[Closed] Rate my Brickie....

If the Polish brickies who've just finished some building work by a friend's house saw the pictures in this thread, they'd be mortarfied.

Footflaps, I think you've done the right thing keeping him on in light of the Engineers comments and also for your own sanity in that you'd be hanging around all winter trying to get someone else in. I like the way you've handled what could have blown up into a dispute very quickly, you seem very level headed!

If you're keeping him on, I'd switch him from a day rate to fixed price. Might focus him a bit more to finish quicker.

I may well renegotiate the rate as it will be another two weeks at least.

As for level headed, when you have to live with the consequences of your decisions (rather than just offer them for free on a forum), it brings a more pragmatic perspective to things. I just want the job done, quickly and safely and as long as I don't have RSJs falling on my head down the line, then I'll be happy!

If you're keeping him on I really think the webcam idea is essential. That we can keep an eye on him for you while you get on with some work.
😆

maybe add a loudspeaker so we can heckle if he slacks off/gets his blockwork in a twist?

live with the consequences of your decisions (rather than just offer them for free on a forum)

stop talking sense man.

buggy bump

[edit] too late

Once i've finished re doing my kitchen, a bigger brick garage/bike shed/man cave is the next project (as asked for by Mrs Trowel!)

Its a trap! when you finish the man cave you'll walk back to the house and find she's changed the locks

LOL this post needs a live webcam so much 😉

Anyone know Dominic Little's number LOL 😛

on the plus side, that decision has secured another 2 weeks entertainment for 5 bricklayers and a host of IT middle managers.

Push on, footflaps.

on the plus side, that decision has secured another 2 weeks entertainment for 5 bricklayers and a host of IT middle managers.

I like to feel I'm providing a valuable community service. Regular updates will continue....

2 things -

1 Footflaps - thanks for this the most entertaining thread in ages and well done for actually coming on here and heeding the advice given!

2 - theotherjonv - I am not nor have ever been in IT!

Great thread, I feel like I could walk outside and build myself a new garage tomorrow. With no experience 🙂

I feel like I could walk outside and build myself a new garage tomorrow. With no experience

Join the club.....

footflaps - Member

I like to feel I'm providing a valuable community service. Regular updates will continue....

Care in the community more like, think the "builder" needs a special bus to go home in. Have you seen him lick his trowel yet?

footflaps have you considered launching a sponsor a brick campaign?

That's a bit... oh, [i]brick,[/i] right.

Any photos for today?

Any photos for today?

Nought happened today. Waiting for new fixings to arrive before commencing remedial work.

I hope you are running power to the new garage? Reckon you should have run an armoured along the close fence before the wall was built or even put a duct through the slab.
You wiring it your self or getting in a sparks? Pictures of work and progress on that when ready please. 🙂
Just for reference I'd charge about £500 and should get it done in a day.

Get everyone to chip in, and i'll upload a lesson a week for the next 2 years and none of you will ever need to hire a brickie again

Could this be the start of the STW Summer School. Lessons from the University of Life and how to recover from them.

As a brickey and a brickwork college lecturer I can only echo the comments above. This comedian is taking the pi$$ on a day rate. Its probably his only job after a 2 day course!! Forget what the 'engineer' says, the bonding of the blockwork may well meet building regs but any given brickey would achieve half bond naturally without thinking. Rusty trowel has given some good pointers with them images, nice one the only bit of sense so far on here.

I dread to think how it will end up when he get it to wall plate!! Will it be level? Is it square? Will the doors fit? Will the windows fits?

If I were closer mate I'd come over with some 1st year students who'd make a better job of it 😉

Your best saving your cash, and throwing the laid brick & block in the skip and make sure you put the comedian in there first as he is giving the trade of bricklaying a bad name!!

Good luck!!

OUCH

summittoppler - hows business? Apprentice numbers are lowish with us, but we've topped up with full time and school link courses to keep us busy.

mefty - are you from Andover and do i know you?!

Anybody else think footflaps is being amazingly philosophical and accepting of all this? Good on yer mate. I'd be getting very upset about it all!

Sure it will all turn out good in the end, and you'll have many happy hours in there.

My old man is a retired builder and has taught me enough to single handedly build a garage of similar size, with power, central heating, toilet and sink etc. There's some very good advice on here from those in the trade.

Seriously think about the insulation and damp though. Build it right first time and all your precious gear in there will be nice and snug and comfy.

Great thread, really brings out the best in stw. Im not a brickie but the OP seems to have got some great advice but seems to be in denial a bit, no offence. Seems like a huge amount to pay for a garage that is anything less than 1st class really.

rusty trowel - you gave away enough on here to make an educated guess - no, AA in my youth, and no.

As a working brickie I would have to share some of the above comments, especially the quarter bond on the blocks, if one of my lads did that I would kick it down and tell them to start again, I reckon about three days work and it would be done, I'd feel guilty otherwise, price wise, blocks are around £10 per square metre( £1 each) brickwork about £300 per thousand, that's top whack, offer him those prices and see what he says, means he'll be on about £50 a day at his current pace, or save some money and do it yourself, buy some building profiles for about £150, bolt them on and away you go, if you want something doing properly do it yourself, good luck

Which corner is the obligatory woodburner going in?

Rich_s - Member
Which corner is the obligatory woodburner going in?

He'll need 3 to take care of the damp issue 🙂

As its so uncompleted seriously have a think about double skin to keep the damp out as suggested by others

My garage is single skin stone not blocks and this time of year. rust forms so quick on
metal like overnight

My old oily lathe will red up overnight if I don't cover it with an old sleeping bag .

i have to agree with the "in denial" comment, several in trade brickies tell you its a bad job yet its allowed to carry on. i guess this all boils down to the OP's fear of upsetting the lads family that live nearby hence fhe living with the consequences stance. i would seriously just start from scratch its the right thing to do in my opinion and definitely stop the day rate farce. hope it all works out though.

oh and please please please set up a bodge cam 😉

Just been out to the garage to check my pier bonding and all is good, I can sleep tonight.

i have to agree with the "in denial" comment, several in trade brickies tell you its a bad job yet its allowed to carry on.

Given the choice between:

a) what the Engineer whose design it is and the local Builder Control inspector thinks

and

B) what random people post on the internet, most of whom are just keyboard warriors who cannot avoid joining in, but don't really have anything constructive to add.

I'm going to go with a), although I realise that will disappoint those in the b) camp.

So did you renegotiate price?

So did you renegotiate price?

B) what random people post on the internet, most of whom are just keyboard warriors who cannot avoid joining in, but don't really have anything constructive to add.

To be fair, most of the actual advice has come from experienced Brickies and a couple of people who Teach Bricklaying (hardly keyboard warriors?)!And they all seem to agree, and have demonstrated why.

The engineer who designed it isn't going to say its not an ideal design is he ?

can a i quote for central heating for it? and we ve just taken on a super bathroom fitter should you like a post ride shower.. I ve seen a telly in a shower this month as well and touch sensitive loo seats that illuminate a vanity lamp when you squat..
i dont think you can over spec a shed..

I'd have to say that if it were me I would go and get a second opinion. Another engineer at least to give you piece of mind. However, my guess is you won't because despite all the great advice you've been given (I'm ignoring the crap stuff) you haven't modified the design and build to any extent.
If I were spending the money you are I would want it insulated, damp-proofed and electrified as a minimum. What happens if you upset the missus at some point in the future and she turns round and says sleep in the shed! Then you'll be wishing it was dry and warm 🙂

I'd have to say that if it were me I would go and get a second opinion. Another engineer at least to give you piece of mind. However, my guess is you won't because despite all the great advice you've been given (I'm ignoring the crap stuff) you haven't modified the design and build to any extent.
If I were spending the money you are I would want it insulated, damp-proofed and electrified as a minimum. What happens if you upset the missus at some point in the future and she turns round and says sleep in the shed! Then you'll be wishing it was dry and warm 🙂

I struggle with long sentences
Is it finished yet?

If nothing else it's just not good aesthetically. If quarter bond was presented to me on any of my sites I'm afraid it'd get the size 10. I can't believe any good quality engineer would accept it, it's just not good practice! I admire your spirit tho footflaps and you will get your shed, I hope the rest runs smooth for you.
Best of luck.

I'd have to say that if it were me I would go and get a second opinion

I'd have to say that if it were me I would go and get a second opinion

franksinatra - Member

When my parents had their extension built, my dad had a small secret box room buit in to the cavity created by the recessed fire place. It was accessed by removing logs from the recessed log store and climbing up and in . Was shelved full height, about 1.5m deep and about 5m long.

But it was there......

is this your dad??

[IMG] [/IMG]

can't believe i've just spent saturday night reading 9 pages about some bloke's garage - brilliant thread 😆

Don't forget my warning about Cambs building control being a tad shonky when it comes to structural engineering.

If you happened to have a nice orbea or cannondale I'd happily drive down and finish/put right your shed, I've got loads of holiday days to take this year, have a word with your building inspector, amend drawing to cavity wall and do away with those unsightly piers, it would be a far superior build

ok, so whadda i do.......

[img] [/img]

❓

😉

[i]whadda i do[/i]

not build a set of gates with nothing to stop people bypassing them?

also, is there a ramp at the front or does your car levitate?

not build a set of gates with nothing to stop people bypassing them?

also, is there a ramp at the front or does your car levitate?

the gates are coming out, the cars a [i]modified[/i] DeLorean DMC-12 so no worries there

How many bodies did you need to get rid of for christ sakes.

How many bodies did you need to get rid of for christ sakes.

Business is gooooood.

PS: shhhh or your next...

Just going back to that roof design...

With a truss roof, the trusses bear the load of the roof structure & covering onto a timber wall plate which sits on top of the flank walls. The trusses are at regular spaces (usually 450 or 600mm) so spread the load of the roof along the wall. The trusses are tied from side-to-side with a joist or tie beam to stop the load pushing the walls out.

What your sketch shows is the load transferred mostly to the 2 central columns via the post and tie arrangement (it doesn't show any rafters but I guess these will appear to support the roof coverings). This will place a lot of load on those 2 piers.

There are no ties at either end of the garage to stop the roof spreading, unless the end of the ridge beam will bear on the masonry (although I wouldn't think there's enough bearing width). This would also mean that the ridge beam at the front of the garage is bearing over the door, putting all its load on the door lintel too.

Probably not explained very well above, but something is definitely missing from that sketch!

I entirely understand what you mean re the roof and that's the reason I'd questioned the engineers credentials.

Rafters!

As above I would look at the roof. The motto is KISS (keep it simple stupid). 8m span for a ridge beam ?!?!?!

I would get some trusses made up, galv strap the gable wall to the truss, strap the plate down to the wall and truss clip the truss to the wall plate.

Not too worried about the DPC. Although a better detail would have been a semi / engineering brick plinth in a strong motar. Did you put any MJs in the blockwork or bed joint reinforcement?

Brief scanned the '9' pages and very glad I don't do residental stuff.

Looks like someones filled your swimming pool with concrete 🙂

re the damp and insulation, I have a single skin garage, and in the winter it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cold and damp, that i was regularly putting teh bike away in there with snow and ice on it last year, and it was still there on the bike two days later! Nothing ever dries in there either and stuff does go rusty theres no doubt about it. Would love to have it warm and dry properly!

My house has a single skin garage with no DPC it's awful for damp and mould already this year. It's was pre existing when we brought the house this year but plans are to do a proper build next year. It's a shame that the build wasn't done well in the first place but there you go.

My dads a retired builder, started as a carpenter retired with a property development company. I showed to him this thread and he echoed the advice you have been given by those in the trade on here. Getting a simple build like this right shouldn't be this difficult.

Where's the pics flaps? Surely ya mans cracking on a bit now??

Cavity is definitely the way to, again my garage was single skin, had to do a major retrofit of a DPC to the inside of the walls with batons, followed by insulation and chipboard. Took a while but worked well, it's at least dry in there now and tools don't rust.

Come on Flaps, we need an update.....anything....... no work is getting done here while we're waiting! If we don't get an update soon I might have to resort to reading threads about 29ers or CX bikes.....!

Waiting.... 🙄

He's still finishing the foundations.... and looking for another bricklayer 🙂

While we're waiting … my *actual house* is single-skin … is this bad? I've always been slightly worried by it, this thread has made it worse.

single skin as in '300 years old and 3ft thick' or 'one layer of bricks with a bit of spit on the outside to weatherproof it'?

brickie probably put him in the pillars for daring to critique his speed

brickie probably put him in the pillars for daring to critique his speed

'one layer of bricks with a bit of spit on the outside to weatherproof it'?

Yeah that. That's not good is it?

it's not the ideal, but tbh, if you've not had any problems and it's stood for a while then I'd not fret too much.

…actually the original building (old cow shed) probably is/was about 300 years old. But I don't know how much of it is original. If any.

Thrown up by a bunch of cowboys with a stingy corner-cutter of a developer as far as I can gather.

it's not the ideal, but tbh, if you've not had any problems and it's stood for a while then I'd not fret too much.

Ah OK, cool. Been here 6 years or so. No damp or obvious signs of doom. I'll forget about it then 🙂

Keyboard warrior update.
Guess what i was teaching today? 🙂

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If a couple of 17 yr olds can manage to work it out, your experienced fella should have too. : )

So, just out of interest... those of you with moist & damp garages... how many air bricks or the like do you have fitted? I'm going single skin and adding 12 air bricks... I thunk.

Rusty, are they still using sand and lime mortar at college?
Remember not so fondly of having to clean all the bricks down after building and putting it in a pile ready for it to br remixed!

interesting that qwerty

i dont have a damp garage but i do have a nice gap all round my door , 3 air bricks venting to the underfloor cavity of the house , 5 venting to the outside, and i left the vent from the old boiler in the wall as well. ....as well as a window

i do get condensation forming on the inside of the roof - it stays on the roof though and my tools/bikes do not rust 😀 - which is good cause i iz anal about my tools/bikes !

'one layer of bricks with a bit of spit on the outside to weatherproof it'?
Yeah that. That's not good is it?

Did your mortgage company (assuming you're mortgaged) not highlight anything? The few people I know who've bought places with single skins have had part of the mortgage held back till a 2nd skin has been added.

If you aren't suffering damp problems however....i wouldnt worry about it.

Yep, sand and lime. All walls taken down by students after marking and muck put back through our pan mixer. Cement would make it a VERY expensive operation!
Busy today, we had nearly 50 16-27 yr old lads in the workshop today between 2 of us.

Buggy bump

OK update.

I've been deliberately ignoring this thread as it was adding to my stress levels (feeling I have to defend the design / my decisions) and I've had quite enough to cope with as it is.

However, current situation is:

Mrs Flaps got hold of QS guidelines for pricing jobs (her dad is a QS) and priced it. Asked Brickie to finish the job as per the 'set rates', he said no. So we parted company amicably. So I have 200 blocks laid, 200 bricks laid, no brickie and a duff pier.

Phoned round loads of brickies, all very busy, quoting Dec or even Jan for start. Have found one chap who might be able to fit me in this year and he's coming round at WE to take a look.

If he can't do it, I might start work at WEs and see how far I can get DIY...

So progress wise, not a lot has happened.