AMS may vary based on actual substrate, structural capacity, and local material availability.
Explore our portfolio of breathtaking natural stone and limestone facades, defining the exterior of Chicagoland's most exclusive custom homes.
The cornerstone of luxury residential architecture.
Stone is priced by species, cut, and coverage — a fireplace surround and a full limestone elevation aren't the same conversation. Here's the range to plan around before we walk your site.
Stone type and sourcing significantly affect pricing. On-site estimate is the only accurate number. Book yours here.
Every stone project receives a free written estimate — material specifications, sourcing plan, and timeline in writing — before any work begins. No surprises.
"Our architect specced Indiana limestone for the facade, and AMS matched every joint width to the drawings without a single revision."
Patricia Wexler
Kenilworth, IL · North Shore
Slide to see the bare elevation give way to dry-laid limestone.
Every stone gets set to the architect's plan, anchored to a verified load path, and jointed to spec. If any piece falls short, we correct it before we call the job finished.
What builders, architects, and homeowners ask us before committing to natural stone or limestone.
New brick walls, additions, and facades — precision-laid for residential and commercial projects.
Full-scope masonry for custom home builds — brick, stone, limestone, fireplaces, and chimneys.
Custom chimney construction and fireplace masonry — built to code and built to last.
