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Kristie
7 comments
BigD

@kristiedegaris
It would have been both challenging and rewarding to have been a builder, stonemason, designer, supplier in those times. The conditions were possibly atrocious on a lot of building sites.
But they built them with such style and durability.
Part of me wants to travel back in time so I could experience it all.

3 Jul 2023 at 10:04 | Open on mastodon.nz
Kristie

@BigD Something I like about dyrstone is that you get to experience a bit of those conditions. It has changed very little over time as a craft. The very best we can often do for stone deliveries in 2023 is tractor and trailer.

3 Jul 2023 at 10:06 | Open on mastodon.scot
BigD

@kristiedegaris
I would assume the equivalent for stone hauling would have been on the backs of men, labourers. An ox and cart for larger sites.
The craft of drywall was spread so wide in Europe. Stonemasons must have been in high demand.

3 Jul 2023 at 10:34 | Open on mastodon.nz
Kristie

@BigD I think a lot of stone was probably dug out from nearby, and then as you say. labourers/horses etc. I think for a long time anyone who worked the land knew how to build drystone, it was an essential skill. That's changed a lot.

3 Jul 2023 at 10:36 | Open on mastodon.scot
BigD

@kristiedegaris
It only became used in my country,NZ, when European and Asian migrants arrived. So, 1800s.
Our indigenous people, Maori, used wood which was more plentiful and probably quicker and easier to build with. And that has continued in our housing.
Concrete of course is king for large builds, which other than being easy to manufacture, has little to offer is aesthetics in a build.

3 Jul 2023 at 10:57 | Open on mastodon.nz
Kristie

@BigD It's also the worst for the environment. that industry is responsible for a shocking 7%-8% of global carbon emissions (to put that in context, the global aviation industry accounts for only 2.5% of CO2 emissions).

3 Jul 2023 at 11:04 | Open on mastodon.scot
BigD

@kristiedegaris Yes, concrete has serious consequences in many areas. Sand extraction from coastal seabeds causing seashore depletion and more seriously, anialating habitats for sealife.
We import all our cement now. We were manufacturing it locally until quite recently. It's freighted here by ship.
We grow timber and export most of it.
We use very little timber in major builds. Predominantly housing.
Tar and cement. Our cities can't breath because they are bound together with so much solid.

3 Jul 2023 at 11:30 | Open on mastodon.nz
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