Bricklaying & Masonry in East London

A skilled bricklayer lays roughly 300-600 standard bricks a day on straightforward wall runs — fewer on detailed work, arches, or restoration. That is why fiddly small jobs cost more per brick than long straight walls.

Rules vary, but retaining walls above roughly 0.6-1m, boundary walls above fence-height limits, and anything structural typically need approval and sometimes an engineer's design. A bricklayer in East London should know the local threshold — if they say approval never applies, get a second opinion.

Look at completed walls, not photos alone — joint consistency, level courses and clean perp lines show skill instantly. In East London, ask what footing and drainage they propose before price; a bricklayer who starts with the below-ground detail is usually the one to hire.

Repointing — grinding out failed mortar joints and refilling them — is priced per square metre and needed when mortar crumbles, washes out, or lets damp through. It is far cheaper than rebuilding, but matching the mortar mix and joint style to the original is what separates good work from patchwork.

Stepped cracks along mortar joints usually mean foundation movement; vertical cracks through bricks suggest thermal movement or missing expansion joints; horizontal cracking on retaining walls means soil pressure. Small hairline cracks can be monitored, but widening or stepped cracks deserve a structural opinion before cosmetic repair.

Plastered stock-brick walling typically runs R1,500-2,500 per metre for a 1.8m wall including foundations, with face brick above that. Security features — palisade toppings, electric fencing — are priced separately.