Discover 5 compelling reasons to choose Ōamaru Stone — a unique, sustainable, durable, and cost-effective natural limestone for your next building project.
Every single block of Ōamaru limestone is unique from the next block. Ōamaru stone shows off the history of its origin in the saw marks on each piece and the tiny grains that make up a building block. Never will you see two blocks the same. Never, will two homes be the same.
Oamaru limestone blocks drying at Parkside Quarries
2. Ecologically responsible
Ōamaru stone is natural limestone, as blocks come from the quarry, they are already in their finished form. No energy is needed for further construction or creation, mother nature has done this already. Energy is only used for quarrying and fabricating. When you compare this to other building materials, the energy use is very, very low.
Our quarrying operation is small, simple, and efficient. Any limestone extracted that isn’t used as a building product is ground into track lime or agricultural lime meaning we have no wasted product. There is a complete cycle in our quarrying natural limestone, returning to nature what is not used for permanent products.
3. Custom sizes
There is no limitation to the size and shape of the Ōamaru limestone block we can cut for you. Each piece of natural limestone is quarried in large blocks (1300 x 700 x 1100) and then cut to the desired size. The size can be adapted individually for planning requirements, and any shape at all can be provided. A 5-axis CNC machine on-site at the quarry ensures that we can cut more than squares and rectangles, design possibilities are endless.
4. Like a fine wine
While Ōamaru limestone attains its full elegance with advancing years, it can be cleaned and maintained to keep the same appearance as when it was first laid. Ōamaru stone naturally weathers to a lovely silvery grey. Decades-old Ōamaru stone can be cleaned, brushed, polished, and restored to its original condition if the weathered look is no longer desired. The lifetime of Ōamaru limestone is at least one century, if we look at limestone buildings overseas, with the proper planning and construction, buildings of limestone have survived for many hundreds of years.
5. Attractively priced
When compared to synthetic building products, the cost of Ōamaru stone is attractive. Taking into account the long life and low long-term maintenance costs, over the lifetime of a home, a natural stone like Ōamaru stone offers real value.
