How to Find the Right Bricklayer for Your Project? Important Tips

In terms of importance, bricklaying is right up there, with carpentry and plumbing as one of the most actual trades. Whenever you need some construction or renovation done at your home, you need to find a bricklayer directly or indirectly.

You must hire a competent bricklayer for an integral part of your building project. Here are the most important details you need to know to make the best decision:

• Examine not only certifications but also past work history
• Assure yourself that the bricklayer is someone you can get along with
• Inquire about their strategy and how they plan to tackle your job responsibilities.
• Collect comparable bricklayer price estimates.
• Prepare a schedule for making payments
• Inquire about bricklayer qualifications and experience with the required permits and codes.
• It's essential to have an agreement on post-construction care.

When meeting with a bricklayer for a project to get quotes, keeping the considerations mentioned earlier can help you focus on the most pertinent details.

1. Check Affiliation / Accreditation with UK Trade Associations

Ask questions about the bricklayer's qualifications, experience, training, and project completion strategy. Many will hold specialised credentials like National Vocational Qualifications or City & Guild certificates. Some will have gone to trade school, but the vast majority will have learned their craft as an apprentice on the crew of a good  bricklayer.

Some professionals in a given industry might belong to a trade group. Professional associations for bricklayers can range widely in scope, and they consist of the following:

The federation of Master Builders (FMB) is the UK's largest construction trade group. All members must uphold standards and follow a code of conduct. Build Assure, and the highest membership level, offers an insurance-backed building guarantee.

Guild of Builders and Contractors: To become a Trusted Member, members must have three years of customer and financial references, documented contracts, and clear payment schedules.

Guild of Master Craftsmen: The Guild personally assesses each full member to ensure high work standards. The Guild mediates homeowner-tradesperson disagreements.

National Federation of Builders: Members must have commercial and financial references, liability insurance, and a code of conduct. It has a complaint system but no work guarantee.

FairTrades Association: Founded in 1983, FairTrades encourages members to offer insurance-backed assurances on their work. Membership in such an organisation indicates that a tradesperson is competent and works to specific standards. Still, there is no duty to join, unlike the Gas Safe Register, which is a legal requirement for tradespeople who operate with gas in the house. Experience is more significant than trade body membership.

View their profiles and read verified customer reviews of their work on homeowner apps, as on easefix.com.

2. Are You At Ease Working With Your Bricklayer?

It would be best to analyse how comfortable you are with possible tradespeople. Do they answer the phone politely, arrive on time for meetings, and ask many project-related questions?

Bricklaying can be time-consuming, depending on the work. Good project communication is crucial. You don't have to be best friends, but you should be able to establish a professional connection - you should feel comfortable speaking honestly about worries and challenges.

3. Inquire About How They Intend To Tackle Your Work

A bit of knowledge can go a long way in building projects, and be prepared to ask your potential tradesperson questions can help you judge how they'll approach the job. No one wants a tradesperson happy to cut corners or take shortcuts. In addition, ask about previous jobs, check their experience, reviews, and references, and ask about their day-to-day processes. You'll want to know how they'll work on-site, what a typical day consists of, and how they carry out the specific task needed, such as repairing a cracked wall or repointing.

When it comes to typical bricklaying jobs like repointing, many people attempt to use their DIY skills, while bad tradespeople will use poor techniques, giving the appearance of a job well done without the actual results.

4. Get Quotes

While simpler quotes won't be necessary for small brick job specialists like building a low garden wall, it's still a good idea to visit with at least three local bricklayers and collect quotes for any major task. You may learn a lot about a bricklayer's approach from the specifics and scope of their quotation.

It's critical to confirm that the quotes are comparable; do they include labour, supplies, VAT, and any subcontracting the bricklayer may engage in? Is it covered if the bricklayer removes and disposes of any old materials, like an old wall being torn down? It is only possible to compare quotes accurately when they are similar and come from individuals who have performed the task.

You may identify any quotes that look too low by selecting a sample of at least three of them. If this is the case, the bricklayer may try to get the business but will inflate the final bill to reflect the genuine value.

Many good bricklayers may subcontract for huge repointing projects, paying scaffolders to come in and set up expert scaffolding so they can access the entire wall. Others will merely employ a cherry picker or a ladder. You may be able to rent scaffolding yourself for less money than tradesperson offers. Ask the prospective tradesperson if these are necessary and how it affects the cost. Every tradesperson must abide by Work at Height restrictions, and the Health and Safety Executive has created a concise handbook explaining what the rules and guidelines mean.

5. Make A Payment Schedule

After agreeing to bricklayer prices through a precise, documented quotation, ensure you have a suitable payment plan. The easiest way to ensure no misunderstandings is to have a written contract.

A trustworthy tradesperson will typically not demand or demand the entire cost of an expensive job up front, and a tiny deposit is typical, though. While many builders purchase goods from trade suppliers on the account and do not ask for money upfront to cover these costs, this may be planned for if a small job bricklayer works on a major development with significant expenditures.

Payment will typically be postponed until the construction is finished. Although most professionals should accept checks or bank transfers, especially for larger sums of money, many tradespeople are delighted to be paid in cash.

6. Inquire About Their Experience With The Required Permits And Codes

Consider planning authorisation and construction laws for the work you want the bricklayer to do.

For instance, if you want to construct a wall or pavement next to a road more than 1 meter in height, you'll need planning approval first.

However, repointing and other repair forms on existing walls will not require approval from the planning department.

A planning permit is a legal authorisation for a construction project, such as a new building or an adjustment to an existing one.

7. Granting Of A Permit

The process of obtaining planning clearance involves evaluating how a proposed building change would affect the neighbourhood, such as the visual impact of an addition on the streetscape or the viability of converting an office building into residential units.

Building regulations aim to ensure the safety of the people using a building by setting minimum requirements for things like energy efficiency and accessibility for people with disabilities.

Bricklaying projects like restoring inside walls or constructing a new addition or detached structure may need approval from your local authority's Building Control department, which is in charge of enforcing the relevant building codes.

A structural engineer may need to write a report before beginning other work.

Find out from the bricklayer you're considering employing if the project you want them to do will require permits from the local planning or building departments.

Good bricklayers will know the most up-to-date regulations, how they apply to your project, and how the planning departments of local authorities will handle it. They may even know planning officers they can consult for guidance.

If you shortlist a bricklayer who doesn't know getting the necessary permits and inspections from Building Control, you may hire someone else. Violating these requirements can result in heavy fines and the need to undo the work.

You may hire one of our certified and accredited bricklayers using the easefix.com homeowner app.

8. Have An Agreement On Post-Construction Care

There is always the chance of something going wrong during a construction project, and it's very uncommon for these problems to surface long after the tradesman has gone on to other projects and the work was thought to be finished. Therefore, it is prudent to choose a tradesperson willing to return to the structure to inspect their work and fix any issues that may have arisen since they left the job.

Both official and informal arrangements exist, with some bricklayers including such terms in their initial contracts with the homeowners. The willingness of the tradesperson to connect you with their prior customers so you may observe their work indicates that they value their customers, take pride in their job, and promptly resolve any problems that may arise.

 Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who is a good bricklayer?

A bricklayer should be able to pay close attention to specifics and complete tasks thoroughly, and familiarity with construction methods, permissions and permits, materials, and teamwork skills.

2. To succeed as a bricklayer, what qualifications do you need?

No strict prerequisites are required to enter the field of bricklaying. Typically, these individuals will have earned a formal building industry certification. Understanding English and mathematics at the GCSE level typically requires entry into bricklaying training programs. Construction experience, or experience in a similar field, may be required by some employers.

3. How many bricks should a bricklayer lay in a typical day?

A bricklayer can lay 500 bricks daily without scaffolding in optimal working conditions.

4. How long do bricklayers work each day?

Bricklayers work 40 hours weekly, while weekend labour may be required for specific projects.