#Materials#Material Development#Old-Vs-New#Refurbishment#Research#Brickwork#Frog#Bond#Coursing#Pointing#Reclaimation-Yard

Introduction

First, let me apologise for coughing, I have not been able to shake of a nasty cold and cough.

This article is part of a chapter I am writing to the update of Mitchells Construction. Its an important part of construction, and sadley one that has been badley looked at and in so many cases got wrong.

There is a massive difference between old and new construction its not just the maintenance and repair of older materials, its the expansion of older building, by adding new onto old.

In this article we will begin look at how and why we build, how materials fit together, what they do, and the sequence of operations.The Laws, test and training involved.

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The growth of material manufacture

As we began to build shelters to defend early humans from both the onset of the weather, and to protect us from other animals and often other humans, materials quickly developed fron caves and huts made from fallen branches and loose stone to stronger more designed dwellings, with materials that were manufactured to perform specific jobs, Trees were cultivated to produce long thin branched by a process of continued cutting called polarding. We learned to dig and quarry materials such as specific stone and clays to use as building materials, and their size became more uniform as we learned to use them,

Bricks for example became the size we now now, because it was an easy to hold item, the perfect fit for a bricklayers hand. But for many years, not one but many local standard sizes became available, and because they lasted time and the onslaught of the weather and use, still remain in place.

Some materials must have been found by accident, Limestone used to contain a fire, spilt with water reacted and turned into a paste, bonding the other stones together, lime mortar was found, calling it an invention implies that some one intended to find the properties of lime mortar, is taking it a little too far.

Local variation in size and shape gave rise to local designs, cotswold Stone, Welsh slate, Granit cities like Edinborough, often supported by the lack of some materials like clay.

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Some designs like doors were based on a need to fit sixe, fitting a space left by the builder or stone mason, or the need for something more robust such as a castle entrance, needing strength to rebuff an attack.

Size is often a function of wealth, the more it costs the better it is, regardless of ease of use, or function.

Modern materials because of the volumes needed became a standard size but a change in measurement from imperials to metric, again changed materials sizes to round up sizes or fit a more modular way of building.

Altering, repairing or attaching a new design onto an older building, requires a lot more work to establish the material sizes of the existing building, and detailing to allow the two worlds to meet and work together. Ignoring this results in misaligned brickwork, doors that just do not fit, or if sitting side by side, old next to new, are instantly seen to look odd.

Adding old to new in any format often brings material performance, into question, older materials often not having the same performance as a modern material, weaker in strength, far more porous and bleached by often several hundred years of sun.

Old buildings are and were damper, and very often drafty, updating them to modern standards can cause the building to dry out, crack and almost self destruct.

The quality of some older materials is certainly worth considering before applying new materials and or living conditions. No accurate measurement of materials to make a clay brick, differing temperature in a kiln, quality of water, and so often an illiterate work force, who could not read the new standards.

Several different trades did recognise this and took steps to organise it workforce, The Masons who built with stone the carpenters, the thatchers, the master builders set up guilds to rase standards and train their members with a view to protecting that trade and keeping wages higher for members of their guild.

As always this article is meant to be a starting point for your research into this particular subjct are of construction. Littered in the article are many areas of research, that you may like to expand on. and make your own notes.

Some areas I have covered in the book version of this article, and shown a hashtag, like pointing, and Frogs.

As I posted this article, I suddenly thought of the use of reclaimed bricks and other materials, so thats on the list to expand for another article.

If you want to discuss any points, then please drop me a comment, and I will get back to you.

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