Featured Contractor: Christian from Christian Batthany Masonry (CA)

True craftsmanship goes beyond laying stone: it’s about embracing the beauty of natural materials, creating lasting features that bring people together, and building relationships. In Christian Batthany's case, it's also about blending different skill sets and experiences to add a personal touch to every project. Based in the Tahoe-Truckee area of California, Christian owns and leads Christian Batthany Masonry, currently a team of 2--3, bringing landscapes, hardscapes, home designs, construction, and architecture to life.

Project featuring Fitzwilliam Granite by Christian Batthany Masonry (and a view!)

With four years in business, and 14 years of masonry experience, Christian's journey began with studies in horticulture, and landscaping work. He explained that when a client was looking for masonry work, including stone walls, he realized this was what he wanted to do. Christian is continuously learning, and enjoys teaching just as much, which is reflected in his teammates: he values one who has 45+ years worth of expertise, while taking pride in guiding newer masons as they learn the traditional craft. "What I love most is taking time with people to show them exactly how to do it the right way, and help mold them into becoming great masons," he said.

For Christian, masonry has been a creative outlet, and he also enjoys the physical aspect of the work. One of the biggest challenges, he said, is... "the affinity to try and do it all. Finding time for yourself to rest, while maintaining consistency and properly delegating tasks using your team effectively, is the key to a profitable business. The moment you start doing too much is when you will start seeing quality slip." He has adapted a growth mindset--and strongly recommends taking advantage of business coaching, which he does once a week. "You get out what you put in!" he said. 

The same concept applies when working with people, and he said that consistent communication with the team/client/supervisors is number one! "Without expectations being clear or proper check-ins, details can be overlooked or missed. This only takes away from providing everyone with a great experience, which I believe is a pillar to the construction service industry!" Christian said. 

Another angle of the same project, featuring Fitzwilliam Granite by Christian Batthany Masonry

If you follow Christian on social media, you'll notice he's a natural at taking photos and videos, offering an inside view of works-in-progress, and the masonry process itself. He credits that to snowboarding and skateboarding videography with friends--but his skills sure come in "handy" when showcasing his work, as well as his love for it!

When asked what his favorite part of his work is, Christian said, "...the opportunity to create solutions for tedious and meticulous design elements. Being given a challenge is what has attracted me to masonry from an early age, and being able to do it all through an outlet that allows me to express my creativity and passion is a blessing I could never trade." . 

A favorite project of Christian's is a Coursed Veneer project they've been on for the last year, which you can see in all of the photos here. "We've been installing custom Fitzwilliam Granite Full-Bed and Thinstone Veneer. It's been exciting, with lots of challenging design specs: minimal grout joint tolerances, sill-less window details, hidden lintels, etc. All of it has been a great experience, and I am extremely thankful for the opportunity we have had working with this particular General Contractor (Jim Galletto!)"

Finished interior of the same project, featuring Fitzwilliam Granite  (with an acid wash) by Christian Batthany Masonry

He explained what made the Lake View project special was that it's not an aesthetic he sees often, with intricate detail work. "The architect picked out Roughly Squares & Rectangles but we were cutting every single stone and-- thought, there has to be a better way to do this. We worked with JP Acosta [and Delgado Stone Authorized Dealer, The Rock Garden] to get custom materials." While he admits he hasn't seen too much Full-Bed Coarsed Granite in the area (CA) it seems to be a developing trend. 

This project also highlighted the importance of quality products. A poor product can negatively affect production immensely, if the material are inconsistent colors, thickness, fractured, etc it leads to unexpected time sorting through and culling materials in order to produce a quality finished product. "Fitzwilliam is a beautiful, stable material! It's easy to work with, forgiving and easier to chisel than other stones," Christian added.

To learn more, you can contact Christian Batthany Masonry by phone at 607-437-9713, or email them at cbatthanymasonry@gmail.com. You can also visit their website, or find the team transforming spaces on Instagram and Facebook. For more natural stone inspiration, and ways masons like Christian can use it to help you transform your space, download our ebook!