HOW TO BUILD A GARDEN WALL USING FACING BRICKS
Category: General
Published: 04/08/2024
Building a garden wall is a little daunting for some people and may be more expensive than a fence, but it'll weather attractively and last a lifetime
Although the techniques for building a wall are pretty straightforward, you'll need to plan and design it properly if it's to be strong and stable. The design of your wall will depend to a large extent on what you're using it for.
Firstly, a garden wall foundation must not be taken lightly. The width of the foundation should be 250mm wider than the wall you intend to build and the wall should be built in the centre of the foundations making sure that the distances A and B are the same. It’s also important that the foundation trench is dug with a flat smooth bottom and the thickness of the concrete is the same throughout the length of the foundation. This thickness, providing the wall is not loadbearing, will be enough to ensure your foundation will not crack.
When preparing the foundations, infill the trench with a 100mm layer of compacted hardcore and then make up the rest with concrete. A standard concrete mix of 6 parts ballast to 1 part cement.
Lay a bed of mortar on top of the foundation, then lay your first brick at one end.
Add a small amount of mortar to the end of the second brick, then push this into place, next to the first, using the timber as a guide to keep it straight.
Continue laying the first row of bricks, then use a spirit level to ensure it is all level.
When building a wall, you need to lay the bricks so that the centre of each is above the joints below. This means that some of your end bricks will need cutting to the right size. To do this, use a bolster chisel and a club hammer on a firm surface. Score where you want to cut it first, using the chisel and another brick. Then, with your safety glasses on, align the chisel across where you've scored and strike it with the club hammer to break the brick in half.
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Lay mortar on top of the first three bricks at one end of the first course. Use your trowel to feather through it. Then, start laying the first few bricks of your second course, ensuring the end brick is square and level to the brick below by using a spirit level. Use your guide that you made earlier to check that it is at the right height, tapping the brick down if needed using your trowel. Repeat this at the opposite end, so that you have bricks on both ends of the second course, but a gap in the middle.
Create a level line by using a length of string with pins attached to each end. Insert one pin at one end of the wall, into the mortar below the first course of bricks. Extend the line up and over the bricks, along the length of the wall, and down over the bricks at the opposite end. Insert the other pin into the mortar at this end, ensuring that the line is pulled reasonably taut. You can tension the string at each side by using a small amount of mortar and a brick laid on its side.
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Apply a bed of mortar across the first course of bricks, between the two ends. Adding a small, feathered amount of mortar to each brick, lay each one next to one another to complete the course.
Repeat the steps above to continue building your wall. Remember to keep checking it with your spirit level as you build to make sure it's straight.