Stopped by an old job site in Austin last month and noticed the brickwork was already crumbling

There was this house I helped build about 5 years ago out in the Mueller neighborhood. The mortar joints were cracking and some bricks had spalled right on the south facing wall. I talked to the homeowner and he said the builder skimped on the mix, used too much sand. Has anyone else seen newer work fall apart way faster than it should?

3 comments

3 Comments

max_brown9d ago

Isn't this just the state of everything now? It feels like half the stuff we buy or build is designed to look good for a year and then fall apart. Nothing seems to last anymore because cutting corners is the standard.

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emeryj669d ago

Man, you're totally right and I hate to admit it but I used to think people were just being dramatic about things not lasting. I had this old microwave that lasted like 15 years and figured modern stuff was fine. Then I bought a new one, and the little plastic button for the popcorn setting snapped off after three months. Then I look at how they build houses now, with that thin plywood and cheap vinyl siding, and it hit me that nothing is made to survive a couple moves or a kid bumping into it. What was the last thing you bought that actually felt solid and well made?

the_brian9d ago

See it everywhere now. Even stuff like furniture uses that cheap particle board that swells up if you look at it wrong, feels like we're all just renting our stuff until it breaks.