The Need: A quick, easy way of lowering bricks into the well.

The Dutch bricks are heavy--they can weigh up to 40 kg (90 lbs). The well can be very deep; throwing or handing the brick down to the mason simply isn't possible. The best way to get the bricks into the well is to lower them down on a rope, using a pulley. Currently, the rope is tied around the brick; this requires the mason to untie it at the bottom.

The bottom of the well is a very confined space. Ideally, a mason would have lots of room to move around, store bricks,etc.; in the case of a well, however, every cubic foot of elbow room is another cubic foot of soil and rocks that has to be dug out and excavated. Consequently, digging is minimized, as is maneuvering space at the bottom of the well. The only space the mason has is over the well itself. His feet, however, have to remain outside the well (or else he'll fall in!), so he has to counterbalance anything he carries by throwing his weight backwards--similar to a pregnant woman arching her back

Having received the brick, the mason has to untie it from the rope. There isn't really any room next to the mason to place the brick; and even if he did have space to put it down, that would mean picking it up again--another backbreaking step. In most cases the mason clutches the brick against his body while untying the rope--a most uncomfortable process.

Here I saw an opportunity to help the masons in their everyday work by creating a tool that would allow them to maximize their productivity while minimizing their back strain.