Brick Houses (was: Rupert! What were you thinking?

[justcarol67]

> zanooda:
> > Cinder block is concrete, right? Does anyone know something about > steel-frame construction? Sounds kind of exotic :-).
> 
> md:
> > Not really, it's a type of concrete but not nearly as dense or heavy as concrete, the "cinder" refers to the stone used. 
> 
> Geoff:
> We use "breeze blocks" in some construction work -They're defined as "a lightweight building brick made from cinders mixed with sand and cement". Sounds as if they are our equivalent.
>
Carol responds:

Here's what cinder blocks, which are *very* common in Arizona, look like:

http://tinyurl.com/yj62teh

Obviously, the hollow part is hidden when they're laid like bricks to build a wall, and the solid part faces out.

I don't know what they're made of, but they're rough textured and fairly light weight. I could probably carry one in each hand for a short distance if I wore work gloves. I managed to damage a leather coat when I stupidly tried to carry one in both arms. (I was trying to help some kids build a playhouse.) Students used to build bookshelves of boards and cinder blocks when I was in college. Extremely cheap furniture!

Since Flagstaff, where I grew up, has cinder pits in its formerly volcanic mountains (they "salt" the icy roads with cinders in wintertime), it's possible that Arizona's cinder blocks are actually made from cinders. Just guessing, of course.

Carol, who used to explore half-built cinder block houses as a child and collect the orange and yellow electrical wires for "jewelry"