Building Helper

This may seem like a simple project, and it is, but I'm quite impressed with the results and how easy you make things for yourself !

I guess if you are a builder and if you build every day then you get and probably develop a feel for getting those wall streight and level.  I build only when required which is pretty spradic and long periods of time may lapse before I have to find my trowel again.

The string is imo a pain in the butt.  It takes too much time to adjust to the next row and keeping it level is also difficult (for me).  It seems there is always a blooming piece of cement somewhere pushing the string scew.

This is the building helper.  Name for it sucks and I'll gladly rename it if you can come up with something better.  It is a matter of plonking the brick in place, and the Building Helper shows you when the brick is lined up and at the right height.

The higher end.  It hooks over the bricks and the long arm going down is lined up with the top of the bricks you are going to lay next.  The arm on the left is used to put the level against so it is alingned vertically.  I use a piece of plastic wedge to adjust the vertical level.

The lower end rests on the bricks previously built.  The offset between the higher end and the lower end is 83mm which is the thickness of a brick and the cement.

The first piece of wall build with it.  Each row came out level, bricks in line and it does look neater.   Allignment (if any) is quick and nothing can move around  like the string does.

The walls finally build to floor level and filled up.  With a tool like this anyone can build like a pro.  When finished one day this will be the main bedroom.  It will be 5m x 5m plus 4m x 4m, 9m long.   The joke already is there has to fit three double beds in there, the wife's, mine, and the dogs and cat's.

There is room (pun) for improvement.  The down arms is too long to build the first layer on the foundation.  I may extend the lower end's arms up a little for this, you'll flip the building helper to use it then.

Evaluation:

Satisfaction - Nice.  It save some time and is easy to use.  The results is as expected.

Time - Say half an hour to an hour to piece together.  I'll paint it one day and put plugs in the open tubing ends to finish it off.

Cost - Just the cost of the tubing (and the welding if that counts).  I bought 2 x 2m pieces of 38mm square tubing and  there is just under a meter left. 

Go to  www.faze.co.za

E-mail to fanie@faze.co.za

Tel 012 661 4751 (South Africa)