Transcript (en)

Can you believe this? This entire courtyard costs less than $200, and in some cases, it can last up to 100 years. So here's the question. Why do you almost never see this in the U.S.? Because this method goes against almost everything modern construction believes. This is Pakistan, and what you're looking at is a mason's job site. No machines, no concrete slab, no expensive materials, just bricks and skill. First, the workers spread a layer of wet sand on the ground and compact it down using a board. Then comes the surprising part. They don't lay the bricks flat. They stand them on edge, one by one. It looks wrong, but this is where the strength comes from. When bricks are set on edge, they take compressive force differently. The material stays the same, but the overall strength can nearly double. Each brick is gently tapped into place, locking it firmly into the sand layer below. But the real secret is something called a double grouting process. The first layer of mortar simply supports the bricks. What truly turns this into a solid surface is the second layer. It flows into every tiny gap, locking all the bricks together. From that moment on, it becomes one solid structure. As the moisture dries, the rough red bricks and the clean white lines and the entire surface begins to look like a woven carpet laid across the courtyard. So here's the real question. Would you spend $200 to build a courtyard like this in your own home?