We're building a house at the moment and my OH and I think our bricklayer is doing a crap job. In the past 2 weeks he has only put up 2.5 walls for the garage, 1/3 of the west facing outside wall and the north wall, which is very small and mostly window. He did have another wall up on Wednesday, but it fell over after he left. There are gaps where the mortar is missing and a couple of the interior bricks are really crooked.

Anyway, we think he's being really slow and doing a crap job. The house next door to the west (same plan) was completely bricked in just under 3 weeks and the house to the east of us has got 3/4 of the external shell done just since Monday this week.

Can someone please let me know if what's in these photos is normal and what we can expect before I go ringing the builder sounding like a screaming lunatic? Thanks.

What this bloke has done is disgusting. I hope you havent paid him any money. Is he a drunk ? Does he have insurance because if he does, Id be making a claim against him.

OMFG! I'm not a bricklayer but even I could do better than that

I agree!! Wow Dorothy.. breath in deeply and start screaming!!

that work is pretty shocking D. kick him out on his A... right now

As with Renth im no brickie but jesus that looks shocking,is he stevie wonder moonlighting.

I hate to say it but I think it's crap as well. I can't believe they even allowed this person to lay bricks, it doesn't look like they have a clue what they're doing.

If it were me I would be demanded that person not be allowed to work on your house and I would want all their work redone. You don't want to have the other walls falling down later.

I'm not a brickie but my dad owns a landscaping business and they do retaining walls and that sort of thing. The pictures you've shown look terrible. The mortar is not applied evenly and consistantly, there are sections where it's bulging out, or sunkent in, etc. Looks terrible. For a new build it's completely unacceptable. I can't believe the builder hasn't checked up on his work and noticed the condition it's in!

Dorothy, the third picture, which I asume is supposed to be facing brick, is diabloodybolical.

Laying bricks on perpends (first picture) is unforgiveable.

Have a very strong word with the builder.

If a wall falls down, it falls down because its fundamentally flawed; not level, not square, not enough mortar, not mortar of the right strength / ratio.

Not a brickie and neither is hubby but this is all his own work although I did some of the pointing. Yours should look like this or better.

ill drive over sunday morning,its not that bad..thats the back of the garage its going to be rendered.whats it like the other side?

it aint brilliant but....

Dont pay them naff all !

Thats crap and needs knocking down FFS

To be rendered or not i would want mortar inbetween ALL of my bricks

Had a similar problem here when i did my extension and different guys cxame and did the dividing garden walls, Told them they were not getting a bean out of me till they knocked it down and put it back up properly


Dougie

OK calm down........ No.1 photo is a little bad but can be sorted very quick and easy, once the wall is pulled off you wont even notice ( however i see your point and it does look bad)
No 2 Mortar not right to the edge ......... and ? this is more than acceptable, after all being gibrocked/ plasterd .. Normal
No 3 Face brickwork on other side I PERSUME ... again normal otherwise he surely would have pointed the inside...

So once the wall in photo No1 has been run in you would never know ( just looks bad now )
Tme scale different ball game is he on his own does he have a labourer?
Prices are tight, But even more so do a good job and people will want you back!!
This is what makes the good stand out, however people have had it good for so long that any Tom Dick and Harry have been doing it, most people can lay a brick on a line!!! Try setting out,arches, piers,corbals,bulleye windows most guys i know run a mile........... Let Marcus have a look, i can't as i'm on the east coast now.
A picture only shows so much! or is it a thousand words Kevin

as other have said it aint brilliant but it aint the worst in the world.

there are three close up pictures and you cant see the facework,look as much as we love dotty,dont hang the poor flucker who built it ,on the evidence of three close ups..

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OK calm down........ No.1 photo is a little bad but can be sorted very quick and easy, once the wall is pulled off you wont even notice ( however i see your point and it does look bad)
No 2 Mortar not right to the edge ......... and ? this is more than acceptable, after all being gibrocked/ plasterd .. Normal
No 3 Face brickwork on other side I PERSUME ... again normal otherwise he surely would have pointed the inside...


Exactly my point i'm trying to give the guy a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks everyone. Here's some not so close shots so you can get a look at what it the bigger picture is. In photo 2 of the first set, the bricks with the ends sticking out is actually the start of an interior wall. The plaster will probably fill in the crooked bit, but in my opinion it should be mortar, not plaster that fills the cracks between the bricks. Oh, and I know he is not going back and filling the spaces, because he has started doing the interior bricking now and when I look in the gap between the exterior and interior walls there are still unfilled spaces in the backs of the bricks.

I do understand that some contractors are slower than others, but while he sits picking his arse I'm paying both rent AND a mortgage.

Anyway, here's some more...