Read a study that said a brick wall in Chicago lasted over 200 years because of the lime mortar mix.

I was looking at old building reports online and found a case study on a warehouse from the 1820s. The analysis showed the original lime mortar was still doing its job, while modern cement repairs from the 1970s had already failed. It really makes you question if we're always building for the long haul these days. Has anyone else worked on a job where the old methods clearly outlasted the new stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakotal191mo agoMost Upvoted

But is that really a problem? Most buildings get torn down way before 200 years anyway. We fix things faster and cheaper now, and that's what people want. Who's paying for a warehouse to last ten lifetimes?

rayc891mo ago

You said "that's what people want" and I guess that's true for the buyer right now. But it pushes all the long term costs onto the next guy or the town itself. We build a cheap warehouse, it leaks or fails in 30 years, and then the city has to deal with the torn down mess or the constant repairs. It feels like we're just hiding the real bill and passing it on.

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