November/December 2008: Table of Contents

Features

Materials
Throwing Your Money Away?
Exposing the cost of landmark demolition
By Gretchen K. Pfaehler

Materials
Mortar Meets the Challenge
Mortar has been used for thousands of years. Over the centuries, the formulas have changed, and we aren’t done yet as the proliferation of new masonry products provide new challenges.
By Tom Inglesby

Design Trend
Award-Winning Hardscape Design
Highlights from 2008 BIA’s Brick In Architecture Awards Competition
By the Brick Industry Association

Materials
Alphabet Soup and the Cast Stone Institute
Developing new standards for plant certification
By Gary Fry

columns & departments

Letter from the Publisher
Letter from the Editor
Minimizing Masonry Litigation
Industry News
New Products
Masonry International

Save

Managing the Mysterious Job Site Slowdown

August 2026

Every contractor knows the feeling. A job looks good on paper. The schedule makes sense. The crews are lined up. The material is supposed to be there. Then, for no obvious reason, the whole job starts crawling. That is what makes it so frustrating. Nobod

Damian Lang

Contractor Tip of the Month

Sainte-Cécile Cathedral

August 2026

Imagine being handed a set of plans calling for the largest brick cathedral in the world. Now imagine building it without modern cranes, engineered scaffolding, forklifts, power tools, or structural analysis software. That was the challenge facing medie

Cass Stern

Marvelous Masonry

Why SkillsUSA is the Keystone to MCAA’s Outreach

August 2026

When I stepped into the role of the MCAA’s first Director of Youth Outreach and Education, I knew we had a massive job ahead of us. I am a fourth-generation brick mason, and I have spent over two decades teaching the trade, from working with apprentices a

Robert Melgaard

Outreach Outlook

The First Paycheck

August 2026

Several years ago, Huntley Brothers hired a young apprentice. It was his first real job, and he had never had a paycheck before. Friday rolled around, and he got paid just like everyone else. Later that day, one of the guys told me something I have never

Kent Huntley

Chairman’s Message

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