Laying bricks for the first time?

Question

I am going to biuld a soil retaining wall and have seen the brickmate which is like a pre-moulded slab you put accross the top of the bricks to get an even bed of mortar. However the brockmate appears to only be suitable for a single line of bricks and not a double thickness which is what I am going to need as my wall will be up to 4.5 feet in places. Can anyone suggest anything please?

Answer 1

The problem with a retaining wall is that it has to do a job of holding back the soil, so it will be fairly massive.  I think that for 4.5 feet high you should be making a wall with blocks at the back, faced with brick.  a 9 inch brick wall woudl not really be enough.  That means digging out to firm undisturbed subsoil - at least 18 inches below the level of the floor of the low side.  Then 4-6 inches of concrete strip footing, 18-24 inches wide, as a base for the wall.  

Buy Medium density concrete blocks from your builders mertchant or DIY store.  These are about 9x4x18 inches (the metric equivalent....) and for a retaining wall, you should be laying them flat so that each one is 4 inches high in the wall, and 18 inches long in the face of the wall.  Every 3 feet at the base of the wall, just above finished ground level, put a pipe through the blockwork to allow water to weep through.  4inch clay looks best but plastic is cheaper.

Every second row, lay stainless steel wall ties into the mortar so that you can tie the brick facing to the block wall.

Use a sand cement mix of about 6 sand to 1 cement and add plasticiser to the mix - see instructions on the container.  Rent borrow or buy a mixer as mixing is hard heavy work, and machine mixed cement is much better to use than hand mixed.

You need a long spirit level, but if you don't habve one, fix a short one to a straight 3 foot wooden batten.

If you can bang  a stake vertically into the ground at each end of where the wall is going you can use a string between them to get the line straight.  If not, you have to build the ends up straight and vertical with the spirit level and then stretch a string between the ends to get the middle straight.

To get the ends level, use a water gauge of you can't get hold of a laser level (cheap at screwfix).  This is a piece of hose full of water and as water finds its own level, you can make sure the ends are the same.

When you have built the block wall, and it has set, backfill with 20mm gravel to allow good drainage.

The practice doing the block wall will get you into shape for the brick facing.  For this make the mortar a little drier but still plastic because you don't want to stain the faces of the bricks.  I expect you will, as laying bricks cleanly is hard, but you can buy mortar stain removed (hydrochloric acid) from your B Merchant too and sort it out at the end.

Building walls is not conceptually hard, but the materials are heavy and there isa real knack to doing it.  DOnt make the bed too thick, as otherwise you end up tapping too hard to set the brick or block, and other things move.  Do 2-3 courses at a time and let them set overnight before doing the next.  As a first timer it is easy to have the lot bow and collapse if you do a lot at once.  When you get good though it is really satisfying and you can get that warm glow each time you see it.

Answer 2

The thing about bricklaying is having the right mortar mix and being confident. Any fool can lay bricks and you don't need fancy gizmos to do it. With a little practice (the courses below ground) you should get the feel of it.

What is useful is a lath (stick) marked off with the brick joints on it so you can check you are getting the perpends (vertical joints) even - a bit like tension in knitting - otherwise you can end up affecting the overall dimensions. Check your work often, and check for plumbness by using a spirit level and line across the work.

Otherwise if you are that worried get a brickkie to do it, but make sure you get someone who comes recommended (not just any fool). Save money by being his (or her) hod carrier.

Answer 3

a retaining wall is a serious task, even at that height. to make it strong enough, with drainage etc it needs to be done well, not a good one for your first try

imo get a good tradesman, recommendations, references, look at work