27/08/2026
The bricklaying is the part of a build you look at for the next fifty years, and the part that decides whether the wall stays dry.
Mortar is the most misunderstood material on site. It is supposed to be the weakest part of the wall, so that when something fails it fails in the joint where it can be repaired rather than in the brick face where it cannot. A mix stronger than the brick reverses that, and moisture and frost then attack the brick. That is spalling, the crumbling brick faces you see on older houses repointed with a cement rich mix.
Inside a cavity wall there is far more happening than two leaves and a gap. Wall ties laid with a fall towards the inner leaf carry water across. Cavity trays divert water out where the cavity is interrupted above a lintel, and missing trays are the commonest cause of damp above openings. Weep holes let that water escape. All of it is built in as the wall rises, or not at all.
You can judge brickwork yourself. Look along the wall: bed joints dead level, perps lining up, consistent joint thickness, no missing perps. Look for weep holes above openings and a visible DPC at least 150mm above ground level. On an extension, check the courses line through with the existing house.
Bricklaying is our main trade. Over 25 years across Widnes, Liverpool, Runcorn, Warrington and St Helens. Family run, fully insured.
Read more in our blog: https://tdpropertyrenovationsltd.com/bricklaying-and-blockwork-why-the-trade-behind-your-build-decides-how-it-ages/
