Mr. Mike, I want to say thank you. I have learned so much from you over tge years.

Seriously, this happened three times in this video. I had a question pop up in my head as I watched and you answered that question seconds later! Amazing! Beautiful fire pit as well!

I'm a novice masoner whatched Mike's KZfaq and suddenly I'm doing good work thanks Mike it's no big deal but your lesson s are what a master!!!

"good thing i showed ya this or youd think it was aliens" lol I love you videos for masonry tips and good points and humor. I liked when you showed the lawyers definition of an expert , and "no big deal just get it done" thanks from colorado

This is a Haduck classic.

The rare instance where wire mesh WAS the answer! Great work, Mike. Big job.

Looks great Mike, I like the statement, " You have to work with what you have." That fountain looks cool too!

Thanks for the confidence you've given me to attack all the cracks in the walls, the foundation, and the walkways. I keep hearing you say no big deal.

No fuss, very casual approach. Much appreciated!

LOL..when the video came on I thought it was UGLY, until continued to watch to see how it was made. I think we are use to seeing all those "home depot" bricks. Truly a craftsmen. Its GREAT. Its like seeing a real tomato in your garden and thinking its ugly because you are so used to seeing commercially raised tomatoes. Thank you for sharing!

God Bless you Mr. Haduck.

You should be teaching at Penn State. I always liked walking around State College, PA looking at the stone homes and thinking about our family homestead outside Erie. A stone house built in 1820 by Irish immigrants!

Stainless steel washing machine drums work great for small firepits.

i have enjoyed and learned something from every video you have made thank you thank you may GOD bless you and merry Christmas

He has not peer, one of a kind, an American original !

Thanks, Mike you explain thing so even I can absorb it, I don't have the desire to become a Pro mason But have projects on my farm that you have taken the fear out of myself from trying a great job thanks!!

Outstanding job teaching/explaining while working!

My husband and I are planning to build a fire pit and your video and know how sure helped us. Thank you! Your pit sure turned out beautifully.

Mike ,thanks for the great idea of getting sponges from an old couch cushion.I would have never thought about that. I'm always in such a hurry,I go by Home Depot and pick up 2 or 3 ....but no more! Also,talking about the timing of sponging stuff off,you can really make a mess if you're too early and it's still too wet. However, in another way it seals up really good and doesn't leave any hair-line cracks in the mortar joint . You just have to go over it again once it does dry up some. Great video! Merry Christmas!

OMG I love the way your narrate. Talking about filling the stone voids with 'junk'. I'm scared to try that. I just tell the clients we add filler rock and stone. Great video and superb hands on design Mike. Happy holidays to you and the family.

Very nice! Fire pit with character.

Love your videos Mike. You're the only mason on KZfaq worth watching but you're giving me anxiety not wearing glasses when your using the sledge on the stone lol. Great video and Merry Christmas

2:1 mix! Mr moneybags over here! Seriously Mike, another great tutorial, nice work.

I dry stack with limestone, tons of this rock near my house. Yet limestone from parent strata presents so many shapes from almost round to cube, triangular vertices, shards, and mix of many shapes in 1. Limestone is still has a punky lifespan though but still they are free and it is better to make a wall or something useful that keeps the mind busy. From my collection of rocks I presort on the ground similar shape types yet I use a stick of chalk to mark the rock for what fits together best when trying to get the best finish. Flat sides facing out not irregular facing out. Sometimes I get stuck and have to go out and look for that one shape. Or disassemble to get the best fit. Staggering is probably the best technique for all the versions. Never stack rock on top of rock it has no stability.

Always a treat to watch you work your magic mike!

Another great job mike I my self is a retired mason I did thirty years of curb and gutter in the Los Angeles area 👍

There's no right or wrong but your way is... Perfect!

Enjoyed the video. Always entertaining and fun to watch. Merry Christmas.

Nice work. As for filling the core with junk - my dad says "call it rustic and charge them double!" He's been a mason for over 60 years - still laying brick at 79 a couple days a week.

🎵I went down in a burnin ring of fire"🎶 oh yeah.. 👍More Great Ideas, Mike. Nothing wrong with putting it on gravel at grade as long as it drains well and it doesn't pool there in heavy rains. Saving money for everybody involved.👍.. Stay Strong, Mike. Look forward to see more from you, in 2020. .... Have a Verry Merry Christmas!

Like all the detail and hope you have a Merry Christmas.

That a lot of back breaking work but One Of A Kind! Nice job!!👍🏻👌

Good advise Mike, funny how this video came up, I have been thinking. latley abot building one in my yard.

Awesome Job Mike

Old school awesome

Thanks for all the great videos, Mike. Excellent job on the fire pit!

Thanks for all the good that you do. You are the best.

You're a champ.

Nice Job as always. Thank you for sharing your techniques. Im going to start adding more stones to my landscaping projects.

Great work sir

Thank you very much I have learned lot of things

beautiful work Mike!!

Awesome, love learning from your videos.

I love watching you work. God bless merry Christmas

Hi mike 👋😃 I like your work that’s some pretty cool stuff that you do!! I do concrete work myself not so much stone work mostly flat work . Your my fav mason on KZfaq I watch all your videos and each one I learn something from thanks for your help and time !!!

Another great job, Mike! The “aliens” would be proud of you. Merry Christmas to you and family. Phil from Staten Island.

Great job my dude

Hi Mike just found your videos. Ive been doing a lot of ground work in my back garden here in sunny old England. Just wanna say your vids have not only helped me but also inspired me too. Thank you keep up the good work 😉

Mike, that was four years ago when you uploaded those videos for the pillar and paver work on this property.

Hey Mike thanks for the great explanation... I’m in WPA and like you, weather is our biggest challenge, on not what to do but how to do it. Thanks again for the video, ain’t no big deal!

Great job as always Merry Christmas Mike...

So Portland can withstand the heat of the fire? That's good because I got a couple of cracks in my Chimanea that I need to fill. P.S.: I'm the DIY-er who is working on my slate+brick front steps. It's still a work in progress, but my first two rows of steps, which I re-worked with Portland + Sand made it through the Christmas freeze and did not pop! I'm so happy that I found your channel! Happy New Year, Mike!

Great video, Thanks for posting and Merry Christmas

Cool and useful project yet again. Thanks Mike! (If you're ever in Albuquerque I'll take you out for New Mexican food.)

Greeeeat job

Thanks,Mike .

Outstanding Sir.

Nice work, good explanation, you just gave me and i am sure others, information and a little confidence, thanks for posting/sharing. Edit, excellent.

It's like a big puzzle piece of rock. I didn't think I particularly needed a fire pit but Mike's videos make me want to figure out where I can get these types of rock in (Tampa) Florida, I'd try a table after.

love your videos, Mike.

Thank you Mike🌻

Mike, looks awesome. Exactly what I’m trying to build myself. Two quick questions for you. Could I build with granite rock? There’s a ton here in the Boston area and it would look great. What’s the dry time with the mix? I’m a novice when it comes to this stuff and I feel like I will be rushed to get it done before it sets and I have to make a new batch of mix. Thanks a lot and I love watching your videos. Put in my new basement windows after seeing your videos.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New year Mr. Haduck.

Lmao 😅😅😅 "noones gonna see it except the fire" Love these videos man. Ive learned so much the past year and a half. Everywhere I go now I analyze all the masonry

Very impressive 👍👍

Nice work Mike!

Nice job Mike.

Thanks mike, came out great

Quality work nice jobs them to do.

Nice work 👌👍

Great video Mike! Aren't you worried about sandstone absorbing water and then exploding the stone when the trapped water finally flashes to steam? Back many decades ago, I had a stone explode with such force that it knocked me back 3 feet and threw huge burning logs all over my campsite. I was extremely lucky my friend and I didn't get seriously hurt. After that terrifying experience, I never use sandstone rocks for anything that generates enough heat to create steam. Just my experience with sandstone...

Mike first of all love your videos they are very helpful.i am making a pizza oven one over a gym ball. I'm using perlite in the mix with sand, fireclay and cement. It's going to obviously get hot and cold over and over and exposed to Indiana weather. My question is the cement in the mix which would you advise to use a type S or Portland

Beauty full

Thanks for the video!

great mr mike

nice work there mike

Ok, so now I’m stalking your videos for my massive projects. You are so impressive with your rock chipping! I’m trying a brick oven pizza oven w/chimney bricks. Chipping the 1880’s mortar/lime? off: Within 3 bricks I had chips in my eye! How do you do it?!

Ever work with 'round stone'?, Mike. .. most masons I know don't want anything to do with 'round stone' (it's Too Hard to do 'correctly').. I specialize in 'round' stone,, My 'round stone' work is built with tight joints (like Machu Peechoo). I know a lot of secrets when comes building with 'round stone'. And people just love that look.

Great Job

Copper Neck Rattlesnakes. Very rare only found in Pennsylvania

Mike, what mixture would you advise to use for a stone wall around a pond structure that stays saturated? Thanks, Adam

Beautiful fire pit, you are a master craftsman. I’m curious, do you see many younger people getting into masonry as a career? Seems like shortage in this country on next generation of hands on trades.

Great content!

Hey Mike, where did the foundation work? from what I know, when doing any type of stone/brickwork some sort of concrete foundation is a must in order to ensure the end result will last many years. Not only talking about colder climates where building without a foundation will cause the stonework to crack and move, also as a general rule so that the heavy stonework have a decent and sable substructure to lean on. at least this is how we do it in Europe, even a thin(ish) 15-20cm thick foundation with a thin rebar mesh would be better than doing all of your previous time consuming work on gravel

Ya jess do what ya do.No big deal.

Hey Mike why did you use Portland instead of brickset, just curious. I been doing masonry restoration for about 25 years and I'm still learning and trying to soak up as much information as possible. I appreciate your input, also I'm from Milwaukee, Wisconsin we have alot of old buildings built with Cream City brick,did you ever see or use them out in your neck of the woods,Cream City brick were made in or around Milwaukee? Da fire pit looks good as usual.

Interesting video!! nice job too!! Makes me wish I had a spot for something like that :-)

I remember that job!

Watch out for those Copperneck Rattlesnakes!

Killer work Mike. I have not used a metal ring before but I think I’ll give it a try. Is that from a farm supply store like Tractor Supply? Just cut down to the required height. Plenty of Copperheads down my way too; your go to rock pile stash is where I’d be careful! Lol. Thanks for passing down your knowledge and documenting it for us here on KZfaq. I heard Avoca got its name from a train track that goes through it; either a bad accident or sadness. Native Americans named it, means crying or wailing. What do you know about that? Happy Holidays from the Myers family in Atlanta.

Mike, I would love to see you build a fireplace with chimney in a home with brick and stone.I myself wanted to build one but don't know how to start :(

Mike my god every video no matter what it is. Whether your just going to “patch it up” or “just paint it on”. You amaze me. Thanks I have a flagstone patio around my firepit. If i step on some pieces it feels loose. Some of the mortar in between i can pull out with my hands.. im going to lift some flagstone up and re set them with 2 sand 1 portland Then rapid set mortar the joints. If im correct its bc of you. If im wrong its bc i suck at this. What you think?

Hey mike! Sweet videos. I grew up just across the Ny border near Corning. Just one question meant to be funny- do you have boxes of those left handed rubber gloves leftover? Or maybe the are interchangeable on both hands ;)

Enjoyed your video and learned a lot. But . . . I used left over granite rock for my pit. I have a metal interior ring and used quickcrete for the rock. I have at least a 2" space between metal ring and rock. I will be making a wooden cover for it. My dilemma? I'm no mason. I fear all my work will be ruined in a few seasons. Is there a not-too-expensive sealer I can apply to the rock/concrete to help it's longevity? Thank you. - Susie

Work with what you got...came out Great 👍 can you make marshmallow skewers out of durawall?

Great video Mike just like always! so I only need to do the joints on the first course (strong base) and the last (top) and just fill in the middle as I go with mortar & rubble Its not like brick work unless that is the appearance or effect someone wanted ? You know like "Grout" and what about sealer after it has set for a few days? Good Idea or No ? Thank you Mike! I have learned so much from watching you videos. Two Thumbs Up Sir!!

Hey Mike, I live in Litchfield Co. CT, recently all a lot posh homeowners are suddenly all putting in cobble stone aprons between the road asphalt and gravel of their driveways. All it takes is one person to start the trend. Some masons put down a film/thin layer of gravel and cement all the cobbles together. From watching your videos it would seem that would prone to shifting from car weight frost heaving in the long term. Question/comment are old European cobble stone road cemented or do stones just float packed in as tight as possible and sit on a thick gravel bed? What's best way to do a driveway apron or most old school way (e.g. like 18" of gravel and have the stones float and gaps just filled with sand?)

Hey Mr. Mike, it looks to me like you had a dry stack along the bottom and only cemented the top?? 👍👍👍😎🇨🇱

So let's say you want to build an 8 x 10 stone shed, on very soggy land. Could you build the whole thing on small rocks like they built the train tracks? If so, how far down should be dug, and how many inches of gravel? This is in Vermont.

Great job! What is the outside diameter of the stone fire pit?