Matching bricks is a job in itself
Sourcing reclaimed imperials to match an old house takes phone calls, a trip to the yard and a premium per brick. None of that reads as work on a one-line quote.
For bricklayers
Brickwork estimates from a brick count and a mortar spec
You price in bricks per day and the customer thinks in walls. TradeScribe turns your count into an estimate that names the brick, the bond and the mortar mix, which is exactly what separates a bricklayer from someone with a trowel.
Why estimating is the worst part of the week
Lime versus cement is a conversation nobody wants to have twice
The customer sees a higher price for mortar and assumes you are inflating it. Written into the estimate with a reason, it becomes the thing that wins you the job.
Sub-contract work has its own paperwork trap
Working for a main contractor means CIS deductions and, on some jobs, the VAT reverse charge. Getting the invoice wrong delays payment by a month.
A real example
Front garden wall and bay corner rebuild, reclaimed imperials
On the left is what you would actually write down. On the right is what your customer receives.
Your notes
front garden wall, 11m long, 1.2 high, one and a half brick with piers every 3m. reclaimed imperial 68mm to match the house, yard has them at £1.40 a brick, allow 5% wastage. lime mortar NOT opc, house is 1890s and cement will wreck the faces, NHL 3.5 at 1 to 2.5. coping brick on edge with a dpc under. footing 450 wide 600 deep, concrete. while im there the bay corner has stepped cracking, 4 courses out, cut it out and rebuild, helibars in the 3 rows above. 6 days. mixer and a band, spot boards on the drive. there is a phone line running down the front corner, mind it
The estimate
| Item | Qty | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Excavate and pour concrete strip footing, 450 x 600 | 11 linear m | £858.00 |
| Reclaimed imperial facing bricks, including 5% wastage | 2100 each | £2,940.00 |
| Lay one-and-a-half brick garden wall in NHL 3.5 lime mortar | 13.2 m² | £2,178.00 |
| Build piers at 3m centres | 4 each | £560.00 |
| Brick-on-edge coping over DPC | 11 linear m | £528.00 |
| Cut out and rebuild cracked bay corner, four courses | 1 job | £720.00 |
| Helical bar reinforcement to bed joints above rebuild | 3 each | £285.00 |
| Lime mortar, sharp sand and materials | 1 job | £320.00 |
| Mixer and small plant hire | 1 week | £140.00 |
| Point up, clean down brickwork and clear site | 1 job | £220.00 |
| Total before VAT | £8,749.00 | |
An illustration using typical UK rates, not a price list. TradeScribe prices from the rates in your own notes and your saved day rate.
What we know about bricklaying estimates
These are the lines that come up again and again on a bricklayer's estimate. Mention any of them in your notes, however briefly, and they come out properly worded.
- Facing brickwork, half brick skin, per square metre
- One-and-a-half brick garden wall, per square metre
- Blockwork inner leaf, per square metre
- Piers and returns, each
- Brick-on-edge or saddleback coping, per linear metre
- Repointing in lime or cement mortar, per square metre
- Cut out and rebuild cracked brickwork
- Helical bar crack stitching, per bed joint
- Chimney rebuild above roof level
- Strip footing, excavated and concreted, per linear metre
Bricklaying estimating questions
How do I price brickwork when the customer wants reclaimed bricks?
Price the bricks as a separate supply line at the yard's rate per brick, with your wastage allowance stated, and keep your laying rate separate. Reclaimed imperials are slower to lay, vary in size and break more, so it is reasonable to carry a higher rate per square metre as well. Say why on the estimate rather than burying it, because the customer chose the brick and should see what it costs.
Should I quote per thousand bricks or per square metre?
Work in whichever you price fastest, but present per square metre or per element to the customer. 'Per thousand' is a trade unit that means nothing to a homeowner and invites them to count bricks. Per square metre with the bond named is precise enough to defend and readable enough to accept.
How do I explain why lime mortar costs more than cement?
One sentence on the estimate does it: a solid-walled house built before roughly 1919 needs a mortar softer than the brick, so moisture escapes through the joint rather than through the face. Cement pointing on soft old bricks traps water and blows the faces off in a few frosts. Customers will happily pay more for that once someone has told them; nobody usually has.
What should I say about matching existing brickwork?
Set expectations in writing. State that reclaimed and new bricks are matched as closely as available stock allows, and that new mortar will weather in over one or two seasons rather than matching on day one. A rebuilt bay corner that looks obviously new for a year is normal, but a customer who was not warned will read it as bad work.
Does the VAT reverse charge apply when I invoice a main contractor?
For most construction services supplied between VAT-registered businesses within CIS, yes: you do not charge VAT, you state on the invoice that the domestic reverse charge applies and that the customer accounts for it. It does not apply to work for the end user, which includes ordinary domestic customers. Getting it wrong is the single most common reason a subcontractor invoice sits unpaid for a month.
Other trades
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