COTA Austin - construction and infrastructure

[Ray]

I think your beef is just aesthetic Pup. I don't like symmetry in rock. Rock isn't symmetrical so why would you style it that way? What's crappy about it? Will the motar not change to a different color once it's cured? I've never seen mortar that didn't.

[Giblet]

Looks like a field stone wall.

The hate is palpable.

[Hail22]

I'm sorry but only this video can describe what I think of this wall....


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GVyQLWmgdQ[/youtube]

[xpensive]

I would think that this wall is perhaps the very least of Cota's problems, even if I agree it looks like sh*t.

[FW17]

What is this black stuff? Asphalt base coat/primer?

[strad]

[Crucial_Xtreme]

As an aside, have I mentioned how crappy the stonework is on this project?



And I'm damned glad they put in those expansion joints, because I'd hate to see any cracks in that wall.

And whoever specified that mortar color, or didn't, should be fired on the spot.

I don't think it's too bad Pup. A little unfair to judge an unfinished project. It's a package deal, wait and see what it looks like in November.
It looks like a SouthWestern type stone anyway. Imagine that.

[Pup]

I think your beef is just aesthetic Pup. I don't like symmetry in rock. Rock isn't symmetrical so why would you style it that way? What's crappy about it? Will the motar not change to a different color once it's cured? I've never seen mortar that didn't.

Its just poorly done. You wouldn't build a stacked stone wall (without mortar) that unevenly because it would fall apart.

Yes, it's about aesthetics, but not the way you think. Your brain sees that wall and it senses subconsciously that it isn't stable, so it sends out a warning signal that the rest of the brain interprets as dislike.

As for the color, they're using grey mortar instead of buff on a beige wall. It's like wearing brown socks with black shoes. People do it, but not people who care/know better.

[Pup]

What is this black stuff? Asphalt base coat/primer?

Yep.

[munudeges]

As an aside, have I mentioned how crappy the stonework is on this project?

Yep, that's incredibly..........poor. You don't have to be much of a stonemason to see it.

The point though is that when you have poor and rushed jobs being done like this it tends to be symptomatic of the parts of the project that you don't or can't see.

[Pup]

The hate is palpable.

When you're getting hit from both sides of an argument, it's a safe bet that you're right.

[FW17]

As an aside, have I mentioned how crappy the stonework is on this project?



And I'm damned glad they put in those expansion joints, because I'd hate to see any cracks in that wall.

And whoever specified that mortar color, or didn't, should be fired on the spot.

You mean it has to look more like this...........

[Cold Fussion]

As an aside, have I mentioned how crappy the stonework is on this project?



And I'm damned glad they put in those expansion joints, because I'd hate to see any cracks in that wall.

And whoever specified that mortar color, or didn't, should be fired on the spot.

For those of us who are not versed in civil engineering, can you explain what exactly is wrong with that?

[Pup]

You mean it has to look more like this...........

Dear god no.

Actually the stonework on that house looks decent if a bit bland, but the house itself...

Though when I look at the architect's renderings, and the style of the buildings, I'm inclined to think that they're after a very even 'bland' look.

But I'm talking about quality, not style.

For those of us who are not versed in civil engineering, can you explain what exactly is wrong with that?

We're probably too far off on a tangent for the mods' taste already, but ok. It's not an engineering issue - the stone is just a veneer that's been applied to a concrete wall underneath. I'm talking about aesthetics and quality, which personally I think are one and the same. What catches my eye is the inconsistency. The wall is splotchy - I can tell how different people did different sections. That's actually a big deal in stone work, and a good crew will rotate different guys around so that you don't have obvious sections that are dissimilar. And then there's the gaps. Good stonework, regardless of style, will have consistent mortar joints throughout. That is, you don't want bits where the stone looks like it's almost touching, and others where there's bit handfuls of mortar and no stone. A good mason, even when dealing with irregular stone, will sift through and pick pieces to fit, and they're pretty skilled with a hammer and can quickly chip down a piece to fit better. You see that even in ancient fieldstone walls, because as I said earlier, if a stacked stone wall isn't built tightly, it will fall apart in no time. No rancher likes to spend his time mending walls, even though if you've ever watched Bonanza or a pickup truck commercial, you'd think that's all they ever do. The final thing is the raking of the joints, which seems inconsistent, too. Some bits are flush, others are so deeply raked that the stone almost looks stacked. To be honest, it looks to me like it wasn't raked - that they just put the mortar on and let is squeeze out in some spots and not even be on others.

I've got to get out this afternoon and am headed by a project that I did a few years back that has a stacked stone wall. I'll see if I can remember to take my camera and if so I'll post a photo here. I've also got a house out that way that I did a looooooong time ago, and it's made of texas limestone, so maybe I'll snap a photo of that too, to give you guys an idea of what I personally think is good stonework.

[Mysticf1]

For those of us who are not versed in civil engineering, can you explain what exactly is wrong with that?

We aren't stoned

...i'll grab my coat