I used to lay brick by feel and hope for the best, now I actually check my levels every third course

For maybe 5 years after I started my own landscaping company, I would just eyeball everything when I had to build a retaining wall or a brick planter. I thought my eye was good enough because I had done it for so long. Then last March I did this big wall for a client up on Maple Street and the next morning the whole top course looked like a roller coaster. I had to rip it all down and start over, lost a full day and my profit on that job was basically zero. Now I stop every three courses and run my level across both ways, no matter how straight I think it looks. It only takes 30 seconds but it saves me from that sinking feeling when you step back at lunch and realize you messed up. Has anyone else had a moment where you realized you were cutting corners on the basics for way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

martinez.kim27d ago

Three courses seems excessive when a quick glance at every fifth does the trick for me.

jamie77027d ago

Pulled up to a job site last spring with my crew and realized I'd left my good hammer drill at the shop two towns over. Had to use the backup one that vibrates like a jackhammer and nearly shook my fillings loose by lunch. Anyway, I get what you're saying about efficiency, but I've also had to redo entire days of work because I trusted my gut instead of checking stuff twice. Sometimes the boring method saves you from the exciting panic later.

jenny_hall27d ago

Ripped down a whole paver patio I spent two days on because I thought I could just eyeball the base grade. Woke up the third morning and there was a puddle the size of a kiddie pool in the middle of it. Client was pissed, I was embarrassed, and I ate the cost of tearing it out and hauling new gravel in. Now I run a string line and check with a 4 foot level every single row on any hardscape job. It feels boring and repetitive but I sleep better knowing it won't shift or settle wrong six months later. That self check every few courses is what keeps your reputation solid and your wallet from getting shredded.