My night is about to suck (attempt #2)

[funksouljon]

I had a pallet of concrete blocks loaded into the truck last night. I need to cap some retaining walls I have been working on in the yard so I picked up the last load, about 3550 lbs of blocks. Have to do it tonight since I am driving to Denver for some training. And it's lightly snowing. Wouldn't have been able to pay someone to do all the landscaping I've done to this place, so I can't just have someone else do it.

Anyways, just wanted to whine, my wife has already told me "suck it up buttercup, they ain't gonna unload themselves."

Guess I should be happy I am physically able to do it and go put on my big boy pants.

 

[DFSNOLE]

Being a mason's tender is one of the hardest jobs in the construction industry. You'll have more appreciation for your position in life after you're finished.

 

[Finance85]

Funk, why do you live in a place that snows? If you want to ski or do other winter sports you can fly to places where it snows.

 

[FSUTribe76]

Funk, why do you live in a place that snows? If you want to ski or do other winter sports you can fly to places where it snows.

I agree with that, but I also say that of places on the beach and rivers. Yet my BIL and SIL just bought a house about 20 yards from the water in St Pete, maybe less.

 

[Fijimn]

You need to get you some 3-and-1 oil and ball bearings.

 

[funksouljon]

Being a mason's tender is one of the hardest jobs in the construction industry. You'll have more appreciation for your position in life after you're finished.

Man aint that the truth. Since we've been in this house, I've put in about 14? pallets of block. 2 walls to level out the front yard and another 3 walls in the back yard. This ignores the timber wall I built on the side yard. I don't mind doing it as I know I am saving a ton of money and it is "just for fun". Besides the shoulder strength the pros have, I don't envy them one bit. I have done enough to put a critical eye on the professionals work, I am VERY happy with how mine stacks up.

 

[funksouljon]

Funk, why do you live in a place that snows? If you want to ski or do other winter sports you can fly to places where it snows.

Honestly, I love it. Love cold weather, love dry summer. I come from a long line of sweaters, I start getting uncomfortable high 80s with any humidity. There is something magical about how it looks after a good snowfall. We really don't get that much here, perhaps 14 inches total all year and it melts each time within a week. Day trip to go snowboarding is great, don't need a vacation.

 

[Finance85]

Honestly, I love it. Love cold weather, love dry summer. I come from a long line of sweaters, I start getting uncomfortable high 80s with any humidity. There is something magical about how it looks after a good snowfall. We really don't get that much here, perhaps 14 inches total all year and it melts each time within a week. Day trip to go snowboarding is great, don't need a vacation.

Cool. Literally and figuratively. I travel a lot and run into a lot of people from the north who only like snow when they can ski. They never seem to be able to say what you said.

 

[DFSNOLE]

Man aint that the truth. Since we've been in this house, I've put in about 14? pallets of block. 2 walls to level out the front yard and another 3 walls in the back yard. This ignores the timber wall I built on the side yard. I don't mind doing it as I know I am saving a ton of money and it is "just for fun". Besides the shoulder strength the pros have, I don't envy them one bit. I have done enough to put a critical eye on the professionals work, I am VERY happy with how mine stacks up.

Knew a guy who regularly carried two 8x8x16 blocks in each hand using just his fingers in the cells. It was nothing for him. Carried on a conversation while doing it.

 

[BelemNole]

Knew a guy who regularly carried two 8x8x16 blocks in each hand using just his fingers in the cells. It was nothing for him. Carried on a conversation while doing it.

Yeesh, I wore out 2 sets of leather gloves just moving pavers for a patio.

 

[RunRonnieRun]

You need to get you some 3-and-1 oil and ball bearings.

It’s all ball bearings these days.

 

[seminole97]

Knew a guy who regularly carried two 8x8x16 blocks in each hand using just his fingers in the cells. It was nothing for him. Carried on a conversation while doing it.

 

[F4Gary]

funk, how big of a truck do you have. 3500lbs?

I lived in CSprings back in the late '50s. We lived on Maizeland Rd back when it just went out and ended at a ranch. Loved it there.

 

[funksouljon]

Knew a guy who regularly carried two 8x8x16 blocks in each hand using just his fingers in the cells. It was nothing for him. Carried on a conversation while doing it.

Yeah, that definitely ain't me! And one call out, I am SLOW compared to those guys. I have been watching a new build near my house, Amazing how fast they sling blocks.

Yeesh, I wore out 2 sets of leather gloves just moving pavers for a patio.

I always wear gloves don't have the patience or desire to develop man hands. But I only manage to kill the left hand. So I have a dozen right hand gloves and only 1 or two good left hands, takes me forever to find a pair.

funk, how big of a truck do you have. 3500lbs?

I lived in CSprings back in the late '50s. We lived on Maizeland Rd back when it just went out and ended at a ranch. Loved it there.

I have been wanting a diesel for years, the wife found a trailer she wanted and the best tow vehicle was a 3500! Win win. Plus I use it all the time for yard work. Maizeland..... you would be amazed at how that side of town has grown. Too bad you didn't buy property before you left, with the growth you could have named you price! That is by far the most populated part of town in my opinion. Maizeland and Academy is almost considered downtown these days. We live off of Garden of Gods in a development that went up in the 70s.

 

[littleitch1]

I️ had a paver/ retaining wall business for 7 years

Loved it, especially the design aspect of it

Yeah the retaining wall blocks are heavy

But, i had subs who installed the jobs for me

Funk aren’t you like 6’5 or so?
The height factor does not work for you in laying pavers or retaining wall

But like anything there are tricks to the trade!

Take your time, measure twice and cut once, then kick back and enjoy your handiwork while your wifey thinks of ways to spend the money you saved !

 

[cmanole]

Man aint that the truth. Since we've been in this house, I've put in about 14? pallets of block. 2 walls to level out the front yard and another 3 walls in the back yard. This ignores the timber wall I built on the side yard. I don't mind doing it as I know I am saving a ton of money and it is "just for fun". Besides the shoulder strength the pros have, I don't envy them one bit. I have done enough to put a critical eye on the professionals work, I am VERY happy with how mine stacks up.

Pics?

 

[funksouljon]

Pics?

Took me a bit to find..

Front (these were in the first delivery years ago).

Before

The right ending in the above pic bugs me, going to extend and wrap this around the tree and curve up to the drive way (to the right of the pic).


Rear

The original post was griping about having to unload the caps for this wall. Still need to finish several spots, install caps. Perfect weather now to finish, just need the time. My domestic manager pulled me off this project onto an inside project. Grass and sprinklers then would be done except there are a couple spots I plan on modifying. It never ends.

Front and rear are obviously different stone types but I laid them all. Took several years as the projects changed plus solo and in my part time.

 

[LesClaypool]

You need to get you some 3-and-1 oil and ball bearings.

And fix that fetzer valve! It’s got filth, muck, filth in it!

 

[F4Gary]

Jeep Grand Wagoneer?

 

[funksouljon]

Yeah, had an 85 for a couple years. Purchased to go play in the mtns, my camper grew from a popup to 29ft, so we got a new truck and then the Jeep sat and sat. Sold it, hated to do it, but it just sat so....

 

[EconSean]

My dad was (retired) a bricklayer/mason, as were his two brothers, father, and grandfather. The brothers had a contracting business in Central Florida for years and I worked for them for a few years after graduating from high school. Sweet Jesus, being a laborer/mason tender in Florida is no joke.

We would line our cars up around the job site, with lights on, and start working before the sun came up, in an effort to not die.

I have never been as physically fit as I was when I was doing that work.

Certainly made me understand what “working hard” really means.

 

[DFSNOLE]

My dad was (retired) a bricklayer/mason, as were his two brothers, father, and grandfather. The brothers had a contracting business in Central Florida for years and I worked for them for a few years after graduating from high school. Sweet Jesus, being a laborer/mason tender in Florida is no joke.

We would line our cars up around the job site, with lights on, and start working before the sun came up, in an effort to not die.

I have never been as physically fit as I was when I was doing that work.

Certainly made me understand what “working hard” really means.

A mason's tender is the hardest job in construction. And it's not close.

 

[Nolomite]

Jerry Rice's dad and older brother were brick masons; they would send young (10-12 y/o) Jerry up the scaffold to kneel on the platform, then toss bricks up to him, underhand, 2 at a time, together. Jerry's job was to snatch them out of the air and stack them on the scaffold; a missed catch and the bricks would fall back down to where they were thrown.

Catch them with your hands Jerry - no pressure or anything!

 

[RangerNole]

Took me a bit to find..

Front (these were in the first delivery years ago).

Before

The right ending in the above pic bugs me, going to extend and wrap this around the tree and curve up to the drive way (to the right of the pic).


Rear

The original post was griping about having to unload the caps for this wall. Still need to finish several spots, install caps. Perfect weather now to finish, just need the time. My domestic manager pulled me off this project onto an inside project. Grass and sprinklers then would be done except there are a couple spots I plan on modifying. It never ends.

Front and rear are obviously different stone types but I laid them all. Took several years as the projects changed plus solo and in my part time.

Solid work. Looks good.

 

[OrlandNole]

Nice work. The hardest part about that work is keeping everything level.

 

[coloradonoles]

A mason's tender is the hardest job in construction. And it's not close.

I have been in some form of construction nearly my whole life and I have never heard them called mason tenders... we've just always called them hoddies.

Yes it is a tough job.

 

[cmanole]

Took me a bit to find..

Front (these were in the first delivery years ago).

Before

The right ending in the above pic bugs me, going to extend and wrap this around the tree and curve up to the drive way (to the right of the pic).


Rear

The original post was griping about having to unload the caps for this wall. Still need to finish several spots, install caps. Perfect weather now to finish, just need the time. My domestic manager pulled me off this project onto an inside project. Grass and sprinklers then would be done except there are a couple spots I plan on modifying. It never ends.

Front and rear are obviously different stone types but I laid them all. Took several years as the projects changed plus solo and in my part time.

Yes, looks good. I bet the digging was worse than lugging the bricks around...

 

[DFSNOLE]

I have been in some form of construction nearly my whole life and I have never heard them called mason tenders... we've just always called them hoddies.

Yes it is a tough job.

All the masonry trade's labors are referred to as tenders by the old timers because they tend to the mason's every need. It's their job to make it as easy as they can on the mason and I've known and worked with some prima donna masons.
I know what a hod is but have never seen one on a job.

 

[HerdOfNoles]

I am need a very short but long wood retaining wall. Where did you get plans?

 

[funksouljon]

Nice work. The hardest part about that work is keeping everything level.

Yes, looks good. I bet the digging was worse than lugging the bricks around...

Thanks. Between being solo and no level ground, I couldn't just dig a 30 yard trench and fill it and pack with a machine. Had to estimate level, dig distance, then pack the fill gravel with a manual stamper, lay stones and go, nope, need another 4 ft, check level front to back, adn across multiple blocks, raise any low spots, repeat. Lots of step check step check, and once the base was level, it went up "pretty quick." It was 3 or so separate jobs so has been a multi-year project to get it all almost finished. Cutting the caps will be a long dirty job since the curves are custom.

 

[funksouljon]

I am need a very short but long wood retaining wall. Where did you get plans?

So I have also built a couple sections that are 8 X 8 treated railroad ties at this house. So what do you mean by plans? As if in steps to put em up, or diagrams on where I decided to run the walls?

 

[HerdOfNoles]

Diagrams please. What was your rationale on where and how for the materials and locations? Did you just eyeball it or get a professional design?

 

[funksouljon]

Diagrams please. What was your rationale on where and how for the materials and locations? Did you just eyeball it or get a professional design?

So when I started, I decided to use the 8x8 treated timbers. Could get them cheap, it is dry out here and they are common for walls. I did however wrap the backside in heavy duty plastic to make 'em last even longer. That was okay for the back yards, but I decided I liked the more "natural" look and longevity of using blocks. Natural in the sense that they blend well with the natural colors and landscape. Neighbor pointed me to a local concrete/stone company, cheaper to go direct.

Re on the layouts. I eyeballed based on what would work to make the areas more useful. Very sloped yard, so any leveling would add useable terraces. I also decided what I would want to keep. Big tree in the front, work around the large Russian olive in the back. Didn't want them to be too tall, so I wouldn't have to deal with permits. Need to consider access with a wheelbarrow all around just in case.

I went a got a bundle of the yard flags and marked it out, modified, marked out again etc till I found what I liked. Outside of 1 straight wall, I do prefer curved walls, they look more natural. I was inspired after we went to Peru with all of the terracing actually.