I remember hearing about the quarry workers from the 1800s around here using symbols to mark stone grades. The idea that those are in your cellar walls now is blowing my mind. I once went down a rabbit hole on old builder codes after finding weird scratches in my attic. Definitely get in touch with the local history museum, they eat this stuff up. Could be a real piece of hidden history right under your feet.

Wow, I get like this with unresolved work problems too, just chewing over details all night.

Honestly, cutting corners for friends just sets them up for costly fixes down the road.