Could you or your team use some help? As I make a transition back to regular work, I've got some flex time that I'm happy to VOLUNTEER. My initial thought is a solid 3 to 4 hours per week, but we can certainly discuss. Accepting applications now.
I'm based out of Boston, reliable to contribute from home remotely or meet somewhere in the metro area for on-site work. (Especially downtown, central neighborhoods, Cambridge/Somerville, and the south/eastern part of greater Boston.)
As a mission-driven person I'm excited to consider even basic/detailed/grunt labor that supports the team, so don't be shy with your proposal if it doesn't sound like a perfect fit with my background. Question(s)?
I can’t imagine their top motivator is generosity. They are doing this because a healthy, stable home for every person is better for everyone. Let’s keep making quality spaces
When I awoke this morning, the concrete crew was already at work, hoisting massive slabs of my old driveway into a dump truck. Others were grading the ground for the new pour—all of this before sunrise. I almost wish I had posted one of my sunrise photos to mark the moment; I’m sure I have one or two tucked away.
There’s a certain stress in watching your driveway demolished while your car sits trapped in the garage 😱. Still, patience pays: in about a week the concrete will cure enough to drive on, though full strength won’t arrive until 28 days. No worries—we pulled the pickup out earlier and parked it on the section completed a couple of weeks ago.
We lucked out when a neighbor with a dump truck wanted the old concrete. I’m not sure whether we benefited more, or the contractor did. When I asked what they would have done otherwise, they mentioned a long trailer—or perhaps renting one of those dump trailers.
The excavator they’re using is a huge orange Kubota—likely rented, though maybe borrowed. In the shuffle of moving those heavy blocks, one slipped and shattered a windshield. Thankfully no one was hurt, though the operator seemed rattled, and now the contractor has a windshield to replace.
Exciting times indeed.
“Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort.” — John Ruskin
“The road to success is always under construction.” — Lily Tomlin
“It’s not the beauty of a building you should look at; it’s the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time.” — David Allan Coe
"A solitary Great Blue Heron strides across a dry, sunlit field, its long legs moving with deliberate grace over the tawny grass. The earth beneath is a patchwork of faded gold and hints of green, whispering of late-season drought and quiet resilience. The heron’s plumage is a tapestry of deep slate-blue and soft gray, draping its slender frame like a ceremonial robe. Its neck curves in a poised S-shape, both serpentine and regal, leading to a dagger-like beak tinged with reddish-orange—sharp, purposeful, and alert.
This is not merely a bird—it is a sovereign figure crossing a ceremonial threshold, a living glyph etched against the parchment of the land." - Microsoft Copilot
#3Dprinting houses is a new #technology where an extruder follows a plot and simply accretes the house with layers of cement. It has a lot of possibilities and promise to make #homeBuilding faster and cheaper, and engineers are working on some exciting improvements for the technology:
So here we go. Half a decade old nerd from the best country there is, 🇫🇮 . I used to make computers go beep for a living, but then I veered into #construction. I'm interested in almost everything. I read #scifi and try to play #bass . I like #gardening and #bumblebees
Internet used to be great*. In 1997 my world expanded when I first installed Red Hat Linux 4.2, and I've been using #linux ever since. Currently more than a decade with #ArchLinux , and #sailfishos runs on my phone.
[* it still is, but you have to look harder for the good spots]
#California Gov #Newsom signs #ScottWeiner bill to bulldoze over opposition to expansion of #housing density and residential construction projects along key rail transit corridors.
New #Yimby law "Abundant & Affordable Homes Near Transit Act" (#SB79) creates less restrictive state #zoning codes, limits options for those seeking to stall plans, restrict density or halt new housing near transit stations.
Opposition to legislation included exburb #NIMBY#realestate investors who fear #construction of potential seven story condo bldgs near rail transit corridors that would destroy perception of aesthetic quaintness of #suburbs like Burlingame, or Petaluma etc.
Earlier this summer #GovNewsom signed similarly YIMBY-backed #legislation to exempt most urban apartment projects from #CEQA reviews, the state’s signature environmental protection law. “Go YIMBYs,” Newsom said when signing that bill into law.
The state's "housing crisis" conditions in which distinct lack of even rental unit availability, and #Prop13 tax measure after effects etc, have all spiked the price of even basic housing, and put vast swaths of not particularly exceptional suburbs anongst the nation's highest priced #realestate markets.
“In California we talk a lot about where we don’t want to build homes, but rarely do we talk about where we do—until now,” said law sponsoring Assembly member Wiener in a statement about his fourth in a decade long attempt to get similar laws passed. “SB 79 unwinds decades of overly restrictive policies that have driven housing costs to astronomical levels, forcing millions of people away from #jobs and #transit and into long commutes from the #suburbs or out of the state entirely. It has been a long road to tackling these decades-old problems, but today’s signing marks a new day for #AffordableHousing in California.”
BREAKING: GOVERNOR
NEWSOM SIGNS LANDMARK
HOUSING LEGISLATION TO
ACCELERATE
DEVELOPMENT AND
AFFORDABILITY
By David Greenwald =] October 10,2025
Illustration of Senator Scott Wiener - SB 79 - Artificial Intelligence generated image
“All Californians deserve an affordable place to live - close to jobs, schools, and opportunity.” - Governor Gavin Newsom
“SB 79 is a historic step toward tackling the root cause of Californias affordability crisis - our profound shortage of homes and too few people having access to transit.” - Senator Scott Wiener
This black-and-white advertisement promotes Cummer Asphalt Plants, highlighting their efficiency and reliability. At the top, bold text reads “100 TONS PER HOUR CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE.” On the left is a photo of a large industrial asphalt plant with tall metal towers, pipes, and a cylindrical drum—showing the full machinery setup.
On the right, bullet points list features:
Capacity of 100 tons per hour (with precise drying and heating specs).
A mixing tower with vibrating screens.
Enclosed elevators for cold and hot materials.
Cold storage bins, feeders, and dust collectors.
Options for diesel or electric power.
Fully equipped with motors and starter switches.
The ad notes other plant sizes (50–100 tons/hour) and promises “prompt shipment of all sizes.”
At the bottom, it credits The F.D. Cummer & Son Company, based in Cleveland, Ohio, as the builders of these asphalt plants.
This is not exactly a new #construction method. After war, whole parts of Warsaw were rebuilt this way. There was so much rubble that instead of taking it out it was minced in special "mills" and used to build new houses. The method was called "gruzobeton", literally "rubble concrete". Houses built from this material can be seen today particularly in Muranów district.
Good for #Ukraine, but it's sad that reality is making us reuse such construction methods from the past.
Govt hitting pause on construction code updates till 2029. Sounds great for developers but what about standards, energy efficiency and accountability? Are we just lowering the bar to get more houses up fast?
Apparently a woman and her child were injured when it fell and were taken to hospital, but they have largely recovered. They got lucky that the scaffolding mostly fell on the lightpost nearby.
One of the staff on duty watching it got a bit mad at me taking photos. Said "they don't want a media release". I just told him "I'm not media" and he seemed ok with that. (Never mind that if I were media, there's even less chance I'd be listening to that instruction, since there's no lawful basis on which to make it.)
(Lemmy users: click through to Pixelfed to view the second attached image.)