When building a house, or making renovations, or even constructing a patio for Sunday afternoon barbecues, it may be tempting to cut costs by disregarding the importance of a bricklayer. While doing so may result in lower overall costs for the project, the wealth of experience and expertise that a professional bricklayer can contribute to the success of the construction.
Furthermore, a professional bricklayer will no doubt have the right qualifications, and the necessary certifications, which guarantees that they have passed an apprenticeship and/or exam in the field of bricklaying.
- Time – Instead of having a general contractor potentially blunder his / her way through the proper way to lay the brick, a professional bricklayer will save the client a great deal of time by knowing the exact type of brick and method of bricklaying to expedite the process.
- Cost – Whether it’s constructing an entire house, or simply adding a brick façade to allow the colors in the interior to pop, laying brick mistakenly, or having to undo layers upon layers of bricks can be incredibly expensive. A professional bricklayer will not make such a costly mistake.
- Quality – As with most jobs, the quality will differ vastly depending on whether or not the practitioner is an amateur or a professional. A professional will almost always have more experience and practice in their specialty, which will result in a higher level of quality.
These benefits – among many others – should be considered prior to embarking on any construction project.
Specialty of Bricklayers
Bricklaying is a specialty occupation within the construction industry, but their function is not limited to simply building a brick wall. Their function ranges through the following tasks, which are often necessary in any major construction:
- Stonework: This is another form of masonry, but a professional bricklayer will be able to either repair or construct some basic stone structures, as it is part of the training for bricklaying apprentices.
- Maintenance: This will vary depending on your agreement with your bricklayer, but just like with wood and other building materials, brick can and will degrade over time. In this event, one can contact the original bricklayer for the project, or create a contract with a new bricklayer to repair any damage, or simply maintain the structural integrity of the bricks.
- Problem Finder & Solver: In some cases, the erosion of the brick or masonry in the construction is not apparent to the untrained eye. In fact, structural erosion may go unnoticed even by other professionals, but a professional bricklayer will have been trained to identify and solve any problems involving bricklaying and some other forms of masonry, provided that it doesn’t involve any major rendering.
The specialty of a bricklayer cannot be summed up in just a few bullet points, but these are perhaps the most important to consider before embarking on your construction project. You may save money in the short-term by not hiring a professional bricklayer, but you’ll find that the long-term benefits far outweigh the short-term in this case.
