Roles

Both residential and commercial construction activity have reached record or near-record lows. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, we have just lived through the lowest level of new housing starts since they began tracking this data in 1959.

Masonry walls have been around for a long time, and water has been around a lot longer. Preventing bad interaction is an ongoing project.

Masonry walls have been around for a long time, and water has been around a lot longer. Problems occur when the latter interacts badly with the former and, as mason contractors know, preventing that bad interaction is an ongoing project.

Have We Settled the Mortar Dropping Issue Yet?

From the Editor

Jennie Farnsworth, Editor
jen@lionhrtpub.com

Unfortunately, I learned the hard way about the topic of one of our articles. About two years ago, when we purchased the home that we're renovating, we did the obligatory

President's Message

Contractors Taking the Promotion Initiative

MCAA New Members

The Mason Contractors Association of America is proud to welcome the following new members to the Association. MCAA would like to take this oppor

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,
In the December 2004 issue of Masonry, Sarah B. Atkins, President of Archovations, Inc., headquartered in Hudson, Wis, authored an article titled "Have We Settled the Mortar Dropping Issue Yet."

At

News

McKellar & Associates was chosen as the Design With Brick award recipient for their innovative use of brick in conjunction with other materials at the Automated Trading Desk Technology Campus in Mount Pleasant. The varied color and hand ma

contents
MASONRY
Volume 43, Number 12
December 2004

Photo courtesy of Fred Coester, AIA

MASONRY

LEASING

INSIDE

The Red Rocks Ampitheatre Renovation and Visitor Center in Denver won honors during t

It's more advantageous for you to work with a leasing company that understands the masonry industry.

Your leasing company should also understand your firm's tax and cash flow requirements. Lease payments are treated as tax-deductible

THE LEVEL IS A PRECISION INSTRUMENT THAT REQUIRES CAREFUL HANDLING to ensure its continued accuracy. But masons often treat them more like a hammer than an instrument. They drop them, tap or sometimes even hit them with trowels, let them get c

LEVELS
want two plum vials and one level vial. The reason most manufacturers put multiple vials into their levels is what I call the spare tire concept. Since they're glass or plastic, as the mason tends to tap the level or to hit brick or block wit

POST-TENSIONING CREATES
NEW OPTIONS FOR
CONTRACTORS AND BUILDERS

The idea of using post-tensioning to structurally support masonry fencing in lieu of rebar and grout was unheard of in the mid 1980s. At that time, Proto-II™ Wall Systems

For the masonry industry to expand its markets, it has to balance the equation between the workforce and technology.

This method of post-tensioning is unique to FlexLock. The units are precision ground on the top and bottom to 0.015"

The New Rumford Fireplace

The third edition of the Residential Masonry Fireplace and Chimney Handbook as published by the Masonry Institute of America is now available. This in-depth resource should be considered a must-have for those involved

Taking queues from the traditional Rumford fireplace, members of the Brick Industry Association's (BIA) Fireplace and Chimney Committee have crafted a new masonry fireplace based largely on Rumford's principle of efficiency. The result is a simple, easil