All Things Masonry

Are you like numerous other homeowners in the Victoria, BC area who are having difficulty finding somebody (anybody!) to complete your project within a reasonable time-frame? If you are, this post might help you to better understand the new reality of the construction industry on Vancouver Island, and across Canada. Over the course of the pandemic, and to our surprise, the construction industry did not slow down. Instead, we saw a massive increase in residential home improvements. Instead of spending disposable income on travelling, the majority of homeowners took that income and invested it back into their homes through renovations. Couple that with construction material supply issues, as well as a lack of skilled workers within the industry, and you have the problem facing us today, which many of us have been wondering how to solve. As a small masonry company located in Victoria, BC, Lennox Masonry experienced an unprecedented volume of calls and emails for our services. Two years later, we are still playing catch up and are continuing to book 6-8 months in advance. It is important to note we are not alone in this regard. Construction businesses all across the board are dealing with a similar experience. The demand for home improvements has increased to the point where there aren’t enough hands to carry out the work. We have also been faced with supply issues when it comes to stone and bricks, along with having difficulties in finding qualified, competent, and dependable employees to help us meet the demand. Unfortunately, us and many other companies have been feeling the strain and are hoping things will look brighter in the future. The new and ongoing reality for the construction industry as a whole is that fewer and fewer young people are entering into the trades or attending trade schools. The Boomer generation is also set to retire as of 2022 and 2023, leaving an even bigger deficit of individuals working in the trades. In short, the demand for tradespeople is ever increasing while the supply is ever diminishing. Our experience over the past few years has taught us the importance of booking a contractor as early as possible to complete your project within a decent timeframe. If you’re located within the Victoria, BC area and are in need of a qualified stonemason or bricklayer for your next project, then please reach out to us as soon as possible to discuss scheduling your project with us. As of September 2022, we are now booking into the early Spring of 2023, and we look forward to working with you on your project in the new year. Thanks for reading! Lennox Masonry is an artisan masonry company based out of Victoria, BC which specializes in designing and building stone walls and features, chimney repairs and rebuilds, as well as heritage restoration of masonry structures.

It's not every day that I get the opportunity to work with 17th-Century Limestone imported from France. So when the homeowner presented me with this particular project, I was feeling both excited and nervous. Nervous due to the age and history of the stone and how invaluable that makes it, excited because of that same reason. I wouldn't say that I was reluctant to take on the job, perhaps just a tad cautious. I had plenty of experience working with historical masonry, but that was mainly old brick and stone walls. These were free-standing architectural structures that were once part of a European Gothic Cathedral. They were originally supported with buttresses, stained glass windows, and other aspects of the church, tying it all together. The work ahead of me involved using cranes to properly place some of the massive stones, a great deal of foresight, and some innovation to fully support the structures with modern-day materials. Armed with photos of the architecture, a library card, and a strong desire to meet the challenge ahead, I began researching and planning. Besides the need for a traditional lime-based mortar, so as not to overpower the limestone with Portland cement, I also needed an experienced lift operator. Luckily, the homeowner's brother-in-law was just that. The other issue was supporting everything at its weakest points without compromising its authentic look. The fewer additions to the architecture, the better. The first task at hand was digging, forming, and pouring the concrete foundations for each structure. Once those were in place, I began organizing the stones in front of their corresponding areas. The arches and the rounded window were missing several pieces, so creating the required stones out of the existing spare materials was the only option. Easier said than done, but this is where years of experience with shaping stone comes into play. I began with the doorways. Each one of these pieces, from the bases to the capstones, weigh at least a ton. This aspect of the project required a crane and multiple straps capable of supporting the weight. It is a very time-consuming process and not to mention dangerous. But with accurate measurements, a level surface provided by the lime mortar, and a steady hand at the controls of the crane, we were able to pull it off. Of course, that is not to say that there wasn't a wide variety of hiccups along the way. Because there most certainly were. But those hiccups are what make for a good challenge and a greater reward. The arches, believe it or not, were much more labor intensive. As opposed to the doorways, the arches required steel strapping along their sides, into the concrete wall behind them, and steel buttresses at each pressure point. Stability was the main priority. While the lime mortar does help to keep a level surface between the stones, it provides little assurance that the structure will hold together. The arches were all placed by hand and held in place while the steel strapping was applied. But the rounded window was undoubtedly the most intricate feature. Not only did each piece have to be strapped together and into the concrete wall behind it with steel, but it also needed to be encased with a steel strap to hold it all in its original form. After aligning the bases of the structure, I began building it up from the center and then working my way back down. I wanted to support the upper sides as best as possible, and this was the only means to do so. Once the majority of it was in place, we then screwed the steel plate around it. The goal was to keep these structures standing for generations to come and to also be safe enough for children to play around. I feel that I have achieved that goal. This project has been challenging, exciting, and inspirational. I am grateful to have been chosen to see it through, and it has helped me to grow in multiple ways in both my personal and professional life. It has also opened a variety of doors for me as a masonry contractor in Victoria, B.C. and given me the confidence to take on similar jobs. Having the opportunity to restore these invaluable works of art is something that I do not take lightly. I have a new found appreciation for the stonemasons and craftsman of previous eras. The amount of time, energy, and persistence that was involved in the planning and building of these relics is nothing short of amazing. I am honored and proud to be a part of resurrecting them and their artistic relevance. Please visit my Masonry Blog for other articles and my Gallery to see a portion of my completed projects. Thank you, Sean Lennox Lennox Masonry www.lennoxmasonry.com

A Labourers Waltz My emergence into the field of construction began when I first left home amid my early teens to explore the wonderful world of bills and the cost of living within one of Canada’s most expensive provinces, not to mention, cities (Vancouver, BC) to reside in. Oh, the joy!!! Truth is, I quite enjoyed—and still do— working with my bare hands, being exposed to the elements, and eaves dropping in on the conversations between my peers which pertained to all manner of things... enticing, if you will. Especially for a man of my age and circumstance. Anything, at that point, was better than dealing with three hormonal sisters and two adults who eased the sting of parenting young teens with copious amounts of cheap wine and Sailor Jerry’s Spiced Rum. Fast forward six years later to when I left behind framing and cabinetry to join the illustrious ranks of masonry labourers. I had taken on a small siding job with a friend when I noticed a young man applying cultured stone veneer to a newly built home. I had always been imbued with a creative spirit, so when I observed a massive jigsaw puzzle coming together before me, I could not help but feel the pull to pursue employment in that particular trade. Luckily, I found myself in the palm of what many stone masons would deem as the “Kim Jong-un” of masonry. He was, undoubtedly, the best at what he did, but ruled with an iron fist when it came to his employees. Not that he asked too much: just pure, unabridged perfection every moment of an 8-12 hour day. In hindsight, I cannot help but thank him for his unforgiving ways, as not only did he sculpt me into the successful stone mason and business owner I am today, but his teachings also infiltrated every other aspect of my life: how you do anything is how you do everything. My former employer could also be referred to as the “Jiro Ono” (Jiro Dreams of Sushi) of the masonry world. Under his reins, I spent the first five years mastering the art of making exquisitely consistent mortar with a shovel and a wheelbarrow, not unlike Jiro's employees who spent nearly a decade learning how to cook rice to a pinpoint of accuracy when it came to moisture retention. I would then lug 80lb. buckets of “mud” (masonry slang for mortar), as well as stone and brick, up several levels of scaffolding and eventually lift it above my head to an impatient and crabby brick layer: the highlight of my existence at the time. As you can imagine, I was fit as a boxer, though my body was littered with lactic acid and strained in ways I never knew possible. To say that I felt weathered and nimble for a 23 year old would be the world’s greatest underestimation. And, no, I’m not just being overly dramatic, as I have a tendency to do when embellishing stories like all great storytellers do... Yoga meet Sean, Sean meet Yoga! After "throwing out my back" for the 18th time and listening to my foreman complain, tirelessly, about his recent back surgery, I opted to do some necessary research and stumbled upon a poorly—and I mean so poor it was painful— written article about the importance of stretching before, during, and after any exercise routine. And, of course, after labouring through the authors tragic rant, that piece lead to another, which lead to another, until, ultimately, I discovered Yoga. Now, I had heard of Yoga before in passing conversation, but when someone tried explaining it to me, it came off as a foreign language, such as German, and I didn’t bother investigating something that I had no interest, nor desire to implement into my vocabulary. But, with a strained body and a screeching foreman in my left ear, I felt the nudge and leaped into a pool of tight pants and exotic postures. Self-Discovery I discovered two things while dipping my toes in the shallow end of the Yoga pool: 1) not only did I become consciously aware of how I moved my body, but I was also much more in-tune with its needs. This improved my job efficiency by being acutely alert as to when I needed to slow down and stretch certain areas to release lactic acid buildup and, also, it translated itself into less time off, due to injuries caused by stiff and aching muscle joints. 2) my performance increased nearly 10 fold. Where once I was applying roughly 60-80 square feet of stone a day, I was now applying anywhere from 100-140 square feet of stone a day; grouted, jointed, and looking immaculate, mind you —did I mention that I was also labouring for myself? My energy levels were on the rise and so was my paycheque. Synopsis Tending to your bodies needs, via Yoga, especially in the field of construction, leads to not only longevity in this trade, but also increased productivity, which will undoubtedly transfer to other facets of your life. And I, for one, would not be in the shape I am today, nor as successful as I have become, if it were not for this simple yet elegant practice. I believe the future of all companies, rests solely on the productivity and ingenuity of its workforce in this ever changing industry and that implementing a staple such as Yoga into the core of its workforce, will prove to be an invaluable asset. I know, for a fact, that it has in my case. Happy stretching, my friends!