Overview

Is masonry a trade, a craft, or an art? After our conversation with Matthew Nunn, we’re firmly in the camp that it’s a blend of all three. Matt is a natural stone mason with over a decade of experience as a landscaper, hardscaper, and stone mason based in the New England area. Everyday he works with the locally-sourced stone to craft walls, stairs, paths, and outdoor environments that pay tribute to those built hundreds (sometimes even thousands) of years ago. On this episode, Matt and Bucket Talk host, Jeremy Perkins, discuss the old-school masonry trade, the process of building a moon gate, whether the Egyptian pyramids were built by aliens, and so much more. You don’t need a time machine or a history book for this episode, but we’re going to be diving into an ancient trade with centuries of backstory so buckle up.

About

From the Roman colosseum to the Egyptian pyramids to the Mayan temples, Matthew Nunn looks to the ancient stone masters for his everyday inspiration. As a natural stone mason based in New England, Matt uses old-school techniques to craft walls, stairs, paths, and outdoor environments out of locally sourced stone found in nearby farms and forests. He got his start in the trade after deciding to leave college after two years as a history major. Matt wanted to build something of his own, and he was heavily influenced by what he was learning in class and the historic dry stone walls he grew up around in Connecticut. To him, masonry is both an everyday trade and a dying art—it’s being seen as a luxury instead of necessity—so it takes a sharp eye for detail and a dedication to the traditional craft in order to keep it going in today’s society. Lucky for all of us, we’ve got guys like Matt.