How to Build a Brick Wall

How to Build a Brick Wall How to Build a Brick Wall

A brick wall is an essential requirement in any house and you may have to construct a small one in the garden or even to add form to a landscape. Since it can easily be made by you, there is no need to spend a great deal of money in employing extra labor. You only need to get together all the raw materials that you need along with the tools for building the wall. Although it is only a simple wall, there are many steps in its construction. Let us learn how to build a brick wall in a step by step manner.

A plan is a must before making any kind of construction. It will help you decide on the exact place where you want to place the brick wall and also on the design. If you want only a simple wall, then you can outline it and spray paint it to mark the exact location.
Depending on the length and width of the wall, you can remove the soil to create a small clearing in the mud that you had previously marked. The width can range up to 18” or more. Just make sure that the width is 6” more than the wall itself. In order to build the foundation, you can dig up to the depth of the brick and also include an inch more. The first course should preferable be below the ground to provide stability to the wall. You need a tamper to smooth out the surface now.
You can use builder’s sand or stone dust to fill in the trench after the first course of bricks is laid. Tamp the surface after filling in the sand for about an inch or two.
If you are planning to build a pond on the other side of the brick wall, then you need a good drainage system. Any extra water from rainfall will not overfill the pond but drain away through the pipe. A 1” PVC pipe 18” long will suffice. You can keep a screen on either side of the pipe to keep the heavy dirt away.
Laying the first course should be done in the correct fashion. A mallet can be used to test that the level is correct. A level surface should be maintained at all costs.
For laying the subsequent courses, you can take the help of uneven bricks or cut bricks into two to cover the joints. Keep the ends on a single line and go on laying the courses until you are just one course away from the ultimate height.
The next step is to lay capstone. You can have them cut to make the brick wall curve in the ideal way. You can use the level to place the capstones perfectly along the wall.
Once you have the capstones placed in their rightful places along the brick wall, you can carefully pull out every piece and apply some construction adhesive to stick the capstone in place.
Lastly, you need to get the surfaces cleaned up and in line. All the stones should match the surface. You can use a hammer to strike and set the surface in the way you want.

Before you start digging the trench for building the foundation of the wall, you should check for utility lines so that you do not rupture or hamper them. And continuing to build walls in the way described, you can include subtle changes like including steps or some designs. And now that you know how to build a brick wall, you can even teach your friends do the same in their houses.