Practice Building A Masonry Veneer Wall
Hi!
I would like to practice adding weep holes to a concrete masonry veneer wall. That is to say, I want to build a short length of concrete footing, then a block “foundation wall”, and onto this, create a stud and plywood wall, and finally add a concrete masonry veneer to the “outside” of this wall. I want to add flashing and weep holes to the masonry wall. I will probably have to do at least one corner to get that right, too.
My purpose is to learn how to build such a wall: learn the carpentry and masonry techniques involved and practice them.
I don’t know very much about carpentry and I’m strictly a beginner at masonry. So I am thinking, why not dig a footing trench in my yard, and go right ahead with the practice project. If I make a mess of it I can smash it apart and start again. I can see myself needing to make a few “practice walls” in order to get them built correctly, starting with zero knowledge. I am thinking I could hire a mason to review my work and provide advice.
Does this approach make sense? Or are there schools that can teach masonry construction tecnhiques to amateurs like me?
Thanks
Bob Cochran
Greenbelt, Maryland
Replies
You might check with your local trade school or "technical college", to see if they have courses in masonry work. Most will let you enroll for a single course.
Even if you take a class i think you would benefit from the practice. footer in the back yard may be a little much but what ever you feel makes it possible to master a concept.
go for it, best of luck.
Practice...
... in any endeavor is the best route to confidence and improvements in technique. When it comes to building stuff, carpentry is relatively easy as you can always knock apart what you've decided is inadequate then re-use the left over bits to do something different. With masonry you'll be getting worthwile experience while building muscles! In the end though when it comes time to start the real thing much of the stuff left from your practice will be pretty much trash.
Keep in mind too masonry is heavy so be sure to work to plumb/level/square as you get off the ground, the better to avoid mishaps.
Where I am it's apparent lots of masons are using poly rope for weep holes at wall bases and elsewhere. Not sure if this is to avoid openings where critters could get established or for other, more practical reasons.
If there are no trade schools available locally, then you might try apprenticing yourself to a practiced mason. Pay him to teach you while working on a project with him.
Of course, understand that a standard apprentice spends the first year or two as a hod carrier, often not allowed to touch a trowel. If you strike a deal with a mason make sure it's agreed (beforehand) what you'll be doing.
Bob
From what I've seen, don't forget to leave a half inch between the top of your brick sill and the bottom of your window frame. Framing shrinkage can cause that gap to close and will push up on the bottom of that window. Too many real masons have done that.
Wood framing can be learned fairly quickly if you can measure and use a saw. Brick laying is more an art than a science and it takes a while and a lot of practice to get good at. Just mixing the mud to the right consistency is a trick and if the mud isn't right, the rest gets exponentially harder. I have dabbled in just about every part of the building process and I am OK laying block to the line once I get started but I go very slowly. Of all the trades, I think I respect the art of a good bricklayer the most. They go fast, the results are perfect and they never get any mortar on them. I am lucky not to get some in my ear ;)
Those are the guys I would rather hire than try to emulate.
Greg
an ambidextrous mason can extend his carreer. That repetitive wrist twist is a bich.
I think that is the difference between just a good bricklayer and a artist. They don't work their joints as hard.
I hired a masonry contractor for an addition and he was great at concrete and laying block but wheb it came to the brick veneer, he subed it out. Those guys were artists. You could tell from the fluid motions, these guys were not really working that hard.
I had a similar experience with my neighbor Jim Chapin (Harry's dad). He was a jazz drummer <RIP> who was still knocking the skin off the drums at 85. He said it is all in keeping the strain off your wrists.
He taught drummers all over the world. Same trick, the stick movement is a fluid motion all the way down your arm
It is like wheat in the wind to watch but really fast.
we do owe some sort of gratitud to the DIY channels... i seam to have 1 or 2 jobs a year where a wife calls pleading for help on a botched project the hubby saw on tv!!!
Thank You, Folks!
I want to thank all of you deeply for your encouragement and support in responding to my question. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I think I am going to give this a try just as I've described.
If I do go for it I will pay a mason to review my "practice" work as I go along and offer me corrections and tips. I will check for local schools, too, that might help with a course or two on an audit basis.
I may start a forum thread when I begin the practice project and post photos as I go along. This will be the story of an unskilled person taking baby crawl steps in the journey to learn how to do masonry.
Thanks a lot
Bob