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Brickwork and Blockwork Labour Cost Estimator


MortarThePoint

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I like playing with Excel to understand things and have knocked up a cost estimator for brickwork and blockwork labour. I hope that the figures in it are relatively conservative. A lot of the figures are finger to the wind, so let me know what you think. Ideally, it could prove a handy tool for others to get a feel for what the rough cost should be.

 

Some of the main assumptions are highlighted and are:

  • Day rates - I've used £200 for a brickie and £100 for a labourer. I chose round numbers as everyone's local rate will be different.
  • Bricks per day - I've assumed 600 stretcher bond bricks/brickie/day which should be on the low side, so consistent with the quality level us lot typically want.
  • Blocks per day - I've assumed just over 2 minutes per 100mm medium density block lay which gives 20m2/brickie/day. There are then speed factors for heavier or lighter blocks.

 

That handles the area based work. There is a section for things that are on an item basis like windows, steels and chimney tops and costed on the basis of quantity and serviced brickie hours each. As examples, I have assumed that it takes:

  • a brickie 2 hours to install all the extras needed for a window opening (i.e. cavity closers, lintel, cavity tray and weep holes)
  • 2 brickies and a labourer half a day to install a moderately large steel beam
  • a brickie 3 hours to install a wind post on the basis of them being uncommon on the job.

 

As I said, the numbers are a starting point. It would be interesting to see if we could get some more realistic numbers in there though. ?

Brickie_Labour_Cost_Estimator_BUILDHUBv0.xlsx

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1 hour ago, nod said:

I would allow more on your day rates Or less productivity per hour 

 

Thanks nod. That amounts to a higher cost per m2. Bear in mind a m2 price would often be quoted already having factored in time spent doing openings etc.

 

600 bricks a day doesn't feel a stretch if not doing openings etc, but I speak without much experience other than watching videos and laying bricks myself as if I have two left arms and someone turned out the lights.

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If it is of help 

Rates where I’m working 

NW (not Manchester)

£280-350 per thousand 

Block-work 20m2

 

Silo & Tele handler 

 

I would allow a bit more for a one off and most are making wages up if bad weather or any other hold ups 

 

Though tax incentives are better in a self build ?
 

 

 

 

 

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14 minutes ago, Oz07 said:

My old man in Manchester @nod 250 on day work and 650 thou on brickwork. Was on for bardsleys before Xmas they went bust walked into another start pretty much straight away. 

 

14 minutes ago, Oz07 said:

My old man in Manchester @nod 250 on day work and 650 thou on brickwork. Was on for bardsleys before Xmas they went bust walked into another start pretty much straight away. 

You need it in Manchester 

We are only 30 mile away 

If we set off later than 530am it’s take two and a half hours to get there and park up If you find a car park in the city centre that takes vans 

 

 

 

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No 250 a day on day work, basically anything bitty, overhand or where scaffold can't be loaded properly and it's hand to mouth. Where the lines can go up on a 50 long brick elevation it's pricework. In other words they are having their cake and eating it too

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29 minutes ago, MortarThePoint said:

 

I'm clearly in the wrong line of work ?

 

250 a day and 650 per thousand bricks equates to 380 bricks a day which feels a bit pedestrian.

A grand a week is a lot when you think most won’t have holiday pay or sick pay 

It’s not unusual to earn twice that in other trades 

Brickies deserve every penny in winter 


 

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1 hour ago, Oz07 said:

No 250 a day on day work, basically anything bitty, overhand or where scaffold can't be loaded properly and it's hand to mouth. Where the lines can go up on a 50 long brick elevation it's pricework. In other words they are having their cake and eating it too

 

I'm confused now. Is that 250 bricks a day then when the going is hard and then 650 bricks a day when running in?

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13 minutes ago, MortarThePoint said:

 

I'm confused now. Is that 250 bricks a day then when the going is hard and then 650 bricks a day when running in?

If he is working day rate then it's £250 each and every day. 

If it's price work then it's £650 for every thousand bricks built.

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