Showerthought: never realized how much mortar gets wasted on a typical house until I ran the numbers on my last job

Found out from an old estimator's spreadsheet that a standard 2,000 square foot brick home wastes around 15% of the mortar mix just from cleanup and overmixing, which is roughly $400 down the drain per project, and I'm wondering how many guys actually track that loss or just write it off.

3 comments

3 Comments

perez.willow10d ago

Wait, does that 15% include the mortar I accidentally kicked off my trowel and onto my boot that one time? I mean, I've definitely written off a few hundred bucks in material as the "oops tax" and just called it a learning experience. My own tracking system is basically just me guessing and hoping the numbers work out at the end of the day.

alexw758d ago

Man I feel that, the "oops tax" is way too real some days.

piper_burns10d ago

Does that 15% account for the mortar that gets stuck in the mixer drum or left in the wheelbarrow? I always figured guys just let that harden and chip it out later without counting it. Seems like the real waste might be closer to 20% if you track every last smear.