Brickwork that matchesthe houseit is joined to

Cavity walls are typically a blockwork inner leaf, insulation and a facing brick outer leaf, tied with stainless wall ties at the correct spacing and staggered pattern. Damp-proof courses, cavity trays over openings, weep vents and cavity closers at reveals are all part of keeping water out of the inner leaf. Openings use concrete or steel lintels with correct end bearing, and reveals are built plumb for the window fit.

Mortar is mixed to a consistent gauge for both strength and colour, with joint profiles, struck, bucket handle or recessed, matched to the existing building. Brick bond and coursing are set out from the existing elevation so datum lines, sills and heads line through. On rendered properties, blockwork is built to suit the render system rather than left for the renderer to make good.

Matching on Victorian and Edwardian houses starts with identifying the brick: London stock, Fletton, red rubber, gauged work or a local variant, plus its size, which differs from modern metric brick. Reclaimed brick is often the right answer. We sample and match brick and mortar colour before the work starts so you see the match rather than take it on trust.

Repointing requires raking out the failed mortar without damaging the arris of the brick, then repointing in a mix appropriate to the masonry, usually lime-based on older solid walls, and finishing the joint to the original profile. Spalled bricks can be cut out and replaced individually. Where wall ties have corroded, they are replaced with retrofit ties; where a section has moved beyond repair, it is taken down and rebuilt to the original coursing.

Garden and boundary walls need foundations proportioned to their height, movement joints on longer runs, piers where the height requires them and a coping detail that throws water clear. Retaining walls are a structural item and are designed rather than simply built taller.

Brickwork is delivered as part of our extension, new build and structural contracts across Sidcup, Bexley, Dartford, Bromley and the surrounding areas. Repointing, brick repair and standalone wall work are also taken on as separate projects.

Brickwork price is driven by the area of wall, the brick specified, how much cutting and matching is involved, and access. Scaffolding is a genuine cost on anything above ground floor and is included in the estimate rather than added later. Reclaimed brick to match a period elevation costs more than stock brick and sometimes has a lead time, which is why matching is agreed early rather than on the day laying starts.

Weather affects masonry more than most trades. Mortar should not be laid in frost, and freshly laid work is protected overnight in cold conditions. On repointing work, the raking out and repointing sequence is planned in manageable sections so no elevation is left open to driving rain, and mixes are gauged consistently so colour does not shift between sections.

Programme-wise, brickwork on an extension follows groundworks and precedes roofing, and it usually sets the critical path for the whole build, the roof cannot go on until the walls are up. That is one of the reasons we keep brickwork within our own contracts rather than relying on a separately booked gang whose dates are outside our control.