Just got back from a job at the old brickworks on Elm Street
I was cleaning the flue for one of the old kiln chimneys there. The mortar in the crown was totally gone, just a fine powder. I could see daylight through the joints from the inside. The owner said it was fine last winter, but that thing is one good storm from letting water pour straight down the brickwork. Has anyone else run into a crown failing that fast? What did you use to fix it?
Seems like everything's built to just barely last these days. You see it with cheap furniture that falls apart after a move, or a phone charger that stops working in a few months. It's all quick fixes and thin materials, nothing solid. Makes you wonder if they even expect things to hold up anymore.