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Bob is with Tim Berky, the general contractor for the Rowley Victorian addition and kitchen remodel. He updates Bob on the progress since the footing for the new foundation was poured and repairs to the original foundation were made. Berky and his crew found dry rot in the existing entry and had to remove it completely. The mason had to create a sloping course to level out the existing entry foundation and repoint it to blend it into the new foundation work. Inside, Berky and his crew removed the bathroom fixtures, secured the pipes to prevent leaking, opened the walls to expose wires and pipes for shutoff, and began to cut the entry into chunks for removal. The sill was releveled and an adhesive was used to attach the new sill to the brick foundaiton.

Bob meets up with landscape mason Hector Santos who is building a dried laid stone retaining wall. He is using Corinthian granite from Champlain Stone in upstate New York. Hector's rule of thumb for configuring the wall's proportions is that the base of the wall should be as wide or a little wider than the wall is high (in this case 3 ft.) tapering up in the back (which will be covered with soil and sod) as it rises. Hector also angles the wall's face back slightly so that if it's pushed forward when the ground heaves, it will settle back; whereas if it were plumb and it heaved forward, in time it would creep and fall over. Hector's main concern is creating an even face to the wall. Abutting stones should come up level allowing the stone placed in the next course to span the stones beneath it. Stones shouldn't wobble. If a stone does wobble (and they will because not every stone is perfectly flat), stick shims under it to level it. The caps should be as flat as possible creating an even rather than a wavy top line. Hector uses a string as a guide to keep the tops on one even plane.

Bob visits with Eddie Zywusko the mason and tilesetter who is working in a L-shaped shower. Eddie installed a water/ice shield, then cement board and now he is taping the joints with a thin set mortar. Bob looks briefly at the Kohler shower tower rough in kit which is very state of the art. Ryley and the plumber install a Kohler lavatory rough in kit in a metal stud wall. This is an excellent example of the different trades working together.