Hit 10,000 bricks laid in a single project and it felt like a waste

Everyone talks about high brick counts like they're a badge of honor, but on this big apartment job in Tempe, hitting that mark just meant we were moving too fast for quality. I found three courses with inconsistent joint depth because we were pushing for speed over a clean line. Does anyone else think we focus too much on the number and not enough on the craft?

3 comments

3 Comments

aaron_flores843mo ago

Been there, man. The count is for the office, but the line is what you see every day. Slow the crew down for a clean line, even if it costs you an hour.

adam_thomas3mo ago

Yeah, the clean line thing is real. My buddy's crew rushed a job last week and the client made them redo the whole section.

sams251mo ago

Oh man, that's the worst feeling... watching a crew have to tear out work they already did. But honestly, the client is right in this case. A rushed line always shows, and once it's painted or sealed, you can't hide those sloppy edges. I've seen it happen where a team saves thirty minutes on the rough-in but then spends two hours fixing the mistakes later. The whole "measure twice, cut once" thing applies to the cleanup and finish work just as much. You can't fake that crisp, straight line where the finish meets the trim... it either looks clean or it doesn't.