Building A Block Wall

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
  • If you would like to know the cost of this block wall please visit our Patreon page bit.ly/ecpatreon
    There is something mesmerizing about watching a mason build a block wall. There is something about the way they lay that mud on the block, and how smooth and natural they make it happen. Masonry is a classic example of something that looks a lot easier than it actually is. The weight of the blocks, the task of balancing mud on the trowel, and the mandatory precision make this is a really challenging trade - at least if you want to do it at a high level. The good news is that the process is simple and if you have some time and patience, anyone can learn it and make a nice product. I would recommend starting on a smaller size job though!
    In this video we cover the entire process of building a block wall. This project starts at the footing excavation and rebar placement, and finishes with grouting the new 8ft tall, 1350 ft long wall.
    These masons did a great job on this wall, and we are quite pleased. On any job of this size there will be some speed bumps, but this crew handled everything with professionalism and mutual respect.
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ความคิดเห็น • 1.8K

  • @johnthomas5166
    @johnthomas5166 4 ปีที่แล้ว +29

    When I was a VERY young man I worked as a mason laborer for three days in the Florida summer sun. Just three days. That was the hardest work I have EVER done. The crew would lay two complete houses in one day. I never went to sleep so fast when I got home in all my life. Those guys earn every penny.

    • @funfun2042
      @funfun2042 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      th-cam.com/video/lyk50gFS2rY/w-d-xo.html

  • @elliottdiedrich2123
    @elliottdiedrich2123 3 ปีที่แล้ว +617

    Bricklaying runs in my family. My dad was a bricklayer and he said, "Son, do not become a bricklayer. All bricklayers are alcoholics." But then I became an alcoholic so I thought that I may as well be a bricklayer.

    • @niphotwala188
      @niphotwala188 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Haha😂

    • @funfun2042
      @funfun2042 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      th-cam.com/video/lyk50gFS2rY/w-d-xo.html

    • @donedeal725
      @donedeal725 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Hahahahaha
      Thanks for the laugh, lol

    • @bignig9548
      @bignig9548 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      LMAOO

    • @anntoosweet67
      @anntoosweet67 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      🤣🤣

  • @81MrKMan
    @81MrKMan 6 ปีที่แล้ว +43

    My grandfather was a commercial mason with his own company, my dad was a commercial mason with his own company, and I spent my time from young to before becoming an engineer as a brick/block laborer and mason for my dad. I named my son Mason because of it. Like my late grandfather and father I miss it. Anytime I do a little mason work for myself or see it done it reminds me of my life back then and my father and grandfather. Peace to you.

    • @Surf62
      @Surf62 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Great message

    • @29kaushik
      @29kaushik 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Can you please tell me how the embed plates for steel beam connetion are installed in to the CMU wall on site

    • @MasterCivilEngineering
      @MasterCivilEngineering 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Nice dear learn more here

    • @funfun2042
      @funfun2042 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      th-cam.com/video/lyk50gFS2rY/w-d-xo.html

  • @generalesdeath8180
    @generalesdeath8180 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    Those boys did great work! I live in Florida where EVERYTHING is built using CMU or tilt up concrete walls and I can't even count the number of jobsites I've been on with block masons. You can always tell a good crew by the way they work together. It's like a swarm of bees, if you don't know what you're looking at (or for) it just looks like a chaotic jumble, but if you sit there a little while and really watch you start to see the intricate ways in which everything works. Each man has his one specific job that he repeats hundreds of times a day which adds to what the next man is doing and so on and so forth until you've got 2-3 dozen guys going all at once and it seems like the work appears fully built 4' at a time. You can also tell a good block mason by his rhythm, they get into a groove and there's almost a grace to their movements. Love your stuff E.C., I've watched this stuff being done countless times but it was still entertaining and enlightening watching this video.

  • @ToroMoto
    @ToroMoto 5 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    As a structural engineer, I love watching your videos! Thanks for taking the time to make these.

    • @daCubanaqt
      @daCubanaqt ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I am a structural engineer as well and I appreciate that someone actually mentioned a geotechnical and structural engineer in their masonry block video. I’ve watched so many videos where neither is mentioned. Very scary because they give DIYers the wrong impression. One thing that he said I would correct, the overturning capacity of the foundation wall does not just come from the footing. The weight of the wall, footing, and any structure on top of it will contribute gravity weight to the overturning capacity of the wall. The reinforcement also contributes to the bending capacity of the wall. Concrete is weak in tension and strong in compression. ACI code requires 3” clear from soil to the rebar so that is a must. Anyway, I will get off my structural horse 😊

  • @christopherfitch7705
    @christopherfitch7705 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Wow the trowel handling skills of this guy in the last couple minutes he is so fast and smooth

  • @tyrael64
    @tyrael64 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Man, watching those guys set those blocks up was super satisfying. I especially liked the slick way they put the mortar on, and the last block fitting just right.
    Really glad I found this channel, really gives a greater appreciation for the effort and ingenuity that goes into the buildings and structures around us. I always love seeing what you guys produce!

    • @funfun2042
      @funfun2042 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      th-cam.com/video/lyk50gFS2rY/w-d-xo.html

  • @AppalachianLife
    @AppalachianLife 6 ปีที่แล้ว +68

    My dad is a retired 75 year old Marine (Vietnam) and later master mason. He was the best around laying brick, block and stone. I remember him spit shining his Red Wing work boots. His hands are now rough as brick and his back and knees are shot. As I sit hear at my cushy IT job watching this video, I'm reminded of all those years my dad worked his butt off to provide for my mother, brothers and me.

    • @kevincecchini368
      @kevincecchini368 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Awesome. Nice thing about redwing boots is that they oil them for no additional cost. I now have an office job. When I get bored, I go on a walk and search for masons laying brick and block, watch them work and remember why I no longer miss it. The pain after each day, the dust, the sweat. I miss the work, the team work, the strength I use to have. masonry is great, however, it chews one up and spits em out.

    • @JeffMTX
      @JeffMTX 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      GET BACK TO WORK HARRIS lol THEM PORTS OPEN YET?

    • @bigE35094
      @bigE35094 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      USMC 92-96 . I SPIT SHINE MY WORK BOOTS WHEN I FIRST GET THEM...BUT I DO POLISH MY BOOTS EVERY DAY....THEY LAST ALOT LONGER ....SEMPER FI.

    • @fraudsarentfriends4717
      @fraudsarentfriends4717 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Masonry pays better than 90% of IT jobs and doesn't become Obsolete with the next generation of computers.

  • @tommmarree3689
    @tommmarree3689 6 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    ANY DAY that I get a 20 MINUTE lesson from the ESSENTIAL CRAFTSMAN is a banner day!!!!!! Goodness gracious I LOVE this channel !!!

  • @michaelmccarthy4615
    @michaelmccarthy4615 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I just had a 378 foot block wall built for me. I love the new privacy. Though they aren't cheap by any stretch

  • @jwwilliams
    @jwwilliams 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Very interesting. I had no idea building a block wall so complicated.

    • @donworryboutit8455
      @donworryboutit8455 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      I wish all my customers that think i overcharged them thought like this 😆

  • @swatisquantum
    @swatisquantum 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is beautiful to me. Creating private spaces is a beautiful communion with nature.

  • @outbackeddie
    @outbackeddie 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great video. I had no idea that so much engineering went into these walls.

  • @jackriley5974
    @jackriley5974 ปีที่แล้ว

    Before my father started his masonry company he worked the line for others. Before he went to work he would tape the ends of his fingers in hopes of reducing the damage caused by the blocks. Back then the blocks were made with slag and called cinder block. They were rougher than todays concrete blocks. On returning home after a hard days work we would often help him remove the tape which had worn through enough to cause painful "strawberries" if not open bloody wounds. A few years later he was one of the largest mason contractors in the area and hired as many as 80 mechanics and laborers. Still it's a hard row to hoe!!

  • @jsimmonsd
    @jsimmonsd ปีที่แล้ว

    This guy knows his @#$%. He is like the old guys from the 50's but without the grumpy "I walked 12 miles in the snow" sink or swim attitude. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

  • @deelanders6132
    @deelanders6132 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    3:45 am and this is what I'm glued to. Part of my brain says I need sleep. Other part says keep watching. I've never laid a stone or brick in my life. This video is amazing.

  • @juanflores5402
    @juanflores5402 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Así de chingones somos los mexicanos. No necesitamos de tanta tecnología para construir!!!

  • @logicalblueberry
    @logicalblueberry 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    We have a 350 ft. chain link fence at the back of our property. Our neighbors behind us have a couple of annoying yappy dogs that bark whenever they see us in our yard. I would love to build a nice solid wall to block their view. I came here to find out if a DIY was possible.
    I appreciate the detailed explanation of what is involved in constructing such a wall. It looks like it would be beyond the skills of the average homeowner like me. Those guys make it look easy but I know better. Building the footing looks challenging. Applying the right amount of mortar probably requires months, if not years of practice. I can just see myself measuring each mortar joint, removing the block, trying to add or take away a little mortar maybe five or ten times on each block and finding that the wall is not level in spite of my painstaking efforts. We can't afford to hire professionals so I guess we're stuck with our neighbors' dogs barking at us:(

  • @hitthebricksllc9365
    @hitthebricksllc9365 ปีที่แล้ว

    My way came the untraditional I didn't go to school to become a bricklayer but it's the best thing I've ever done outside having kids

  • @blueshirthandyman8460
    @blueshirthandyman8460 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    My dad was and still is a block Mason and I could remember since I was a little kid I would go work with him and at the age of 7 I knew how to tend mortar just as good as the guys in the crew by the time I was 13 I knew how to read blueprints tying rebar figure out how to dig foundations lay block and now I know how to do many other things but it all started with me going to work with my father thanks Dad

    • @donworryboutit8455
      @donworryboutit8455 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Same! Dont you just love the smell of fresh mortar early in the morning

  • @jaws8817
    @jaws8817 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Great video. There's only one A in masonry!

  • @agentred8732
    @agentred8732 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    An exceptional and valuable video, friend. Thank you for sharing it.

  • @bigbadsingledad
    @bigbadsingledad 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    " Do it right and you're never sorry." Love it !

  • @mubarakharoun5901
    @mubarakharoun5901 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    thank you that was a fantastic video and wel explained, great workmanship

  • @socaloutdoors7355
    @socaloutdoors7355 ปีที่แล้ว

    Awesome vid. Not sure how this oldie slipped past

  • @v12tommy
    @v12tommy 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    It is funny that you mentioned the Bonneville Salt Flats. I just came back from there yesterday. Saw a car go 482 mph.

  • @tavodidthat5157
    @tavodidthat5157 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I’m going into a trade right after high school💪

  • @christopherleewen
    @christopherleewen 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great job. Informative and presented excellently

  • @hassanfrancis1
    @hassanfrancis1 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Man, you can sure tell experienced pros!

  • @DanielinLaTuna
    @DanielinLaTuna 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Apparently not a problem in dry Arizona; but modern rebar theory calls for epoxy coated bars in the concrete. The reason is that sooner or later water WILL infiltrate the core and come into contact with the iron, it will rust, and the growth of rust will expand and cause the masonry to fail.

  • @joannedavila5969
    @joannedavila5969 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I was in the laborers union $15 and a jackhammer I poured my fair share of concrete I love this job as long as these people get paid with respect I live on Kauai and back in 1985 $15 an hour and a jackhammer

  • @chrisspeer3257
    @chrisspeer3257 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    If your worried about rebar rusting try using rebar with an epoxy coating

  • @dennissenono1007
    @dennissenono1007 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Very educating video I really liked it

  • @MultiTravelingman
    @MultiTravelingman 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great information as always! Thanks Scott.

  • @abrahamsantisteban630
    @abrahamsantisteban630 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you VERY good information

  • @electricianron_New_Jersey
    @electricianron_New_Jersey 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great video.

  • @josephosuna2634
    @josephosuna2634 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    At 12 minutes my tio drinking a Michelob Ultra then tosses it on the ground and continues working like a bad ass! I love mi Razaaaa

  • @danarva3976
    @danarva3976 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Just Beautiful!

  • @jamesgitahikahuro2443
    @jamesgitahikahuro2443 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Good teacher

  • @fordraven5884
    @fordraven5884 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great awesome video 🤜🤛

  • @brianphillips5576
    @brianphillips5576 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wow... great info

  • @muhshekels5383
    @muhshekels5383 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Cementicious, baby!

  • @toddwieland7664
    @toddwieland7664 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    They used to mix in fire clay to get the mortar creamy
    Now it’s riverside portland

  • @SolidworksUnlimited
    @SolidworksUnlimited 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    I'm stressing out watching you pound concrete chunks on top of good block, chipping it up lol. Good job

  • @nieczerwony
    @nieczerwony 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    You don't need to sacrifice 10k hours to be good mason. 10k hours is to master something. No one need to be Chopin in block laying.

  • @kevincecchini368
    @kevincecchini368 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    8:23 - this team is not safe and it is not their fault. Estimators, project managers, superintendents. Please take note of this. What we have in view at 8:23 is the following:
    lack of:
    -ladder to properly access scaffold
    -hard hats and safety glasses
    -one more lift of scaffold preventing a potential fall hazard
    -a pallet on end
    -a mess of blocks unsafely stacked
    -14:45 a guy standing on the block wall to grout!!
    -8:47 kudos on the gasoline can - it is metal, that's about the only safe thing on this entire project, sadly, it is too close the a combustible engine
    -The guy mixing is reaching too high, his work platform needs to be raised for safety and efficiency.
    -the mortar mixer doesn't have proper PPE, nor a respirator, which is part of proper PPE
    -9:23 there is something missing!!! a five-gallon bucket of water allowing for the shovel to be placed into the water when not in use, to allow for the laborer or mason tender to have a clean shovel each time they shovel out mortar. this does two things, allows for a light shovel and allows the mason tender to give the mason a full shovel of mortar.

  • @cooldog60
    @cooldog60 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Back breaking work!

  • @MAGNETIC-COMPASS
    @MAGNETIC-COMPASS 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    00:10 + 12:33 + 14:12 Very fast with the concrete mix, as if it was magical. 👍

  • @sgtboz9730
    @sgtboz9730 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    And you thought it was just a wall. A lot going on here.
    For those of you who watch a lot of these brick or block laying videos, do you now look closely at brick or block walls when you are by them? Asking for a friend...lol

  • @ChristopherFefegula
    @ChristopherFefegula 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I want an opportunity to learn this job

  • @tunnelliner.47
    @tunnelliner.47 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Tidy work.

  • @sunnybizz4857
    @sunnybizz4857 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    How is this a better alternative to form and pour?

  • @johnburgess2317
    @johnburgess2317 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    If those tradesmen block layers came and saw how they do it in the Philippines they would cry. 95% of the walls here have to be plastered inside and out, there is vertically no structural strength in the blocks

  • @ducoh2093
    @ducoh2093 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thought i was looking at Jeb Bush. But he sucks, this guy doesnt. Great video.

  • @tomaud
    @tomaud 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    7:08 rebar support is missed in one spot.

  • @louiscypher7090
    @louiscypher7090 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Looks like South Phoenix.

  • @olsonlr
    @olsonlr 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Why are there blocks turned sideways in the bottom of the wall?

  • @AvangardaSRB
    @AvangardaSRB 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    So the guy at the end was a guy that built broken wall, now u made him do another one xd

  • @robertcretu4363
    @robertcretu4363 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    White anglo saxon dude in charge, dark aztec mixed laying blocks, what else is new

  • @nicrune007
    @nicrune007 6 ปีที่แล้ว +34

    Here for the Trump wall comments

    • @r.s.richey9956
      @r.s.richey9956 6 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      haha your'e funny, when you hire masons to build a wall in So Cal, Arizona, New mexico, and Texas who do you think you'll find? Probably 75% of the skilled tradesman down there are Mexican Americans

    • @MaghoxFr
      @MaghoxFr 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      R. S. Richey Then they'd be Americans. That's the point. Quit the virtue signaling.

    • @bobsmith-ru4lf
      @bobsmith-ru4lf 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @Spooky MGTOW Any one born and raised in the U.S. is American. The idea that land "truly belongs" to someone due to their racial identity is disgusting and racist. You should be ashamed for suggesting it.

  • @frednowicki7355
    @frednowicki7355 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Now that you have expounded on the merits of masonry,in particular concrete block,why build your spec.house out of fragile sticks and twigs ? Post your mailing address,I'll send you a copy of the book The Three Little Pigs.

  • @yakamarezlife
    @yakamarezlife 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Lay to the line and level up that's all you do

  • @pd692
    @pd692 ปีที่แล้ว

    What about fall protection OSHA

  • @rustyshackleford1282
    @rustyshackleford1282 2 ปีที่แล้ว +146

    If I could pick a dad or grandpa in this world. It would be you. For some reason, the way you explain things and edit your videos, the information just sticks with me. Thank you so much.

    • @bkl8804
      @bkl8804 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Right there with you!

    • @lukehumes2402
      @lukehumes2402 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      What about your dad and grandpa?

    • @lukehumes2402
      @lukehumes2402 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@bkl8804 both at the same time?; why didn’t you like them?

    • @Dysfunctionist
      @Dysfunctionist 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@lukehumes2402 Some parents are just shitty people, man. Not saying you're one, but in my experience a lot of people who had good, stable parents growing up have a hard time understanding how some parents can be so horrible to their own children.

    • @leftitbythecurb8350
      @leftitbythecurb8350 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      This man is narcissistic, people around him aren’t happy.

  • @superglue46
    @superglue46 6 ปีที่แล้ว +271

    Awesome stuff. I especially liked the extended bit at the end where we got to watch the masons at the craft. I was raised upper middle class with a physician for a father and a psychotherapist for a mother. My dad, especially, had a bit of a "nose-in-the-air" sort of attitude toward "less important" occupations, and, I'm sorry to say, this attitude bled into me a bit as a I was growing up. Thanks to folks like Mike Rowe and others on TH-cam (Essential Craftsman!) I have been discovering a deep appreciation for the trades and all that the tradesmen/women of the world do to truly make the way of life we all enjoy possible. Thank you, sir, for your work in opening your world to silly folks like me.

    • @Rhaspun
      @Rhaspun 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I work in Silicon Valley and I find this stuff interesting. Although I do have to say that my oldest brother is an architect and I took an interest in how homes are constructed. He talks about the different craftspeople he deals with. My brother's accumulated knowledge was very helpful in planning and design of my house.

    • @Bezzzzo
      @Bezzzzo 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Brick, block laying, it's good money these days.

    • @celticslimjim
      @celticslimjim 6 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      Up until a few years ago I was in the same boat as you. Since then I have developed a similar appreciation for the trades based on my own experiences. One thing that a person like Mike Rowe or a video on YT can't give you is a tangible representation of the feeling of utter exhaustion coupled with both not being allowed to rest and the need to be at full attention. I live in Tucson, AZ, and can tell you that these men wearing long-sleeve shirts and pants, working in July or August, and to top it off working in open sun are really feeling it. If they're being run in a crew they only get one or two breaks a day no matter how dizzy they get..which is often. However if they succumb to the dizziness then they drop a block on their foot, fall off a scaffold, (if framing) cut off a finger-tip, etc. Certain trades truly should be more respected. I hope this adds to your understanding of manual labor. Also please note that many of these men are older fellows, probably few of whom have retirement accounts. So not only do they get looked down on their whole career by people like your dad but then in the end they have little to nothing to show for it.

    • @scottleft3672
      @scottleft3672 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      It's never too late to turn your hand to garden wall building, Winston Churchil (patron saint of labourers) was a hoddy as a youth and enjoyed laying bricks into his 70's.

    • @imyourhuckleberry4547
      @imyourhuckleberry4547 5 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Working in industrial construction for many years, I worked with a lot of really intelligent men. There's a lot of engineering and science to building stadiums and skyscrapers. You have to be pretty competent and savvy to translate what the engineers and architects want and turn it into a physical structure. A lot of these competent men that I worked with I have no doubt could've been engineers themselves or physicians if they really wanted to.

  • @chrisfreemesser5707
    @chrisfreemesser5707 6 ปีที่แล้ว +354

    3:00 That is ALL SORTS of impressive. You can always tell when somebody is a master of their craft...no matter what the craft is, it's mesmerizing to watch them work.

    • @jmao20
      @jmao20 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      llChris Freemesser

    • @jmao20
      @jmao20 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Chris Freemesser bh

    • @jmao20
      @jmao20 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      av hx

    • @varjen018
      @varjen018 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yeah, i just had to call the wife over to share the glory...

    • @donmilo4733
      @donmilo4733 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Shorne Pubique looks like soup

  • @RambozoClown
    @RambozoClown 6 ปีที่แล้ว +823

    You missed one component that seems to be in most block walls, the empty beer cans.

    • @scruffy6151
      @scruffy6151 6 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      Rambozo Clown. My uncle would have a cigarette hanger out of lips and beer can near by that ended up in the wall.

    • @pjmtts
      @pjmtts 6 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      12:00 they are drinking bottles
      They just need to be broken before going on top to replace the razor wire like shown in the wall failure at the end

    • @bearsharkp3901
      @bearsharkp3901 6 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      That's real talk

    • @TomTomTom87
      @TomTomTom87 6 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      hahaha. I have a demo company and this is so true. Beer cans, newspapers, toilets, etc. you'll never know what you find in block/concrete. They're like fucking time capsules.

    • @damarh
      @damarh 6 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      and the Mexican work force. we are also building trumps wall \oi/ olé \o/

  • @michaelrobinson1341
    @michaelrobinson1341 6 ปีที่แล้ว +205

    A wide brimmed straw hat is a fantastic way to get a bit of shade on your head, while allowing a bit of airflow through your sweaty locks.

    • @animalmother556x45
      @animalmother556x45 6 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      Michael Robinson Latinos know what's up. I married a nice Mexican gal...her family is comprised of some really hardworking, efficient guys. Oh.....and the food....gosh damn.....

    • @Rhaspun
      @Rhaspun 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Look at the many Mexican gardeners. They work covered up with loose clothing. They're trying to avoid direct sunlight on the skin.

    • @animalmother556x45
      @animalmother556x45 6 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Rhaspun Yep, sunblock only works so far...there is no substitute for clothing coverage (folks in the middle east stay covered)

    • @CertifiedShovelOperator
      @CertifiedShovelOperator 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@animalmother556x45 You God damn right!

    • @CertifiedShovelOperator
      @CertifiedShovelOperator 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@Rhaspun Now thats What I call efficiency!

  • @TofuInc
    @TofuInc 6 ปีที่แล้ว +33

    I never thought a video about a block wall could be so interesting.

  • @marshallmoneymaker8322
    @marshallmoneymaker8322 6 ปีที่แล้ว +177

    My uncles and cousins were block and brick masons by your definition. My father was a laborer. I slung block and brick along side my father couple of summers and said, " nope", this is not for me. So I took the easier route and became a fireman. LOL. Real tradesmen. Real craftsmen. Under paid. Under appreciated and earn every beer they drink.

    • @Trident_Euclid
      @Trident_Euclid 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Agree

    • @magnetclip6861
      @magnetclip6861 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Depends where you work. Depends if you are union and non union and if you own your own subcontracting business. But of course having a good education is best.

    • @thunderqueef
      @thunderqueef 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      True about the money part. Unfortunately for most they tend to undersell themselves, and this is a very tough trade. Ill stick to carpentry.

    • @sevinstorey4365
      @sevinstorey4365 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Thank you. It’s nice to hear it. I’m retired now, but I loved every minute of my “job”.

  • @charlesmiller5078
    @charlesmiller5078 6 ปีที่แล้ว +228

    As a small child I watch a older guy, around 70 put us in a block wall to make a bedroom out of our Garage, it was around 10 foot by 20 foot, that wall was so nice, basically perfect, I visited that house a couple of years ago, at that time the wall had been there for 60 years, still perfect as the day he built it. My Dad thought it costs a little to much. He paid the high cost of 100 dollars to have it done, this included all materials. The guy was a Craftsman like yourself.

    • @michaellohre1470
      @michaellohre1470 6 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Wow!

    • @funfun2042
      @funfun2042 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      th-cam.com/video/lyk50gFS2rY/w-d-xo.html

    • @kevincecchini368
      @kevincecchini368 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      so, that is 23 block per course and at 70-ish block, 3 courses. thus, 70 block x $5.00 per block for labor and materials, $350.00 is a low to middle range cost.

    • @charlesmiller5078
      @charlesmiller5078 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@kevincecchini368That wall was built in 1957.

    • @kevincecchini368
      @kevincecchini368 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@charlesmiller5078 OH wow, so probably a good and fair price for the day.

  • @alittletexasingeorgia
    @alittletexasingeorgia 6 ปีที่แล้ว +202

    Oh how easy they make it look. Makes you want to go try and fail miserable.

    • @xmodriver
      @xmodriver 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      INDEED !!!!! lol

    • @mrbob55304
      @mrbob55304 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It's that part where they "butter" the bricks that is so smooth! Fast and flawless!

    • @scottleft3672
      @scottleft3672 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      One step at a time....get lego set.

    • @hotrodpaully1
      @hotrodpaully1 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Brick work not really all that hard as he said first row the hardest if you get the first row level and plum it just a task of maintaining level on rest of it
      But by no means I'm saying it it easy alot of repetitive heavy lifting and hard work
      With practice anyone can lay stone

    • @jacobmarmolejo3946
      @jacobmarmolejo3946 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      This is a job that if you don't like it you will never be good at. And make it look easy. It just a job most smart people don't want. But I love it. Hahaha.

  • @AlbertTao
    @AlbertTao 6 ปีที่แล้ว +165

    Watching that last brick in the video fit perfectly was super satisfying.

    • @cooldog60
      @cooldog60 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      That is a block. Not a brick! Big difference!

    • @raycharles320
      @raycharles320 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Exactly my thought!

    • @jacobmarmolejo3946
      @jacobmarmolejo3946 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Difference between a block an brick is about 30lbs.

    • @jacksprat3009
      @jacksprat3009 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      And to have it fit exactly - over the rebar - in the middle of a course - that's master work.

    • @Synnz
      @Synnz 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      block*

  • @JMnyJohns
    @JMnyJohns 3 ปีที่แล้ว +114

    "Do it right and you are never sorry." Can you imagine the kind of world we'd live in if every kid left high school knowing that? :)

    • @davidhughes7184
      @davidhughes7184 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Ql

    • @ryananthony7115
      @ryananthony7115 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Yeah man i wish kids knew how to do this. I wish they taught me while i was in school. Im sure going to teach my kids.

    • @nugzaratugriashvili8
      @nugzaratugriashvili8 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@davidhughes7184 yýyyyyýýyyyyyyyyy

    • @nugzaratugriashvili8
      @nugzaratugriashvili8 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@davidhughes7184 ýyyýýy

    • @davec.3198
      @davec.3198 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      They don't teach that in gender studies at the state school.

  • @jonrobbin170
    @jonrobbin170 2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    I just want to salute the skilled laborers who worked on this wall and many others. Very impressed 👍

  • @Rockhound1943
    @Rockhound1943 6 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    So impressive to watch a true professional, skill, precision, planning, a lives worth of experience on display. The thing easily missed in your video is the constant problem solving going on. These guys are really smooth.

    • @funfun2042
      @funfun2042 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      th-cam.com/video/lyk50gFS2rY/w-d-xo.html

  • @wbel82
    @wbel82 6 ปีที่แล้ว +166

    The guy at 12:00 slamming his cold one then just getting back to work had me laughing...... Very good video thanks for sharing....

    • @rick877147
      @rick877147 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Hahaha didnt even notice but shiiiit how else can we do this

    • @Engineer9736
      @Engineer9736 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      :D

    • @scarroll625
      @scarroll625 5 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      It’s OSHA approved beer, don’t worry

    • @jet-up2474
      @jet-up2474 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      😂

    • @thefirmament1616
      @thefirmament1616 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      haha it could be a mexican soda or coke in the bottle.. Or a a cold one.. hahah

  • @geoffgreen2105
    @geoffgreen2105 6 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    16:07 Pay for it now, or pay for it later, but eventually you WILL pay for it.

  • @nealneals6515
    @nealneals6515 6 ปีที่แล้ว +73

    sir your admonitions to correct practice reinforced by the examples of slipshod work are the best!

    • @funfun2042
      @funfun2042 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      th-cam.com/video/lyk50gFS2rY/w-d-xo.html

  • @ryangwin1318
    @ryangwin1318 6 ปีที่แล้ว +33

    Having worked in Masonry in Iowa for several years in my 20’s, I can tell you that this is a well under appreciated trade. It looks simple enough and its always done so quickly. However, the masonry trade is not for the faint of heart. I began as tender/laborer for the company I worked with and learned from the boots up how to complete a professional job. I no longer work in that trade but am super glad to have the skill set it allowed me. I can run equipment, mix all types of mortars, build and repair scaffold as needed safely and still strike off some pretty heads and beds. Anybody who wants a real trades experience should get a few years working with concrete and blocks. You wont regret it. Love the materials. Will you be my grandpa? I don’t have much family and I could use a guy like you as an extension family. Haha!

    • @kevincecchini368
      @kevincecchini368 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I hear ya. being a mason was a fun time in my life. I miss the creativity, the fun, the challenge. Being older, now I look at how I can accomplish something with the least amount of pain.

  • @rjtumble
    @rjtumble 6 ปีที่แล้ว +90

    I've always been amazed at the skill of a good mason, especially the guys buttering the joints of the blocks. They way the just seem to slap it on there and have it always be just the right amount.

    • @mute8s
      @mute8s 6 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      I know right? The sheer speed and precision that mortar was being slapped into place was just blowing my mind. I've never done that sort of work before but I am certain it would take me 5 - 10 minutes to put the same amount of mortar that guy was slapping on in 30 seconds and there would be A LOT more on the ground afterwards.

    • @placidrenegade
      @placidrenegade 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      It's just practice...I don't think about it, I just do it. The odd occasion it can fall off haha

    • @elcoqui121
      @elcoqui121 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      mute8s and by the end of the ten mins your wrist would likely be tired and burning

    • @elcoqui121
      @elcoqui121 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      placid renegade looks like magic to me

    • @AustinHansen
      @AustinHansen 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      They have to do it fast because it’s the mortar gas to stick. It’s a lot harder to get the mortar to stick if you’re being slow and deliberate.

  • @affordabledesertliving3487
    @affordabledesertliving3487 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    What an intelligent precise explanation of this trade. I learned a good deal from this one. I am planning on doing a cinder block foundation for my cabin and also a cinder block workshop. Great stuff!

  • @pronkjap
    @pronkjap 6 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    Another 20 minuts well spent on my free saterday. Cheers good couple lessons and answers on why are they......

    • @AksamRafiz
      @AksamRafiz 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Jorrit Pronk Friday for me

  • @KrucksGarage
    @KrucksGarage 6 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    "Do it right and you're never sorry." - Scott.
    Truer words were never spoken! Another great video guys.

  • @cptrestlesssteven6469
    @cptrestlesssteven6469 6 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    I could have watched another thirty minutes our so of these craftsman. Just like watching a pro. I often look up and people just watch me continue tho press through the work with fascination. The internet has brought knowledge and I think out has brought a greater respect for tradesman. God bless you and thanks for sharing.

  • @kevinm5564
    @kevinm5564 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Loved the video, but I must point out that rocks (gravel) in concrete have little to do with its strength. I own a masonry company and our 4,000 psi site mix is only portland cement, sand and water. Mortar is weaker than concrete because of the presence of lime. Lime gives the mortar workability and board life but diminishes strength.

    • @georgegibson707
      @georgegibson707 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      I have seen a lot of old worn concrete where the rocks are protruding because the sand cement mix is worn away.
      Rocks are really very hard and strong.

  • @beatjackoutofdoors153
    @beatjackoutofdoors153 6 ปีที่แล้ว +67

    Nice vid Scott. In the UK a mason is one who works, and works with, stone. Cutting, carving and laying. Bricks/blocks are laid by brick/blocklayers. The skill of the stonemason is valued higher as the masonry units are irregular in nature. I disagree with your statement that poor stonework is less conspicuous than poor work in cementitious products. Stonemasons pride themselves in square, plumb and true work which is far harder when using irregular units. Also the stonemason has to devise a suitable finish to the pointing. There is never a one size fits all mortar recipe/finish for a myriad of reasons both aesthetic and practical.
    In the UK we say 'muck!' Although we are still afflicted by the term 'cement' generically used for any mortar. Really bugs me!!
    Still enjoying the content sir and pass on my condolences for your late mother.

    • @naffetstterrag
      @naffetstterrag 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      kris short completely agree on the the stone being much more difficult to achieve a quality product. Worked with a block laying crew for a few summers in school, it doesn't take much brain power to keep blocks level. Lots of practice but not much brains. The guys who could do stone on the other hand...

    • @bonanzatime
      @bonanzatime 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      It's easier to train a brick-block mason how to do good stonework than it is to train a stone mason how to do proper brick-block work.

    • @RealLuckless
      @RealLuckless 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      It takes more skill and experience to spot smaller sins in a natural stone wall than it does to spot sins in a brick or block wall. If someone screws up a seam line in a block wall, you have to be pretty uninformed about the process to not see it, but a bad vertical seam is a lot easier to miss noticing with irregular stone.
      That is part of why traditional stone masons are considered a higher skilled trade than modern block masonry - modern block was designed to reduce variables, increase consistency, and decrease labour and training requirements.

    • @efox2001
      @efox2001 6 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      I believe his comment was with regard to the untrained eye. Due to the uniform nature of block and block walls, the layman can more easily see errors in the work. The irregular nature of stone makes this harder. Again for the untrained eye.

    • @bonanzatime
      @bonanzatime 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      RealLuckless There's a lot of different stone styles, so it's very easy to compare apples to oranges when discussing stone. What I'm saying is brick-block masons are trained to think square, level, plumb, true and fast. Also, the most important physical skill which is handling the trowel, even an average brick-block mason will blow away any stone-only mason every time when it comes to handling a trowel. I'm not dissing official stonemasons, just saying because of skill sets and 'muscle-memory', it's easier for a brick-block mason to learn how to do good stonework (because stonework is just basically easier...depending on the style) than it is for a stone-only mason to take up brick and block skills (professionally).

  • @felipeserrano8528
    @felipeserrano8528 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I'm an owner operator
    ( truck driver), 20 years.
    When I'm trucking, I can't wait to come home and work on my projects.
    Old fashion brick ovens, walls, cement planters, ect..my next project will be a shed made of brick, with a Boveda ceiling.
    There's nothing better to do your own cement work, drink a cold one, and give it your personal touch, and say I did it.
    And when I'm dead, someone will say,
    This cement work was done by a crazy truck driver.Thank you to all the masons, Albañiles, Maistros..for sharing in TH-cam.

  • @CeleryMuffin
    @CeleryMuffin 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    I just recently helped my dad build a block wall just like that! It was much much smaller...only 3-4 ft high and maybe 20 ft long but I learned how difficult it is. These guys are so impressive with how easily they can spread the mortar onto those blocks without dropping any on the ground haha.

    • @ganeshbahadur9239
      @ganeshbahadur9239 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      viriy Nece

    • @FarmerDrew
      @FarmerDrew 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      They drop some, it's okay, their Dad isn't concerned

  • @philliptoone
    @philliptoone 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    This seems like an excessive amount of manual labor compared to using forms and pouring a continuous concrete wall. But maybe this is because I underestimate the labor associated with setting up and taking down concrete forms.

    • @gagiotter4114
      @gagiotter4114 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      also, the cost of so much concrete, bigger footing to hold the extra weight, and I have no idea how thermal expansion would work on such an exposed long single slab.

    • @bobs6129
      @bobs6129 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Complex foundation shapes also make forming up not as practical. If it's a square yeah forming it up is a lot easier

  • @SDeww
    @SDeww 4 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    ""making a block wall is hard!"
    egyptians 4000 years ago: hold my beer!.

    • @bobs6129
      @bobs6129 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      There's a big difference between over engineering and proper engineering.

    • @kimjuanjun7124
      @kimjuanjun7124 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      They used slaves to do the pyramids

    • @rawx485
      @rawx485 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Sure, its easy with alien tech.

  • @charlescompton4495
    @charlescompton4495 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    As a bricklayer who has poured footings and then stood in some chest deep laying 12" block to ground level, I thank you for complimenting the labor involved with that first "lift". As troublesome as those block are they are 8" tall per course as compared to 3 courses of brick to reach the same height. I served a 4 year apprenticeship and after a few years taught Masonry in a vocational school. I have worked on all sizes of projects and I do appreciate your evaluation of the skill and effort the Mason does have. Many do not understand that just because we are not rocket scientists doesn't mean we don't have smarts. Thanks, Greg.

    • @funfun2042
      @funfun2042 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      th-cam.com/video/lyk50gFS2rY/w-d-xo.html

  • @michaelvangundy226
    @michaelvangundy226 6 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    By looking at the neighbors lack of grounds keeping, I would opt for the barb wire and guard tower option. I saw this in a movie, it was Omega man. Charlton Hesston. Lots of high security, not much for asthetics. Flame thrower turrets are always a big hit.

  • @beathaknockturnal8555
    @beathaknockturnal8555 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    I'm a mason of over 20 years now. I love my trade, it's what I was put here to do. I hope I can continue doing it for a while. This video was great!

    • @barhomibrahim4828
      @barhomibrahim4828 ปีที่แล้ว

      Why is ther a whole at the bottom of the CMU wall. Like they flipped the CMU. What's the purpose of those. Thank you for answering.

  • @viscache1
    @viscache1 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    As always super informative....as occasionally, you’ve taken a sedentary approach in extensively covering a project few of us will encounter and stretched the video to the extremes of watching...well...’concretious product drying in cool damp conditions... Most of us will install patios, long drives, garden paths etc. and while it uses the same basic techniques it might go faster than a video about doing it.... thanks for your in depth videos. I feel it necessary to occasional jest!😂

  • @alexanderbell3102
    @alexanderbell3102 6 ปีที่แล้ว +22

    As an Englishman it's always nice to see bricks/blocks being laid. One the most satisfying things to do and watch.
    Of course the great Winston Churchill spent much of his retirement building a wall. I recommend anyone to try it. Laying some red bricks is worth trying and a relaxing process if it's not your job.

    • @alanr745
      @alanr745 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Alexander, your comment not only shows a bit of history and applicable truth, but is also precisely why I plan to try my hands at some stone masonry in my backyard. I suspect that while it may not be perfect to my mental image, it will be quite enjoyable and fulfilling once complete.

    • @bonanzatime
      @bonanzatime 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      It can be Heaven on earth, or it can be Hell on earth.

    • @forgivenessisasixgun
      @forgivenessisasixgun 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I love English architecture. It truly is beautiful. I also love Winston Churchill and listening his speeches like when he came to America to address Congress or his famous we will fight on the beaches etc speech

  • @bigdogbob845
    @bigdogbob845 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Scott, as always a great video. And your son has hired a top notch crew to do his CMU wall portion of the project. Those guys are some of the best I have ever seen, the trowel work laying down the mortar as quick and easy as buttering bread, Wow ! How could you Not Be There to watch and film that ?

    • @kevincecchini368
      @kevincecchini368 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Aside from the lack of silica dust awareness, they did a great job. Silica dust steals an enormous amount of masons life once they retire, through silicosis.
      th-cam.com/video/pHwvKKQ5WtI/w-d-xo.html this is a video from the 1930's on the dangers of silica - 1903's!!!

  • @mattbrown4895
    @mattbrown4895 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Hypnotizing to watch a boss build leads. The rhythm and skill are impressive. Thanks for another enjoyable video.

  • @jayoliver3734
    @jayoliver3734 6 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Mastery is when you make something difficult look easy enough for any idiot to do it.

  • @Isambane
    @Isambane 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Great videos. Concrete/cement drying is a crystallisation process. As it dries crydtals grow giving it strength. Thats why you keep slabs moist for a period to promote the grow of crystals. Might been said by other comments. Keep up the great work. Love it and what a legacy.