Carpenters and stone masons need to work together as a team to build a place like this. It’s often a back and forth process, where each relies upon the other to accomplish their work.
Here we have a photo of the stone masons having just finished building the stone piers that will hold up the large front porch off of this addition. I myself have attempted to do enough stonework (I emphasize the word “attempted”) that I greatly appreciate workmanship like you see here in these images.
The next photo shows where the carpenters have come in and assembled the porch deck and some of it’s upper framing.
Then the masons moved back in and assembled their scaffolding so that they could complete the stone chimney up above the main roof.
Finally, the last photo shows how that the carpenters have returned to complete the porch.
Carpenters and masons are as different from each other as apples are from oranges.
Carpenters live in a world of power tools, sawdust, exact measurements, splinters and cuts, and constant movement around the job-site. They generally have a broader awareness of the entire project than the masons, but yet they often earn much less. The more talented “woodworkers” often go into fine trim work, cabinetry, or even become builders.
Stone masons on the other hand live in a world of dirt, mud, mortar, and rock. They are constantly lifting and their bodies generally wear out by the time they hit 40… 50 at the latest. Their tool bags are small but heavy, hammers and chisels, and a well worn trowel or two. They are their own biggest critics… I guess that’s because what they build will stand for centuries… if not thousands of years.
My life would not have been complete without having both types of tradesmen as friends.
Originally posted 2015-03-11 17:20:18.