c/bricklayers

Hot take: Mixing mortar by hand gave me a new view on modern batching

Had to do a small repair job without a mixer last week. Swinging the hoe in the tub brought back memories of my early days on sites. The consistency was way more controlled, even if it took longer. Made me think we lose touch with the material when machines do all the work.

I traced the creek's algae bloom to our mortar washout

Recently, I was on a job site next to a small creek. We washed out our mixers and tools, letting the dirty water soak into the ground. Soon after, the creek was covered in thick green algae. A local environmental guy told me the lime in mortar adds phosphorus to water, causing algae blooms that kill fish. Now, I use a containment pit to catch all the washwater and let it settle before disposal. It takes a little extra time, but it stops the pollution. We all need to adopt this practice to protect our waterways. Ignoring this could lead to fines and harm our environment.

Rant: Hauling away reusable bricks because the specs demand new

The architect's plans called for virgin materials, no exceptions. It kills me to see perfectly good brick end up in a landfill.

My outlet install fiasco and the line level wake-up call

Honestly, I figured I could lay bricks straight without a line level for every course to save time. Tbh, I was overconfident. Last month, adding an outdoor outlet to a repaired brick wall, the rows seemed fine, but drilling for the conduit showed they were off. The outlet box wouldn't sit flush because the bricks weren't level. I had to redo a part, which was a big hassle. Since that job, I make sure to use a line level, even for simple jobs. Seeing the trouble it caused drove the point home.

My dad had me mixing mortar at 10, now I'm debating with my wife about our son.

Growing up, my dad got me started on bricklaying jobs early. I think it taught me discipline and a solid trade. But my wife says we should let our kid choose his own path without pushing him into it. Where do you stand on bringing family into the business? I'd love to hear your stories.

Appreciation post: After a full day on a hot site, my beat-up trowel gave me the cleanest joints yet.

Chased a squirrel through three yards after it nabbed my favorite trowel