posted 14 years ago
I work as a foreman for a refractory contractor. That's industrial scale firebrick and masonry. There are lots of changes coming to the industry, some good, some bad, depending on your point of view.
I'm not a mason, but I can lay brick with some idea of what is going on. I tend to the behind the scenes duties needed to keep a job organized and the men safe. It's a bit more than slopping mud onto a brick and stacking it neatly. There is a level of art involved. If you watch a master mason at work you can get a feel that there is a method to the madness. I've worked on jobs with hundreds of thousands of shaped brick going in over the course of several weeks being laid by maybe a dozen masons, with another 3 dozen support staff. They earn their money, there is plenty of hard work involved, and the work done holds up under extreme conditions for years. Outside of an industrial environment, the work done by these guys can last, without exaggeration, for centuries.
Masonry is a doomed craft. The experienced masons are getting older. Entry level positions are going the way of the dodo. The pool of skilled craftsmen is shrinking as the wheels of progress roll steadily onward. There are probably less than 100 master masons who work their craft in this state at any given time. Materials are a great concern to the masons. Lots of new ideas, new materials, new technologies. Where a vessel was once lined with a particular type of brick to protect the steel shell, newly developed composite metals can remove the need for brick altogether. Rather than put a piece of equipment down while it is lined with brick, specialized shotcrete or castables can be applied in half the time by people with lesser skills. Monolithic slabs, while more expensive, can be installed in very short times, bringing the plant back online with minimal lost production time.
Modern conveniences have removed much of the demand for masonry in the home. Electric appliances, thermostatically controlled central HVAC, fireplace inserts, and cheap energy are on the list. Brick ovens are a thing of the past. Bread comes from the store and who in their right mind would pay 5 grand just to make a good pizza once every couple of months? There is still call for bricklayers to build up the exterior, but this is not quite the level of skill required for a masonry fireplace.
Don't listen to me as being an expert. In 8 years I have laid one (1) brick just to see what it was like. The guys I work with are the pros. They can build whatever it is you can imagine, using the very best of materials. Form, function, durability, aesthetics-you can get it, but there is a pricetag that goes with the pro work. A project such as a masonry fireplace takes time to erect, has to be right the first time, and there is not a great deal of demand so these craftsmen have to travel-this all adds to the cost.
Don't take this as diminishing the efforts of Roger Priddle or Walter Jeffries, thats a job well done! It is certainly possible to design and install your own creation which will give you years of dependable use.
Seed the Mind, Harvest Ideas.
http://farmwhisperer.com
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