voltage2688 Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 Hi, Just had the front porch of my new extension rebuilt by bricklayer, can I ask people's brutally honest opinions? Wouldn't be offended! Would this be acceptable? (bricks: https://brickwholesale.co.uk/cissbury-red-multi-stock-brick-pack-of-475/) Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 Once rendered it'll look fine...unless he does the rendering! Seriously though, I've seen better and a lot worse. The joints appear to be filled OK, not sure on some of those weep vents... A good going over with Disclean or similar will improve the look no end and get rid of some of those snots he should have sacked off before they dried. What do I know? I'm an amateur but DIY or die so can blame nobody but myself! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twice round the block Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 Shocking. The bond is wrong in places, and should have been worked out at the start so it looked balanced. What's going on with the external corner bond? Should have ordered bricks for the bay window, unless you weren't prepared to pay the extra for them. The extension bond is not level with the existing bond. Does he own a spirit level.? Is this his first job out of college? Has building control seen it? Should have mixed his brick colours up a bit more as he's got a few courses of dark reds together. Was he recommended to you, or did he come from trust a trader who are worse.. Glad I don't have to look at it everytime I approach the front door. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 What do YOU thing is wrong or bothering you? Agreed he did not have proper corner bricks for the bay but he has done a reasonable job of cutting the bricks for that. I must be tolerant because nothing there would bother me much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andehh Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 95% probably wouldn't notice anything amiss with it, but he got the bond levels wrong. Cheaper to plant something there and hide it, then ask it to be taken down and started again.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canski Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 Splayed bays are very difficult to get right without the correct materials. I have ripped one of my own down recently because I wasn’t happy with the end result. Having said that the one I took down was better than yours. Have you checked that the dimensions and angles on the splays are equal ? It doesn’t look like it from the photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voltage2688 Posted September 24, 2023 Author Share Posted September 24, 2023 2 hours ago, twice round the block said: Shocking. The bond is wrong in places, and should have been worked out at the start so it looked balanced. What's going on with the external corner bond? Should have ordered bricks for the bay window, unless you weren't prepared to pay the extra for them. The extension bond is not level with the existing bond. Does he own a spirit level.? Is this his first job out of college? Has building control seen it? Should have mixed his brick colours up a bit more as he's got a few courses of dark reds together. Was he recommended to you, or did he come from trust a trader who are worse.. Glad I don't have to look at it everytime I approach the front door. Definitely was happy to pay whatever extra for the extra bricks, or for whatever, building control seeing this version tomorrow but in general is not happy with overall work and sympathetic to us. Builders came from Checkatrade, reviews were glowing... I'm trying to use Checkatrade's guarantee scheme now, have already left a negative review on builders profile, guarantee scheme is next step... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Jones Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 did they use wall starters to connect in the bay brickwork to the main house ? The quality is very bad, they are not brickies thats for sure. They lost the gauge as it goes up. Personally id knock it down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 4 hours ago, twice round the block said: .... Glad I don't have to look at it everytime I approach the front door. Its interesting isn't it: brings to mind that dreadful saying - " If you know, you know " Most of us don't, and I suppose thats why so much poor work is accepted by so many (me included) . We just don't know. I paid my university fees by starting a window cleaning business. It paid well - and I worked at it for seven years while qualifying. It has taken me twenty-odd years to look through windows, rather than at them. @twice round the block , it must be hard for you sometimes looking at brick-work done by a (say) DIYer. And @Dave Jones keeps a sledgehammer in the back of his car I bet....😏 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twice round the block Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 2 hours ago, voltage2688 said: Definitely was happy to pay whatever extra for the extra bricks, or for whatever, building control seeing this version tomorrow but in general is not happy with overall work and sympathetic to us. Builders came from Checkatrade, reviews were glowing... I'm trying to use Checkatrade's guarantee scheme now, have already left a negative review on builders profile, guarantee scheme is next step... The problem with Check a Trade is it's full off cowboys, who have to pay to advertise on there and all there friends do their reviews for them. Quality time served brick layers "never" advertise, you may see them building nice curved garden walls for a local home owner, there the guy's you need a phone number from, certainly not check a trade. As for your recourse from check a trade, best of luck with that. With any build most of the work is in the ground getting it up to dpc, so why make a pigs ear out of the rest of it. A bit of forward thought and measuring walls out to get the bond so it balances is half the battle and getting special shaped bricks ordered in 6 months before the build starts. Sorry if both my posts on this topic come across as harsh or negative but it would have taken an extra day to lay out the job and a few ££ for the angled bricks for this job to be spot on. Confession Time. I built a retaining wall for a shop front in Aylesbury High Street many years ago, but I had a 2 foot gap behind the hoarding to construct this wall. When the hoarding was removed some weeks later when the shop opened. I noticed two of my bricks in the bond we're out of level ( wonky). No one else would probably notice but I used to cringe everytime I walked past. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 1 hour ago, twice round the block said: getting special shaped bricks ordered in 6 months before the build starts There are firms that will cut and bond the bricks to your spec and not a huge lead time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canski Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 (edited) I used blue squints AN 1.2 on the front of my bays. Contrasting brick but the match the soldiers over the windows. I took one of my bays down after building it because I wasn’t happy with it. The designer hadn’t worked the return to the bay in brick dims so it was a pain in the arse to get right. Edited September 24, 2023 by Canski 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Paulie Posted September 25, 2023 Share Posted September 25, 2023 at first glance i thought not terrible, not great. But on a closer inspection, its god awful. Id be tearing that down if it was me im afraid. How come the courses line up one side but not the other, makes no sense. Time for a little shrub in a pot at that point to hide the join i think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twice round the block Posted September 25, 2023 Share Posted September 25, 2023 Option 2 As the original was rendered!!!! get some angle and render stop beads. Then ( depending who does the job) the corners and bay angles will look sharp.... plus there is a little bit of wiggle room to make it line up and look symmetrical with crisp rendering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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