[TimesDomain]

I will say that the beams, 2x4s, 2x6, all were clear and straight. Made building a lot easier.

Now ... where in the hell did Lowes and the other discount yards find their cinder-blocks? From a children's sandpile? They are so thin and brittle, I had to go back, insert rebar and fill them with cenment to keep them from crumbling from the weight of five-foot wood walls above them.

[concrete is my business]

Luckily I do not know much about blocks. hehe. We do flatwork and will only handle concrete that comes out of the back of a truck.

Your lumber might have been mostly spruce and not pine. It is usually whiter in color than pine and very light and strong. I know clear spruce from big trees is really expensive now and is bought by guitar makers.