Posted in
Bricklaying on Nov 10
United Kingdom soil is always damp provided you dig down deep enough, and when it gets saturated, capillary action causes moisture to rise up to the surface. 
If that happens and you rest a cardboard box upon the ground, the water dampens the cardboard too. Similarly, moisture naturally rises up through porous brick walls, and that’s what we call rising damp.
A damp course is a physical damp-proof barrier above the ground on which the walls of a building rest. It may also be a vertical barrier to prevent rainwater intrusion from outside, although this is less common. The earliest horizontal barriers were inserted using slate which being dense is impervious to water. These days cheaper plastic strips are more common.
If you are planning to Find a Builder outside of Mr-Skill we recommend that you carefully research the details of what they propose by way of damp courses. Should you source a tradesman through us though, there is no need to worry. That’s because all our craftsmen follow the practices of the best London Bricklayer Firms.
A horizontal damp course should be laid between two brick courses at least six inches above the ground at the highest point, and it should never be covered afterwards by soil because this can counteract it. Should the brick course subsequently fail, then there is little point in getting Bricklaying Quotes. The only workable solution is to arrange expensive chemical injections.
This is why we always recommend employing qualified, Rated Bricklayers such as we provide at Mr-Skill. The pleasures of saving a few pounds on a bricklaying job through employing glorified handymen is easily forgotten, after you receive an expensive chemical injection repair bill.
Tags: barrier, brick, bricklaying quotes, capillary, chemical, course, damp, damp course, dig, earth, find a bricklayer, ground, horizontal, injection, intrusion, london bricklayer, moisture, plastic, rain, rise, rising damp, slate, soil, surface, vertical, water
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Posted in
General Building on Jul 12
If you are planning to build a perimeter wall around your property then we recommend you Find a Builder who knows the ins and outs to help you make this happen. This is because the Council will have to approve the job, and 
your neighbours will definitely become involved too.
If, on the other hand, you have something simpler in mind somewhere in the garden itself, perhaps a low retaining wall or a screen to hide the compost heap, then this may well be a job that you might like to attempt yourself – provided that you are not in a hurry, and are willing to accept a slightly rustic finish for the lack of a better word.
o Mark out the wall with pegs and string and have the inevitable family discussion. After the dust has settled, dig out the foundation trench which should be 300mm wide by 300mm deep, and backfill this with 150mm of concrete. Tamp this down carefully to ensure that it levels out.
o Start laying bricks at the easiest end first by putting up a vertical plank that will act as your guideline. Make sure the bottom course is absolutely level in both directions too, as this will affect the entire job as it goes along. 
Do not be in a hurry to add more bricks. Concentrate on building a perfect end, stepping up until you reach wall height.
o Repeat the process at the other end, using string and spirit level to make sure that you will top out exactly level with the corner you already built. Using string again as your guideline, gradually fill in the space between the corners until the wall is complete.
Sounds easy, does it not? Actually building even a simple wall is no easy task and things can literally go pear-shaped before your eyes. There are two ways to avoid this happening. The first is to have the courage to partly take down the wall and start again. The second way, of course, is to Get a Building Quote from Mr-Skill. You will be so glad you did!
Tags: approval, approve, brick, build, builder london, building quote, concrete, corner, council, course, dig, end, fill, find a builder, foundation, Garden, lay, level, mark, neighbour, peg, perimeter, retain, screen, simple, spirit level, string, trench, vertical, wall
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