Hey, nobody's perfect!

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=110 BGCOLOR="#CCFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03c506e1egerbq.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#339900" FACE="Arial" ><B>Dream Garden</B></FONT><B> </B><B> </B><B> </B><B> </B><B> </B><B>|    </B><B> </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dream Garden"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About DREAM GARDEN"><U>About DREAM GARDEN</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2005 rubble retaining wall, brick column"><U>2005 rubble retaining wall, brick column, brick sidewalk</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2005 Lauries wall repair"><U>2005 - Laurie's wall repair</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2005 Front Walk, Steps"><U>2005 - Front Walk, Steps</U></A>   |   Hey, nobody's perfect!   |   <A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2005 pimp my bathroom"><U>2005 pimp my bathroom</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PATIO 2004"><U>PATIO - 2004</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="DRIVEWAY 2004"><U>DRIVEWAY - 2004</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HERRINGBONE WALK (brick mortar) May 20"><U>HERRINGBONE WALK (brick & mortar) - May 2004</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CELLAR STEPS TILEWORK 2004"><U>CELLAR STEPS TILEWORK - 2004</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="KITCHEN TILEWORK 2003"><U>KITCHEN TILEWORK - 2003</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HERRINGBONE WALK w/ STEPS Oct. 2003"><U>HERRINGBONE WALK w/ STEPS - Oct. 2003</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" DRIVEWAY at New House Sept. 2003"><U> DRIVEWAY at New House - Sept. 2003</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RANDOM RUBBLE May 2003"><U>RANDOM RUBBLE - May 2003</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Flemish GARDEN WALL Sept. 2002"><U>Flemish GARDEN WALL - Sept. 2002</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="OTHER STUFF I do"><U>OTHER STUFF I do</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About John J. Quick"><U>About John J. Quick</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Me"><U>Contact Me</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=190 BGCOLOR="#339900" TEXT="#080000"> <div> Chinese Fortune Cookie:</div> <div> "From error to error, we discover the truth."</div> </td> <td valign="top" height=370 BGCOLOR="#99CC00" TEXT="#080000"> <div> Hey, nobody's perfect!</div> <bR> <div> You see it all around you....good masonry gone bad!</div> <bR> <div> "Why does it happen?</div> <div> Because it happens.</div> <div> Roll the bones!</div> <bR> <div>  Whenever I'm walking or driving, I try to notice a lot of the masonry work around. Often it's something striking and unique that captures my attention. But often it's the "uh-oh's" and "oopsie's" that lure me to take a closer look. I've been doing this for years, and I have developed several theories about masonry faults. </div> <bR> <div> Theory One: expansion and contraction rates are substantially different for different materials and allowances MUST be made. I don't believe that formed concrete and brick/mortar masonry make good bedfellows. Photos below are of a low retaining wall that surrounds the Cranford Hotel. Planted with small annual and perennial flowering plants, it is absolutely charming!</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="444e46b0.jpg" border=0 width="484" height="363" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> But, OUCH! What happened here?</div> <div> <IMG SRC="446e46b0.jpg" border=0 width="484" height="363" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> What caused this separation?</div> <div> <IMG SRC="448e46b0.jpg" border=0 width="484" height="363" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Or this one?</div> <div> <IMG SRC="44ae46b0.jpg" border=0 width="484" height="363" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Hokey smoke! What is going on here?</div> <div> <IMG SRC="44ce46b0.jpg" border=0 width="484" height="363" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> If I were to guess, I'd blame a concrete substructure. I can't think what else might have caused this type of damage. They aren't merely cracks. They are most sincerely separations - as if they were pushed out by something bigger and stronger.</div> <bR> <div> Below is another retaining wall without a single fault in the masonry. Granted, it is more recent vintage. Is that the only reason?</div> <div> I was wondering if maybe it was double walled brick and mortar.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="44ee46b0.jpg" border=0 width="484" height="363" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div>  If you look at a concrete sidewalk, you will notice flexible spacers every two squares or approx. 8 ' called an expansion joint. There is also a 1/2 to 3/4" deep groove carved into the concrete midway between the expansion joints which makes the walk look like a series of squares. Not just for looks, these "control joints"  encourage the concrete to crack in a straight line if the expansion joint isn't enough allowance.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="450e46b0.jpg" border=0 width="484" height="363" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> I see this problem everywhere! ....Metal vs. Concrete.</div> <div> My money's on  Metal - seems to win every time. Hasn't anybody ever noticed???</div> <div> Alrighty, then - let ME be the one to develop an expansion medium for this application and make a billion, trillion $'s!!</div> <div> <IMG SRC="452e46b0.jpg" border=0 width="484" height="363" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> I mean it: cracks EVERY time!</div> <div> <IMG SRC="454e46b0.jpg" border=0 width="484" height="363" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> 1929! I suppose this concrete could be 77 years old, but age really isn't the factor.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="456106b0.jpg" border=0 width="272" height="363" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The rest of it is perfect! (The manhole and sewer grate shown earlier are at the top of this photo.) And wait a minute.....</div> <div> isn't that MY driveway on the left? That's right. I didn't have to look very far at all for an example of Metal vs. Concrete, did I?</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="458e46b0.jpg" border=0 width="484" height="363" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> This one's a bit of a mystery. Any ideas?</div> </td> </tr></table></body>