Bricklaying Services
Bricklaying in Birtley
Before the drawings even start, bricklaying in Birtley needs the right authority on the paperwork, which here means Gateshead Council. Birtley is a town on the southern edge of Gateshead, split by the A1 and shaped by a long industrial and munitions history.
Call 07854 366464Get a Free QuoteBricklaying done properly in Birtley
Andy is a time served general builder with more than 25 years behind him, and no Birtley job is priced from a phone call alone. We look at the property first, then put the figure in writing.
Bricklaying Services
Our bricklaying in Birtley cover
- Repointing: raking out and repointing in a mortar mix suited to the wall rather than the strongest available
- Making good: tidy joints, clean faces and a site left properly at the end of each day
- Chimney building and repair: rebuilding, repointing and reflaunching where the stack has weathered
- Steps and pathways: brick and block steps, thresholds and paths finished to fall correctly
- Stonework and stone cladding: natural and reconstituted stone laid to match the surrounding work
- Structural brickwork: load bearing walls, piers and openings formed to the approved details
Local Knowledge
Local considerations for bricklaying in Birtley
Every bricklaying project in Birtley answers to Gateshead Council, so that is where the application and the inspections go. Alongside that, Birtley falls under Gateshead Council rather than Durham County Council, which is worth getting right at the start because the two authorities publish different guidance and different fee scales. Knowing this at the outset is what keeps a project moving, because a design produced in ignorance of a constraint usually has to be produced again.
The ground itself is the other half of the picture, because Birtley sits on worked coal measures with industrial ground alongside, so both mining risk and made ground can apply on the same street. A garden or retaining wall is only as good as what it sits on, so ground conditions here decide the footing before they decide anything else.
Birtley covers a real mix of building stock. Near Durham Road, Barley Mow, Portobello expect terraced housing around Durham Road and the older village centre, and beyond that post war and later estates toward Barley Mow and Portobello. For bricklaying, older brickwork wants a softer mortar and a matched brick, while newer housing is usually a standard modern facing brick that is still available. Proximity to the A1 makes deliveries easy, though the older Durham Road frontages are tight for a skip. It does not move the price, which is set after we have seen the property, but it does shape the programme.
Recent work
Our Approach
How we work in Birtley
Site visit first
We come out, look at the property and ask the awkward questions before quoting. A price given without a visit is a guess dressed up as a quote.
A written quote
You get a written, no obligation quote that states the scope. If something is excluded, it says so rather than leaving it to be argued about later.
Regulations handled
Most brickwork is a building regulations question rather than a planning one, but free standing walls have their own height rules at a boundary, and repointing a property in a conservation area can attract more scrutiny than the same job on the next street.
Kept informed
We keep you updated as the work goes on rather than disappearing for a week. It is the least complicated part of building work and the part most often done badly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bricklaying in Birtley: your questions
What time of year is best for brickwork?
Brickwork can be laid for most of the year, but not in frost, and mortar needs protection in cold weather. We plan around the forecast rather than pushing on and producing weak joints.
Do you build brick piers for gates and driveways?
Yes, including the foundation, the pier itself, any built in ducting for gate motors and the capping on top.
How high can I build a garden wall without planning permission?
As a general rule a wall up to two metres is permitted, dropping to one metre where it adjoins a highway used by vehicles or a footpath beside one. Different limits apply to listed buildings and some conservation areas, so it is worth confirming before the foundation goes in.
Are there any planning restrictions I should know about in Birtley?
There can be. Birtley falls under Gateshead Council rather than Durham County Council, which is worth getting right at the start because the two authorities publish different guidance and different fee scales. Where that is the case, expect Gateshead Council to take a closer interest in materials and detailing than it would elsewhere in the borough.
Why does repointing need a specific mortar mix?
Because a mortar stronger than the brick pushes moisture and movement into the brick face instead of the joint, which is what causes spalling on older property. On a soft older brick a lime based or weaker mix is usually the correct answer even though a strong cement mix looks tidier on day one.
Do ground conditions in Birtley affect bricklaying?
Often, yes. Birtley sits on worked coal measures with industrial ground alongside, so both mining risk and made ground can apply on the same street. That is why we look at the plot before pricing rather than quoting from a description over the phone.
Which council handles bricklaying applications in Birtley?
Gateshead Council covers Birtley for planning and for building control, so both sides of the approval sit with one authority. On bricklaying the requirement to satisfy is boundary wall height rules and, in conservation areas, mortar and joint specification.
How long does repointing a wall take?
A single elevation on a typical house is usually a matter of days rather than weeks, though weather has a real effect because pointing should not be carried out in frost or in heavy rain.
What sort of properties do you carry out bricklaying on in Birtley?
The full range. Birtley runs from terraced housing around Durham Road and the older village centre to post war and later estates toward Barley Mow and Portobello, and the construction type is what actually drives the approach on bricklaying.
Do you cover the areas around Birtley as well, such as Gateshead and Washington and Stanley?
Yes, Gateshead, Washington, Stanley and the surrounding area are all covered for bricklaying. Being based in Blaydon-on-Tyne keeps most of the region within a reasonable drive.
Also covering near Birtley
We carry out bricklaying across the surrounding area as well as in Birtley itself.
Other building services in Birtley
Whatever else the project needs, it is the same team and the same standard.
Planning bricklaying in Birtley?
Send over the details or give us a ring. We will visit the property, talk through the options for bricklaying in Birtley and put a written quote in front of you with nothing hidden in the small print.
Call 07854 366464Request a Quote