Bricklaying Services
Bricklaying in Washington
Before the drawings even start, bricklaying in Washington needs the right authority on the paperwork, which here means Sunderland City Council. Washington is a town designated as a new town in 1964 and built out as numbered villages, wrapped around the much older Washington Village and Usworth.
Call 07854 366464Get a Free QuoteBricklaying done properly in Washington
More than 25 years of building work across the city means we know which questions to ask on a Washington property before quoting, and the quote itself always arrives in writing.
Bricklaying Services
Our bricklaying in Washington cover
- Garden and boundary walls: foundations, brickwork, copings and piers built to last rather than to look right for a season
- Repointing: raking out and repointing in a mortar mix suited to the wall rather than the strongest available
- Structural brickwork: load bearing walls, piers and openings formed to the approved details
- Stonework and stone cladding: natural and reconstituted stone laid to match the surrounding work
- Steps and pathways: brick and block steps, thresholds and paths finished to fall correctly
- Brick matching: sourcing the closest available brick and proving the match before ordering the load
Local Knowledge
Local considerations for bricklaying in Washington
Every bricklaying project in Washington answers to Sunderland City Council, so that is where the application and the inspections go. Alongside that, planning and building control here sit with Sunderland City Council rather than Durham, which catches people out because the postal address and the historic county both point elsewhere. 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 the new town was laid over a landscape of former collieries and industrial ground, so a coal mining risk assessment is a routine early step for anything involving new foundations rather than an unusual request. On brickwork this shows up in the footing rather than the wall, and the footing is the part nobody sees and everybody regrets skimping on.
Washington covers a real mix of building stock. Near Washington Village, Fatfield, Usworth expect the older cores at Washington Village, Usworth and Fatfield, and beyond that the new town villages built from the mid 1960s onward. For bricklaying, the older stock generally needs a lime based or weaker mortar so the joint fails before the brick does, whereas the newer housing takes a standard modern mix. The new town road layout makes deliveries straightforward, though the numbered village system means we confirm the exact estate rather than trusting a postcode alone. 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 Washington
Site visit first
The first step is a site visit. Nothing gets priced in Washington until we have seen what we are actually being asked to build.
A written quote
Everything goes in writing before work starts, including what is in the price and what is not.
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 Washington: your questions
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 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 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.
Are there any planning restrictions I should know about in Washington?
There can be. Planning and building control here sit with Sunderland City Council rather than Durham, which catches people out because the postal address and the historic county both point elsewhere. Where that is the case, expect Sunderland City Council to take a closer interest in materials and detailing than it would elsewhere in the city.
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.
Do you cover the areas around Washington as well, such as Sunderland and Houghton-le-Spring and Birtley?
Yes, Sunderland, Houghton-le-Spring, Birtley and the surrounding area are all covered for bricklaying. Being based in Blaydon-on-Tyne keeps most of the region within a reasonable drive.
Do ground conditions in Washington affect bricklaying?
Often, yes. The new town was laid over a landscape of former collieries and industrial ground, so a coal mining risk assessment is a routine early step for anything involving new foundations rather than an unusual request. 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 Washington?
Sunderland City Council covers Washington 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.
Can you take on small brickwork jobs?
Yes. A short garden wall, a set of steps or a single pier is perfectly normal work for us and gets the same standard as a larger contract.
What sort of properties do you carry out bricklaying on in Washington?
The full range. Washington runs from the older cores at Washington Village, Usworth and Fatfield to the new town villages built from the mid 1960s onward, and the construction type is what actually drives the approach on bricklaying.
Also covering near Washington
We carry out bricklaying across the surrounding area as well as in Washington itself.
Other building services in Washington
Whatever else the project needs, it is the same team and the same standard.
Planning bricklaying in Washington?
Send over the details or give us a ring. We will visit the property, talk through the options for bricklaying in Washington and put a written quote in front of you with nothing hidden in the small print.
Call 07854 366464Request a Quote