Bricklaying in Whitley Bay

Yes, Tynemouth, Killingworth, Wallsend and the surrounding area are all covered for bricklaying. Being based in Blaydon-on-Tyne keeps most of the region within a reasonable drive.

Yes. Workmanship is guaranteed for an agreed period which we confirm in writing before starting.

There can be. Parts of Whitley Bay sit within designated conservation areas, and where that applies North Tyneside Council will expect the seaside character of the frontage to be respected rather than replaced with a modern equivalent. Where that is the case, expect North Tyneside Council to take a closer interest in materials and detailing than it would elsewhere in the borough.

North Tyneside Council covers Whitley Bay 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.

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.

We take a sample and source the closest available match before ordering. On Victorian and Edwardian property an exact match is rarely available, so the joint profile and mortar colour do a lot of the work in making the new blend with the old.

Yes. Faces are cleaned as the work goes up rather than left to set, which produces a far better result than trying to remove hardened mortar at the end.

Yes. A wall without an adequate foundation will move, and on clay ground it will move noticeably within a couple of winters. The foundation depth depends on the wall height and the ground it is sitting on.

Often, yes. The practical ground issue on the coast is exposure rather than mining, and anything we build here gets a mortar and a finish chosen for a salt laden environment instead of a standard inland spec. That is why we look at the plot before pricing rather than quoting from a description over the phone.

The full range. Whitley Bay runs from Victorian and Edwardian seaside terraces and larger villas around Park Avenue, the Links and Marden to inter war and later housing through Monkseaton and West Monkseaton, and the construction type is what actually drives the approach on bricklaying.