Local Masonry

 

Walking down the streets of Springfield, you can see change everywhere. Change in the way people dress, change in the way the buildings are decorated, and also change in the way that the buildings are constructed. If you look around at the buildings of downtown Springfield you can see the difference in the way the bricks previously were used to create buildings compared to the bricks that are used in the masonry business today.

• History
• Funk and Tofflemoyer Masonry
• Tools
• Mortar
• Brick Type

 

In 1960 there were only five masonry companies in the cities of Springfield and Eugene. Today masonry companies in Springfield are not few and far between, but just the opposite. There are over 25 masonry companies in Springfield. The company that I would like to focus on right now is a company that was around 20 years ago but no longer exists today. The name of the company is Funk and Son's Masonry. Gary Funk owned the company. He started as a mason for Bruce Fix Masonry and worked there for 7 years. In 1967 he started out on his own, to make a business and create a larger income for his family. Gary and his two sons, Terry Tofflemoyer and Steve Tofflemoyer, were both in the business with him. Funk and Son's Masonry served areas from the Oregon coast to Blue River. They worked in Lincoln City, Newport, Junction City, and Roseburg. Eugene and Springfield were the largest of areas that they did business in and business is still booming to this day. All through the '60s there wasn't much competition. Back then a single fireplace could go for $350 labor included. The material was at about $2 per square foot. 

In the early '80s as the housing boom fell, Funk and Son's Masonry was forced to break up. Terry went to Alaska to lay brick for a commercial outfit, while Steve stayed in Oregon and went to work for Roseboro Lumber. Gary stayed with the masonry business and hung on for 3 years until the housing started to pick up again. After the housing demand started to rise, Terry and Steve both came back to Funk and Son's Masonry. At this point the housing hadn't come to enough to support three partners. So, Funk and Son's Masonry was split into two different companies Steve's Masonry which was owned by Steve Tofflemoyer and Funk and Tofflemoyer Masonry, which was owned by Gary Funk and Terry Tofflemoyer. When the masonry industry grew around Springfield, so did both of the companies. Before long the "one man show" of Steve's Masonry grew as Steve started to expand his business and hire new people. Both masonry companies grew and became some of the most well known companies in   Springfield and surrounding areas, including the city of Eugene. The demand in houses has grown drastically and the price for materials per square foot rose to about 9-12 dollars.

The most prominent house structure used to be the single story. Now the most prominent is the two story house. The increase in two story houses has changed the price, and also the average time spent on a job. The average time spent in the '60s was about a day and a half. Now the average time is about two to three days on a job. One big reason why masonry has grown like it has is because of the decrease in the fire insurance on a house. Brick Veneer, since it is not made of any flammable material, cannot and will not burn in the event of a fire. In the past years because of restrictions on the cutting of trees, masonry has become a cheaper alternative to wood for the siding of a house.

The masonry industry is a market that varies year to year, depending on the supply of masons and the demand for new houses that are being built. One part that shows the change in people's taste is the lost art of masonry fireplace building. About 1 in 50 new houses have a masonry fireplace in them. The masonry fireplaces started to fall out in the '80s. Another factor that comes into play when talking about the varying market is the trends of brick that come and go year in and year out. Before this last decade some of the most popular materials were the Flagstone stone and Monroe Red brick. Most of the Springfield area masonry was done using Monroe Red brick. Today the market has started to go toward cultured stone, making the structure have more of an aged appearance. Cultured stone came around within the last few years and has made a very large impact on the masonry world. There are many different types of brick available that can be used on residential or commercial applications. Those include the Chateau Gray, Carib, Cascade Spice, Stratford, Sheffield, Westport Used, and the Harbor Mist.

Brick is usually made of clay that is fired in a kiln. The brick can also be shaped in molds so that the face of the brick can appear to be textured. Different types of brick are harder than others. The harder based brick are more difficult to clean after they are laid. The softer brick can usually just be cleaned with striking of the joints and a brushing. For the harder base brick muratic acid has to be used to remove the mortar from the brick so that it will shine. Muratic acid is a corrosive that can be used to clean many different types of masonry supplies and tools. If the acid is not watered down or not washed off properly after cleaning, it can cause damage to the brick veneer that it is placed upon. The acid is not only used for cleaning the brick, but also of taking mortar off of the flatbed trucks that are used to haul the materials. The mortar eventually accumulates on the trucks over time because of the fact that they are used every day to carry the ingredients for mortar and the pallets of brick to the job-site.

Mortar is used to stick the brick to the wall and is composed of cement, chemical lime, and sand. Chemical lime is a substance that, when in contact with skin can cause a painful alkaline burn that can remove the skin from the palm of the hand or wherever else the lime may be. Back in the 60's the lime was in a liquid form and if not stirred well and used properly it was able to create excruciating pain to a person. The "slack lime" as it was called is not in use today because the lime used today is in a solid powder form and is not as much of a health hazard. The cement material has not changed over the years. One large change a few years' back was when the sand used to make the mortar was switched from Willamette River sand to Columbia River sand. There is a large difference in the mortar made by these two different sands. The Willamette River mortar has more dirt in it because the sand in the Willamette is much dirtier than the sand in the Columbia. The large quantity of dirt makes for poor mortar, which doesn't hold up as well. The much cleaner Columbia sand made very solid, sturdy mortar. The Columbia River sand is now the only sand that is sold in Springfield. When the lime and cement are mixed with sand and water, the chemicals start a reaction that creates a very stiff hold when the water is all removed from the mortar. The mortar has to be kept wet so that it doesn't dry too quickly causing the brick veneer to fall off the house. Mortar is mixed in a mixer. An average mixer can hold about 60 gallons of mortar. Before the mixer came into use there was an item called a Mud Box. A mud box was used to mix the mortar. The hod carrier, who is an employee who keeps the mason supplied with materials, had to take the lime, cement, and the sand, and place it into the box and mix it with a shovel. Mud boxes were removed from use when mixers came out. It was less time consuming to place the ingredients into a mixer and it eliminated having to mix it by hand with a shovel.

The tools that are used for masonry are mostly constructed of metal, wood, and fiberglass. The mud board is made of wood and the hod carrier places the mortar on it so that it is available for the mason. The trowel, a tool to spread the mortar, is used to move the mortar from the board where it is kept so that it may be watered down if needed. The mixers are probably the most important part of masonry equipment. Without mixers the masons would have to mix the mortar by hand, which in the end would do nothing but slow down the process of laying the brick. Mixers have also evolved along with the industry over the years. They have stronger motors so that they have less of a chance of locking up when the mortar inside doesn't have enough water in it and the paddles get locked to the drum of the mixer. They have also gotten smaller so that it is easier to transport them from job site to job site. Another tool that is highly used is the brick saw. The brick saw is capable of cutting through the hardest brick while still maintaining good cut speed. Most saws are equipped with a diamond blade. The other type of saw blade is the fiber blade. The fiber blade is made up of carbon fibers and an epoxy that creates a very strong hold and sharpens itself as you cut. Fiber blades last longer than a diamond blade but the diamond blades cut much more quickly and help keep stress off the motor of the saw. Another type of tool that is used every day in masonry is the roller skate or "striker". This tool is used to clean up the joints and make them look perfect. The joints are then run over with a brush to clean out any of the excess dry mortar. Scaffolding is used almost every day for large jobs. The scaffolding can be set up as needed to reach high areas. There are different types of scaffolding. The type used mostly by residential masons differs from the type used by commercial masons. Commercial masons use a type of scaffolding that uses a crank to raise the scaffold so that the mason can remain at a perfect brick laying level. Most residential masons use a type in which each set of scaffolding has to be placed manually on top of each other to get the mason to the proper height. When the scaffolding is set up, wooden planks are used so that there is a walking surface for the masons to be on as they lay the brick. The planks are also used to hold the materials and mud boards so that the masons can use them while they are up on the scaffolding. Darweld, a glue product used in tile and concrete applications is highly used today too. Darweld is used when pavers are put on the floor and also when hearths are placed onto fireplaces.

Funk and Tofflemoyer Masonry also manufactures air vents. Gary began making the air vents for fireplaces back when Funk and Son's Masonry was in business. The air vents were created to give more oxygen to a fire in the firebox so that it could burn more efficiently. The air vents were patented and Gary was making a sizable income from the sale of them. They were sold mostly to Mutual Materials and some to Willamette Graystone. Some of the air vents were also sold to companies out of the area to increase visibility and sales. Most of the jobs done by Funk and Tofflemoyer were residential jobs. There was only one time that Funk and Tofflemoyer tried to work on a government project. The restrictions were so high on the job that the company lost more money than it gained. During the time that the government employed them they were shut down numerous times because the weather wasn't acceptable to work in by government standards.

Over the course of the next couple years, masonry could change again in different ways. People's taste will change again. New and better tools and types of brick laying techniques will come into use. The masons will use technology to become faster and more efficient. They are already beginning to use computers to bid jobs and track their profits. There is the potential for masonry companies to make more money in the future than ever before. However, the demand for masonry could also drop in the next few years. With the competition between masonry and stucco, a type of house siding, it will become harder and harder to acquire brick veneer jobs. Also the depletion of masonry fireplaces could have a large impact. Demand for housing could go down. More and more companies could go out of business while others will try to hang on and ride out the storm. If tastes change enough, the majority of the people in America might want to use a different type of outer decoration on their houses instead of brick or stucco. The art of masonry will never be fully shut out of use in this area. Even if masonry applications are reduced and other trends come into play, people in Springfield and other parts of the country will continue to see masonry because of its longevity.

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