Wrong Damp Course Brick?

[MadManc2018]

We are currently having a kitchen extension rebuilt. We asked the builder to keep the old brick and reuse it. He said some couldn’t be used and skipped them, however showed us some common brick samples and said he would use these and the existing bricks to blend them in. We were happy with this solution.

He has just finished the foundations and damp proof layer and has used orange engineering brick? When we questioned this he said the old and common brick can’t be used for this initial layer. But we think it will look shocking once completed. (See image below)

Surely there is another solution???

 

[Notch7]

Bricks below dpc do need to be FL rated

They mightve chosen a more sympathetic colour........

In any case your builders should have discussed it with you before starting.

How many courses are there above ground level? Dpc seems quite high but its hard to tell where ground will end up.

 

[^woody^]

I dont know whats worse - the bricks, the joints or the bricklaying?

The builder is wrong anyway.

 

[MadManc2018]

Bricks below dpc do need to be FL rated

They mightve chosen a more sympathetic colour........

In any case your builders should have discussed it with you before starting.

How many courses are there above ground level? Dpc seems quite high but its hard to tell where ground will end up.

Looks like there will be 3 or 4 bricks above ground level.

 

[MadManc2018]

I dont know whats worse - the bricks, the joints or the bricklaying?

The builder is wrong anyway.

Ok now i’m really worried. Please can you elaborate. I honestly don’t know what i’m Looking at with regards to the terminology and recognising which parts of it are bad?

 

[stuart45]

Ok now i’m really worried. Please can you elaborate. I honestly don’t know what i’m Looking at with regards to the terminology and recognising which parts of it are bad?

How many courses are showing as facework? The brickwork looks a bit rough. Look at the size of some of the cross joints for example.

 

[Mottie]

You’re obviously not happy with it. Tell them and get them to take it down and start again before you’re too far into it.

 

[KenGMac]

MadManc2018, good evening.

OK the quality of the bricks laid is best described as being "Poor"

If you look at the vertical perpends [the perps] they have differential widths?

There is some sloppy cement residue on the face of the bricks.

Some of the perps do not appear [at least in the image] to be filled with mortar?

Lastly. from the image posted. there appears to be a lack of trueness of line in the bricks as layed?

All in all not the best brickwork

Ken.

 

[^woody^]

The wall looks in and out, and up and down in places. Every horizontal and vertical mortar joint should be near enough the same thickness - around 10mm. There are very thick vertical joints in places.

If these bricks are not guaged correctly (spaced out) then when the other different bricks are laid on top, it will look a lot worse.

These bricks - engineering bricks, should be available in darker red/maroon shade which wont affect any passing aircraft as much as those will.

Regarding the builder's brick mixing scheme, you will need to be very careful with this. New bricks will be a lot smaller than those old bricks and its not possible to mix one in with the other without it looking like the pile of bricks in the middle there.

 

[Mottie]

I’d be tempted to buy some more secondhand matching bricks if you’re that bothered. Either that or do it all in a brick similar to what you have and use some of the original bricks to re-do that doorway that was converted to a window to the right with all the new bricks in it!

 

[noseall]

That bricklaying is appalling. Did he throw it there from his van? Is it square-on to the wall? It doesn't look it.

We would have used a more suitable coloured sub-DPC brick. Even a blue wouldn't have shouted out as much as those reds. Alarm bells/curiosity as to why no 7n dense solids (blocks) internally?

 

[MadManc2018]

I’d be tempted to buy some more secondhand matching bricks if you’re that bothered. Either that or do it all in a brick similar to what you have and use some of the original bricks to re-do that doorway that was converted to a window to the right with all the new bricks in it!

There is going to be a set of french windows going into the the wall to the right to replace that other mismatched brick work.

 

[MadManc2018]

Alarm bells/curiosity as to why no 7n dense solids (blocks) internally?

Hi there,

Not being in the trade, I’m not familiar with 7n dense solids, so just Googled them. The image does look similar to the grey blocks shown in the photo on the inside of the wall. If not can you please advise what these are?

Appreciate all of the feedback i’ve received so far.

 

[stuart45]

concrete common bricks
https://www.bing.com/images/search?...608036680326056316&selectedIndex=0&ajaxhist=0

 

[noseall]

If not can you please advise what these are?

Blocks are a cheaper alternative to bricks, in that you can lay 6 times more material for similar effort. One would only choose to use bricks (if yo didn't need to) if size match were essential or if you were inexperienced - like that external face-work bricklaying suggests.