CHECKING FOR ACCURACY:
An inaccurate level can really cause you problems. To check the accuracy of any hand level, lay the level on a table or the floor. Place light pencil marks at both ends. Note the position of the vials. Rotate the level 180 degrees (swap ends) and re-examine the vials. They should be in exactly the same position - if not it is time to get a new level (or have it calibrated, if it is an expensive level). Checking for "plumb" (vertical level) is the same using a wall or column. Check all the vials on your level. Sometimes one or two vials are accurate and another is not, in this case, mark the accurate vials so you will remember which way to hold your level for an accurate reading.

HANDY FALL MAKER:
If you are laying out a brick, stone or concrete patio or walkway, you need one eighth of an inch per linear foot of length fall in order to get the water off of the surface. A quick and easy way to establish an accurate amount of fall is to tape a one half-inch spacer (piece of wood or anything that measures ˝") on the bottom of a four-foot level, flush with the end (one-quarter inch spacer on a two-foot level). Place this level on or across your forms, and the bubble will read level when the form has the accurate amount of fall. Note: this will also work for vertical angles. If you are checking or establishing angles that are shorter than your level, you can tape a straight 1"x2" piece of wood stock (however long you need it to be) to the level inserting the spacer between the level and wood stock as mentioned above. Then place the wood stock against the surface you are angling - the vial bubble will be centered when the angle is correct.

GARDEN HOSE LEVEL:
To level accurately over long distances, you can use your garden hose. They sell kits in your hardware store for this trick, but we were using them long before the kits were designed. Purchase a set of male and female hose attachments and three feet of clear plastic hose - one half-inch interior dimension. Attach the connectors to the clear hose and screw them tightly on your garden hose - be sure all of your connections have good washers inserted into the connectors for a watertight fit. Tape, tie or wire the clear hose on the two points you want leveled. Fill the hose with water until the water level is visible up into the clear hose. Where the water settles, it will be level, provided the middle section of the garden hose is not higher than the two leveling points. Simply mark those two points, or measure down the same distance on each end, to establish your level points. Since you are using water, this is one of the most accurate levels you can find.

____Masonry Walls More Than Block & Mortar!____
(Part two of a Trilogy!)

Last time I talked about the importance of the proper approach when designing a wall (see: #002 Part One In This Trilogy ) and the pitfalls of not knowing what's behind the veneer of block and mortar.

A masonry wall is heavy; it needs a substantial amount of weight (mass) just to support itself. Fill a masonry wall with concrete and it becomes stronger right? Yes and no! Provided your footing weighs enough to resist the extra weight added to the wall. Now here is where the average person wants to call an engineer - trust me, there is a place and time to call in a pro and I won't hesitate, but this isn't it yet. Apply some reason. You are faced with desire for a free standing wall or column (in other words no corners or roof to keep it from wobbling) and you are not sure how big the footing should be because you just broke your slide rule. What do you do?

I will help you with a story: I was remodeling a house for a valuable customer a couple of years back and he wanted a freestanding masonry wall ten feet tall. The city building department has pre-drawn spec-sheets for small patio walls (up to 6' high), but won't usually provide you with specifications for special situations and circumstances. They said I would have to get an engineer to calculate the wind sheer load at 100 MPH and design the size of the footing and reinforcement. I use engineers from time to time, so I know this is going to be a minimum of $350.00 just to get a stamp on a drawing that I will make. The wall was strictly for looks (we were converting the Brady Bunch house into an Alamo Santa Fe style) and the wall was only thirty feet long, but I knew their concern for a properly reinforced and weighted footing was valid. I could tell, by the demeanor of the fellow at the counter, that I would get nowhere with him on this issue, so I asked If I could speak to his boss.

Long story short (hey, I sound just like Uncle Bob), I did some quick volume calculations in my head as I walked down the hallway to his office. No secret to the formulas, simple math: width x height x length. Then it dawned on me! There would be barely over one cubic yard of concrete, per extra foot of footing width (footing depths are typically one foot), hmm… 30 cubic feet, there are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard (3'x3'x3') and a yard of concrete costs $60.00, divide that by what the engineer would make (rounded to 300 = 5 yards of concrete). I chuckled; I could give my customer a humongous footing in lieu of paying an engineer. A standard patio wall would have a two feet wide by one foot deep footing; add $300 worth of concrete to that and I had a budget for a seven foot wide footing - over kill to the max, but in any event, goodbye engineer, hello structure and permit.

Which would you rather have, a 40" wide by 12" deep footing and a $300.00 engineers bill; or a 48" by 16" footing and save $100.00? Needless to say I got my permit. I reasoned with the chief city engineer like this, "Look, somewhere between a 7'x1' footing and a 2'x1' footing, is a number that will make you feel good about issuing me a permit today..." he settled on 48" wide x 16" deep with an extra horizontal rebar thrown in for good measure - more than the wall needed, but less than the cost of an engineer.

With just a little creative thinking I came away giving the customer more bang for his buck. That type of thinking starts not in my years of experience, but rather in my approach to the job - any job: I begin by thinking in centuries, not the measly two year warranty the state registrar of contractors forces me to give - which is a joke on any type of construction, but especially so when it comes to masonry.

The secret to a good footing has been with you since you were a kid. Remember those inflatable sand bottomed punching bags - knock it down and it springs right back up? The sand is heavier than the air and vinyl. Bingo! You are never more than two phone calls from knowing (in case you forget) that concrete is about 3600 pounds per cubic yard and an 8"x8"x16" block weighs about 35 pounds (figure 55 with grout and mortar). A phone call to your local block plant and/or concrete company will tell you that. There are some confusing factors about wind sheer; the friction imposed by the dirt surrounding the trench that hold the concrete, but don't let that worry you, if the footing outweighs the lower two thirds of the wall, center of gravity takes over. Like I said: There is a time and place to call in an engineer; I am merely offering you an alternative for smaller jobs. An engineer can actually save you money on large projects: by calculating to the inch of the mass and reinforcement you need. In the case of the 30'x10' wall we came out ahead, but if that wall had been 300' long, an engineer would have saved me on concrete above and beyond the cost of design. My point here is that on small projects, working with your city engineers on a healthy compromise can save you money, provided you can articulate some options.

In part three I will go into reinforcement and its placement in the wall and footing.

So, until next time…

Love, Light & Happy Building!

Rusty Cline,
President: Monument Masonry, Inc.