Bricklaying in Wiltshire

This is an individual who is trained in the art of working with concrete blocks or bricks, clay bricks as well as other kinds of mortar building materials. In a combination of these materials and good bricklaying skills, a bricklayer can build and repair veneer as well as full brick construction, arches, partitions and other structures.

Contrary to many beliefs, a bricklayer actually does more than laying of bricks. There’s more to being a bricklayer than you can probably think of. A single bricklaying projects requires a wide array of skills. Let’s have a look at these skills!

• Using damp resistant materials to seal foundations.

• Spreading mortar between joints and applying them to serve as a thick layer binding the bricks together in rows.

• Reading and working from specifications as well as plans.

• Working with brick-cutting machines.

• Taking charge and caring for cement blocks or bricks, clay bricks and the likes.

• Construction of scaffolding - subject to possession of some licenses in some states.

A bricklayer mostly works outdoors, in the field and may also work at heights. Depending on the job, a bricklayer can work as part of a team or be in contact with the public. They are mostly recruited by building and construction companies and bricklaying sub contractors. However, they can also set up their own private construction firm or become a self employed tradesperson.

A bricklaying qualification is one of just two construction trades which can continue to become a registered builder. And regardless of the form a bricklaying employment takes, there are certain qualities that makes a really good bricklayer. These includes:

• Ability to work at heights and outdoors

• Enjoy practical work

• Technical aptitude

• Good hand-eye coordination

• Independent and yet a team player too

• Top physical fitness

• Attitude and attendance.

Do you want your house to be built using brick? Or perhaps you just require the professional services of a bricklayer. Regardless of your bricklaying needs, the cost charged depends on each job as every job is unique. Bricklayers generally look at each task individually and charges based on the complexity of each. We’ve put together this guide to give you an idea of the costs charged by bricklayers. Let’s have a look!

Generally, bricklayers charge either based on a daily rate or a fixed price for a particular amount of bricks ( usually a thousand bricks or 10 - 12 metres square). On the average, an experienced bricklayer can charge within a range of £150 to £200 daily rate and if a labour is needed for the job, an additional £60 to £100 may be included to get the job completed in a quick and fast manner. If the quoting is done based on the number of bricks to be incorporated, then a thousand bricks will be quoted in between £350 to £450 which should be completed in a couple of days.

You should however take note that most times, the bricklayer’s cost will depend on the amount of work involved in the project. As a result, a more tedious and challenging project will most definitely cost more than a simpler one. Examples of some difficult projects that’s likely to cost more are hard to reach areas, difficult sites as well as second storeys which are considered to be more challenging than single storey buildings. What’s more? The complexity of the project is also a great cost factor. While some projects are basically direct and straightforward, others involve curves and more complex designs which will ultimately make the cost jump up.

Well, just like many other team work, a bricklayer is only as good as his supporting cast. And a hard-working labourer should be able to keep three bricklayer gangs happy. But even when he gets to serve just one bricklayer, the site conditions and nature of the wall can also play a huge role in determining the number of bricks that can be laid within 24 hours.

With the best possible site condition, hard-working labourer and best scenario with no pillars, no face brick, long straight wall and no wall ties, a well trained bricklayer should be able to lay within a range of 800 to 1100 bricks all day long. However, you rarely get walls like this as there is always going to be some corner or curve somewhere which usually takes some time to get right. Furthermore, once the bricklayer has laid up to 5 feet, there’ll be a need to get some lift. From that point onwards, the job understandably gets slower and tougher - meaning there’ll most definitely be a face brick.

In addition, there are multiple other factors that can affect the number of bricks that can be laid in a day. Sometimes its the complex designs or weather that’ll determine the daily rate.

With the aforementioned factors and more realistically, on a good day and great site, an expert bricklayer should be able to lay about 500 to 800 bricks in a day. This is generally a very good target, but of course you never can tell with the reasons above and other factors that are simply beyond the control of the bricklayer. If you have a project and want it completed as soon as possible, you can pay the bricklayers based on the number of bricks laid to increase their efficiency.

Cement is a crucial element in bricklaying that’s widely used in both construction as well as finishing works. Generally, they’re used to aerate concrete blocks, connect bricks, prepare plaster, floor levelling as well as the making of precast products. The major reason cement is one of the most common construction materials as its incredible ability to hold structure together. To get a cement plaster, you’d simply have to mix cement with both water and sand. However, when you mix cement with lime, sand and water, you’ll get a mortar.

For cements mortars to be used inside joints, you’ll have to include 1 part cement at the minimum to not more than 2 parts sand by weight which should be dry mixed and moistened with enough water to allow for troweling and packing without falling apart. Generally, the cement sand ratio in a mortar is in between 1:2 to 1:6. The cement and sand mix ratio is largely based on the importance of the project.

Cement provides a plethora of uses in bricklaying and these includes:

• Preparation of cement concrete

• Preparation of cement mortar

• Building fireproof and thermal proof structures

• Building chemical proof structures

• Serving as a grout material

• Building hydrographic and frost resistant structures

• Manufacturing precast members

• Constructing aesthetic concrete

• Constructing cement concrete roads

There are several types of cements with each having its specific purpose. For instance, the type of cement more suited to building a fire proof structure is a high alumnia cement and to build a hydrographic structure, cements like expanding cement, hydrophobic cement, pozzolana cement and quick setting cement are the best bet. Acid resistant cements are more useful in building chemical proof structures, portland cements are best suited to making grout materials, while coloured cements are preferable to building aesthetic structures.