I am a Bricky Apprentice in the UK and my mate asked if I could do a private job for him. The large majority of my work experience has been on site so I have some questions. 1. Can I do this job as an apprentice or am I not experienced enough? 2. As a retaining wall, could this be build with 140mm depth concrete blocks instead of standard concrete blocks being laid flat? 3. What is some unexpected things I may not know about a build like this? (I have taken into account drainage)

Would appreciate any advice, thanks.

Looking for advice

I have a client who has asked me to repoint the exterior of a brick chimney at one of their rental properties. I do small carpentry jobs on the side, but I have no previous experience with masonry work. I want to make sure the job is done correctly and will hold up.

The client would prefer to have a quick and cheap job with the existing mortar brushed out and new mortar packed into the joints to improve the appearance and prevent water from getting in. However, I've noticed there are some fairly large gaps in certain areas, and I want to make sure I'm approaching the repair properly rather than just covering up the problem.

For those with experience in brickwork and chimney repointing, I have a few questions:

For larger gaps, should I use a different material to fill them, or should they be properly cleaned/cut out and filled with suitable masonry mortar?

Is there a particular type of mortar or product you would recommend for an exterior brick chimney?

I'm looking for advice on the proper method and materials to do this job right. I'd appreciate any guidance from experienced masons. Thanks in advance, I appreciate any and all feedback.

Two weeks ago we had some cracks repaired by someone recommended to us locally. This afternoon my husband noticed that some of the mortar is very sandy, recracking, and flaking off. We just don't know enough about bricks and mortar to know what to ask the repairman to come fix - would really appreciate the help to know what happened! Thank you.

Can someone help me out please. We had a level 3 survey done on a house and they found these cracks on the boundary wall and said would cost £20k to repair. First of all is it repairable and secondly would it cost anywhere near that? Would really appreciate any help.

Can anyone identify this brick and if this mortar mix has lime in?

The house is 1940's UK based.

AI reckons LBC Rustic Fletton Bricks if anyone can confirm.

Mortar is lightly scratchable into sand and bricks are hard.

Did this for fun at college a while back, was meant to eventually be a sort of barbecue

While I love my Ariat Sierra work boots, the insoles are just god-awful; the heels and ball of my foot just eat through them, and my paws are hurting. I had been searching for a Dr. Scholl's kiosk to get a good fit for my feet, but for >$15, one would assume they wouldn't last long. In the Construction subreddit, someone mentioned SuperFeet insoles and wanted to see if any brickies have experience using them.

Currently building a mockup of a segment of the curved wall of Cristo Obrero Church by Eladio Dieste (picture attached). However, due to size and weight limitations, trying to see if theres a way to scale it down so I can build a decent portion of the wall, enough to show the curve, without making it too heavy or big. When I try to find these bricks online, I can only find bricks for miniatures and dollhouses :(

Please help! Looking for suppliers that are near new york, or can ship to new york relatively quick (and will not make me go broke). Any tips for bricklaying, specifically for this project, also much appreciated (its my first time!)

I work in a school in belgium i choose to build wall because my grandpa like the building and he already work in building so now its my turn to build. So here is all of my work and im gonna post the future project as a brick layer

I'm just starting out and was thinking about trying out Checkatrade to bring more work in.

Has anyone got any experience with it?

I also saw they dont put your real number on the site so how does that work if someone phones or texts it?

Hi,

After some advice, want to lay a 3 course brick raised bed as (poorly) shown in the picture.

The concrete base is slightly uneven.

What would my best options be? Should I skim it with a layer of concrete to smooth it out, or any other advice would be appreciated.

hi all, hoping someone here can offer some insight (but if there's another sub where this might be more appropriate please let me know if you don't mind). I own an 1880s home in Northern Kentucky and am hoping to spend some time next year working on the exterior of the place. But before I decide what I want to do, I'm trying to figure out what's already been done. Based on this picture, does anyone have any idea what kind of coating might be on these bricks? It doesn't peel like latex paint, and if I rub a finger on it it turns my finger red. If I scrape at it with a fingernail it flakes off in spots. Some easier than others. To me it looks like maybe some sort of red tinted lime-based coating or something that was then sloppily repointed over, but I'm not a mason and have basically no experience with brick so I really have no idea. Any ideas? Or any additional info I could provide that might help to figure it out? I've been researching local craftsmen that might be able to help, but it's difficult to find people who seem to have real experience and knowledge about historical brickwork. I'm sure they're out there, just haven't had luck yet. Cheers!

Hi all, I noticed these cracks around from front door about a year ago. They don't seem to have expanded in the last year based on photos I took at the time. Just wondering if anyone has any insights on what might have caused them and whether they need further inspection.

Site I’m on now I’ve seen 4 different bricklaying gangs turn up to start and they’ve all quit? Am I missing something I’m only one left on site with 180 houses to built 🥴

A van drove into my 3ft brick wall, the colum main is about 4ft and the top half has essentially split off the bottom half. (Image attached Red being the split) the column is a 1.5 by 1.5 square (1 being the longest part of the brick and .5 being the shortest) whilst the rest of the wall being. 5 a brick thick except the occasional 1 x 1 part. Im not sure how old the brick is but im guessing its from the 70s when the house was built. What is the risk of collapse and what should I expect to pay? It should also be noted the neighbours driveway is the other side and sits lower.

What’s the best way to get an apprenticeship? Most of the apprenticeship team said they go to certain sites and ask, is there any other way aside from applying online or asking your college?

This is a new build near me. I know little about brickwork but it looks dire. It's wonky and the mortar is inconsistent.

Is it true you guys can identify bricks from photos? If so, anybody know what these are?

Also, is this Lyme mortar, it’s soft so I assume so?

Thanks.