I have to confess: what is this business of rotating bricks? Am I missing some sort of a joke? Granted, I have been deleting most of the messages from the list lately due to their sheer quantity, so I may have just missed something, but I have never heard of such a thing... Can someone clear this up for me?
This is an old "used-house salesman's" trick -- not unlike that accomplished by his cousin the "used-car salesman" (who turns the speedometer back.)
By turning the bricks around one decreases the "aged" look of the brick, thereby increasing the resale value of the property. [Everyone wants to buy "new" stuff; nobody wants to buy "old-used" stuff.] Of course, the "unintended consequence" of this is that the "shiny-new-looking" home sticks out like a sore thumb to the tax assessor!
Needless to say, such activities are strictly frowned upon by anyone wanting to maintain the historic patina of their property. (And frequently by their neighbors who don't want THEIR property taxes to go up as well.)
However, today, it is widely recognized in Feng Shui circles that the proper alignment of the bricks can enhances ones chances for avoiding the vagaries of Urban living.
Interestingly, this trick is very difficult to accomplish with many University City properties as they were built with what are known as "butterfly joints." While a standard mortar joint is about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick to allow for the uneven surface of the soft, cheap bricks used, "butterfly joints" are very thin, usually 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick, due to the fact that the mortar was "buttered" onto the expensive, smooth well-fired brick... (Back in those days, butter was expensive, and not readily available, so you spread it very thinly on your bread.) But once again, the "unintended consequence" appears -- this alteration of butterfly joints prevents the growth of yet another tree in the Australian Outback.
Note that you can tell the difference between the two types of brick by its color. Hard Fired brick is a deep dark red, while the soft, cheap "Kelly special" brick is kind of a salmon colored, almost pink, sometimes called, with a meaning the inverse of a "Philadelphia Lawyer" -- "Philadelphia Brick." (Yes, that Kelly; Grace's Grandfather. "Kelly for Brickwork," Kelly... there are some fascinating stories about construction in Philadelphia after the Civil War.) A good example of the "problem brick" is the side of the printing company at 41st and Chestnut across from the Car Wash. That is NOT the result of "acid rain." It is the result of using "cheap brick."
T.T.F.N. William H. Magill [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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