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, brick, 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..