Re: Bricklaying in Vancouver
 

Why don't you just go and do soemthing fun like work in a bar.

Re: Bricklaying in Vancouver
 

fun = me very drunk and not living in a nice place. also means i would have to live on tomato sauce sandwhichs which i dont like and possibly live in the cold with no heating on. also very anti social hours, poor wages

bricklaying foreman = living in a nice place, not constantly drunk, can afford heating and nice food, dont have to work at nite, can go out and harrass young women, good wages.

you can see my logic.

Re: Bricklaying in Vancouver
 

White rock is a beautiful place. Great beachy area, smaller place but with some nice bars and restaurants along the water front. Might be a tough place starting out on your own as it tends to be more family and retirees, although it is changing a bit. South surrey in general is the burbs for the well heeled.

You could live downtown and commute but it would get old fast at at least an hour, likely a bit more, each way. Having said that, theres no reason you couldn't seek other work and move later if it didn't suit you.

As for vancouver being a good place to live......very subjective. Cost of living is relatively high (sort of like the south of england), no real pub culture to speak of (plenty of places to drink, but not not like brit pubs at all, with one or two exceptions), bit sleepy....On the good side, good climate, very safe and clean, excellent access to the outdoors, nice beaches, parks, lakes and mountains at your back door, laid back, no yob culture. As I said very subjective. I think it's more livable here than anywhere I have lived in the UK, but that's me. Not the most exciting place but very nice all the same. Party animals find it a bit boring,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIXu169ZGqg

Re: Bricklaying in Vancouver
 

Dying to know how this turns out!

Re: Bricklaying in Vancouver
 

There hasn't been much brick construction in Vancouver for at least 50 years if not more. The brickwork that you do see is an occasional garden wall, and in some neighbourhoods, brick veneer on the front and sometimes the sides of a house. Of course that may mean that it is hard to find qualified bricklayers to do the work that needs to be done.

Don't be surprised to find that a lot of jobs involve laying a brick veneer wall inside covering one or two walls of the lounge of a house. Or brick fireplaces. Have you experience building a fireplace with firebrick interior and heat resistant mortar? Also a lot of fireplaces are made with stones, or with some kind of fake stone made from concrete. Can you lay that?

At one time concrete blocks were a popular material for building garages and industrial buildings but not sure about nowadays. In any case, if you are flexible enough to do things like glass blocks and tilework, then you may do OK.

Do some googling for masonry suppliers and see how many there are and what they are selling. Maybe call some of them and ask about bricklaying.

Re: Bricklaying in Vancouver
 

The most common method of construction of industrial building these days is "tilt-up." This involves laying the foundations then buying pre-fabricated concrete walls. These are laid flat around the building then pulled up into place. They are then braced until the roof is put on, which holds the building together.

Re: Bricklaying in Vancouver
 

White Rock is a place where people in Vancouver go to raise families or retire. If you're single, new to the city, and 28 years old... if you plan to meet people and develop any semblance of a social circle, I would highly recommend NOT staying in White Rock. You'd be distancing yourself from the kind of scene that would help you enjoy your year over here.

Rent a cheap flat in the West End of Vancouver or Kitsilano. Heck, even Metrotown in Burnaby would make more sense.

White Rock? If you plan to "settle down" or retire, but I think you'd be bored and lonely there, in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong - it's a rather pleasant town. I realize you have a job lined up in White Rock, however, you may find it difficult and/or isolating being a single guy in his late 20's there.