Lady bricklayer ?

Garden transformation Part 4 – How I started brick laying

When we moved to our first house it had an ancient wall that was leaning at a very precarious angle. It had to come down before it fell down! My husband and I had both been brought up by very practical parents, prepared to get stuck in and have a go.

I had been a big Lego fan as a child and really fancied having a go at brick laying. That Christmas my husband bought me a trowel and spirit level, together with a book – no internet then – and we got stuck in.

We knocked the old wall down carefully and chipped the mortar off every brick – a most foul repetitive job. The bricks were fabulous quality, large solid reds that were incredibly heavy.

We read how to lay out, dig and concrete foundations and we set about the task. The brick laying was painfully slow but I kept thinking, each brick I lay, will only be laid once and there won’t be a fence to paint or a hedge to cut – a conversation I’ve had with myself on many occasions since.

“I’ve never seen a girl laying bricks”

One winter’s day when I was rugged up with a woolly hat on, I was standing in our neighbour’s garden laying my bricks. She had a tradesman around and when he came into her garden and saw me from the back he shouted “alright mate” I turned and said “yes thank-you” he did a double take, then said “I’ve never seen a girl laying bricks” it still makes me chuckle.

Lets build another wall

After we’d completed the original wall there was no stopping us! A couple of years later we asked the other neighbour if they minded us replacing the tatty old fence with a wall. This changed the garden so much, giving it a lovely feel and cementing (pardon the pun) our love of walled gardens.

Progression – Building a garage

After a few more years had passed, we applied for planning permission to build a double garage. Everyone thought that I should build it, but I really wasn’t sure I was up to it. After a lot of persuasion I agreed that I would start it, on the condition that if it wasn’t going well, we’d get a builder in. An added problem is my fear of heights, I had no idea how I was going to cope up on the scaffolding!

I had never given any thought to the amount of maths involved in building work, but I guess if your corners aren’t 90° your roof won’t fit!

We made a painfully slow and frustrating start and I do remember my husband complaining about my bad language. My reply “If I’m going to build like a builder, I’m going to swear like one!” with my hands on my hips – sorry to all the builders that don’t swear.

With my kit upgraded, now armed with 2 new Stabila spirit levels as well as my old one. A new trowel and some brick line blocks off a friend, it started progressing nicely. The bricky was in a better humour!

It took us 7 months to complete, but I laid every brick and overcame my fear of heights making it to the top. Helped by the scaffolding going up a little at a time, allowing me to adjust slowly to the height change each week. Of course I got all the glory from the neighbours as I was doing the visual job, but without my labourer doing all the really hard work it wouldn’t have been possible.