@dandays,
Thank you so much for the witness vote.
I promise, I'll keep up the good work.

'sall good, homie. Atta boy yourself as much as you need! God knows we don't get enough of them from other people.

Tunnel-honk! _{honk honk honk}

The way I constructed the bluestone wall behind the wood stove took some time but was pretty easy. First I made 4 wooden panels that were made using 2 x 4s covered with 3/4 plywood and then covered in a wire lath. The panels were set on a pair of horses so all of the work was done while the panel was laying flat. From there I cut the stones and placed them on a bed of mud, After all of the stone was laid and the joints filled between the stone the panels were left to dry. I attached the four panels to the blocking that was secured to the existing wall. The difficult part was getting them in place which I did with a winch and a few pulleys.
It's hard to believe that 15 years have passed since Erica and I made this. She spent the entire summer at the farm and this was one of the projects we did together. It was the summer before her senior year in H.S. and she worked out like crazy the entire summer preparing for her final year of hoops. She would do double sessions working on her skills and conditioning. In the evening she would run a course that we set up on the property, covering 3 miles. When it was time for her to run I was exhausted having spent the double workouts she was doing right by her side. I must have rebounded 10,00 balls that summer. When it came time to run I sat on the couch on the front porch and as she passed me I would let her know her time and give her encouragement to pick up the pace.
That summer was one of the best summers ever.

She was one hard-nosed kid never backing down from anyone her senior year. That year the Lancers finished the season at 24 and 3. They won the conference title, and the county title and lost in the state quarter-final by 2 points.
She was named 1st team all-conference, and 1st team all-county.

One of her goals going into her final year was to score 1000 points and join her brother in that very exclusive club. Her name along with her brother's name now hangs on a banner in the gym. They are the only siblings to ever accomplish that feat.

Sorry for this long-winded story, but your question about the stone wall sparked some of the best memories of my lifetime.

WHEN LOVE AND SKILL WORK TOGETHER, EXPECT A MASTERPIECE. Erica chose this statement after hours of looking through a book we had.

What a great time recalling all of these details at this moment, she and her husband arrived last night and will be staying for the weekend.

Erica is one hell of a great kid.

The bathroom question all depends on the level of skills you have if you are doing the work. You have been around construction much of your life so I would expect it would come in at about a five. Bathroom remodels along with kitchens are some of the most expensive renovations you can make to a home. Our oldest son specializes in bathroom and kitchen remodels and some of the prices he gets make my head spin. If you're having someone else do the work, expect to have your head spinning.

Good luck with the project however you go about it.

Later buddy