Getting a website up and running.

Image via Wikipedia

It is essential these days that the bricklayer uses every means at his disposal to find work, and one of the ways that you can increase your chances considerably, is to put up a simple website and optimize it for the search engines.

Lets face it the days of the yellow pages are almost over and people are increasingly using the internet to find tradesmen (and women) so if you haven`t got a web presence where you can showcase your expertise then you are deader than the dodo. I know that if any bricklayers are actually reading this (and maybe there are one or two:) then they will be saying "but i`m a brickie not a f****ng web designer".This may well be the case but it is a good idea to get some kind of a website online so that you get your share of the pie.These days you have to learn to market yourself and with all the free stuff available online, it need not cost the earth to do it. If you go to ebay and type in websites for sale you will see some fantastic bargains from top class web designers who are looking to establish themselves and will do you a pukka job for very little money.
There are a lot of free places on the net where you can get free publicity for your particular area of expertise and you get to write a brief description of the services you offer.The following are what is needed to get yourself online

1. A domain name: Cost about $9 a year. Go to somewhere like Name.com or Godaddy.com and look for something relevant ( such as www. brickpointerinlondon.co.uk or www.londonbrickie.co.uk or variations thereof eg.www.london-brickie.co.uk) It is essential that the name is relevant because when someone searches for brick pointer in london or london brickie, your website will have a better chance of showing up than if your domain name (ie. website name) was "my dopey website.co.uk":)

2. Hosting:This can be as low as $5 a year if you use ebay. Just type in hosting into the search box. A lot of the hosting provided on ebay comes complete with its own simple website builder and this is a fantastic way to learn the ropes very cheaply and it means that you can easily make changes to your website in future should you wish to do so and not be at the mercy of a web designer. Just have a bit of patience here and you will reap the benefit for years to come

3. If you do not want to go down this road then you can avail yourself of the many free websites on the net such as blinkweb, geocities or blogger.com where you can have unlimited
free blogs and setting up is just a 3 step process.They will host it free of charge and here again you will have access to a simple to use website builder, where you can practice away to your hearts content until you are eventually happy with your masterpiece. Make sure that you put in the keywords that you think your customers will be using to find you, such as brickie in north london, brick pointing specialist,bricklayer etc. as the search engines love it when your content is both targeted and relevant.

As with anything in this life there is a learning curve, but if you just spend a half hour on the computer 3 or 4 times a week you will not regret it and that phone will ring a lot more often,.. even if there is a recession.

Hard Times For Brickies!

The Recession officially came into being last week and as if we needed telling the general public are tightening their belts and cutting back on everything but essentials, so the poor old bricklayer is once again sidelined and finding it hard to get enough work to survive. When I logged into Mybuilder.co.uk it was brought home to me how much competition there is now for work and for some of the jobs posted there, there were about 30 tradesmen tendering, as compared to 3 or 4 this time last year.. A lot of younger married brickies with big mortgages are going into steadier jobs(if they`re lucky) with the old reliables such as London Transport and British Rail hoping to ride out the recession and return to the building sites again when times are better. So how can we increase our chances of getting work?



1..Use the internet to your advantage by putting up a simple website and optimizing it
for the search engines. This is not as complicated as it sounds and will be of enormous help
to you in the coming months and years ahead.

2. Be very professional in all your dealings with customers and always turn up on time.

3. Again remember to use all the free advertising on the internet to get your message out there
All it takes is a little time and patience.

4. If you have any qualifications such as City and Guilds etc make sure it is firmly stated on
your website.This tends to inspire confidence in you as a tradesman.

5.Ring up your local newspaper and haggle with them for a rock bottom price on your advertising or any special deals they might have. Get friendly with them and you will save a fortune.

Remember even in recessions there will still be work for people who are willing to up their game and put some extra work into marketing themselves.It will mean going outside your comfort zone but the rewards will be well worth it.
While these simple steps will not guarantee that you will become a millionaire while everyone else goes under it may just dramatically increase your chances of getting steady work in these difficult times.

Effects of efflorescence on Bricks?

Effects of Efflorescence on Bricks?
Efflorescence is that white powdery looking substance that appears on some brickwork This can be unsightly in new brickwork and some people try to take off the white deposit by applying more water to it in the hope that it will lessen its effects. Instead of getting rid of the efflorescence it actually makes it worse and the best way to get rid of it is with a scrubbing brush,no water, and good old fashion elbow grease.
How would efflorescence damage masonry?
Continual saturation with soluble salts, can cause deterioration of
masonry, if the materials are soft like stone, soft blocks, and non British Standard bricks
This continual wetting with ground water or water high in soluble salts can
make the materials susceptible to frost attack also the salt crystals can
build up inside the masonry expanding as the frost water molecules do,
destroying the face.
Water molecules expanding within the face of the masonry will make the
face breakaway and flake, leaving the masonry unsightly and over a long
time unstable.
Lime mortar will be affected, as the soluble salts will attack the lime the
chemical reaction between the soluble salt and the lime creating sulphates
that weakening the mortar.
With face stone work particularly stone containing limestone, the soluble
salts will cause a chemical reaction between the soluble salt and the lime
creating sulphates, leaving the masonry susceptible to atmospheric attack
from acid rain and frost etc

Types of Bricks

Image by east_lothian_museums via FlickrTypes of Bricks

This week I would like to discuss the different types of bricks available and their uses.

Engineering

Engineering bricks are a very hard, durable and highly resistant to frost damage.They are rated as either class A or B, with A being the strongest and they are usually used below ground level where great strength is required and also for Damp proof courses. They usually come in either red or blue colours

Common Bricks

These bricks are of an inferior quality to the engineering or facing brick and they should not be used below ground level and are most commonly used for internal walling where they are generally plastered over.These bricks are sometimes referred to as 'flettons"or LBC faced commons because of their common coloured base.

Facing Bricks

Facing bricks come in a variety of colours and are selected for their attractive appearance. They are aesthetically pleasing and are by far the most popular of all bricks.These Facing bricks can be broken down into the following classifications.

a) Wirecut

The majority of bricks in the UK are formed using this process. First, clay is extruded through a brick-shaped die, the appearance of the brick can then be determined by the addition of sand or texturing the face. The resultant clay column is then cut into individual bricks and fired in a kiln. They produce crisp lines and sharper looking brickwork.

b) Stock Bricks

Stock bricks are machine moulded bricks generally with a frog indent, formed by pressing wet clay into sanded moulds. The use of sand to release the bricks from the mould contributes to their soft texture and slightly irregular shape. Stock bricks produce a softer appearance

c) Waterstruck

These are moulded bricks released from the mould by water. They are solid bricks, containing no holes or frogs. The use of water together with the wetness of the clay produces a smooth and lipped edge.

Reclaimed Bricks

Reclaimed bricks have, by definition, been reclaimed from demolition sites - some may be handmade bricks, some other types of facing brick, others may be engineers. Their edges are typically worn and irregular and a number may have remnants of mortar on due to their original use. Many will have fine creases, characteristic folds and variations in colour that typify old brickwork. It is this combination which some feel gives "Reclaims" a charm and character all of their own. By virtue of their age the vast majority of Reclaimed Bricks are in Imperial dimensions. The Matching Brick Company stocks a range of reclaimed bricks in each of its yards.

Imperial-Sized Bricks

As well as Reclaimed Bricks, The Matching Brick Company stocks a range of new bricks in Imperial size (normally 73mm or 75mm). Other imperial-sized bricks are obtainable to order.

Special Shapes

A wide variety of Bricks are available in Special Shapes or sizes to compliment or contrast with all facing bricks. The MBC stocks a large range of special shapes in smooth red and blue, and can obtain any special shape to order. We also offer a cut and bond service which is ideal for creating angles for conservatory bases etc.

Handmade

As the name suggests, handmade bricks are literally made by a person throwing clay into a mould by hand. This produces the distinctive creases or "smiles" that charecterise handmade bricks. Once all bricks were made this way and although a few traditional handmade brickworks still exist, the cost of producing bricks by this method is prohibitive so more often nowadays this process is done by a machine. These are prestige facing bricks adding style, individuality and character to any project.

House Extensions

With the current economic downturn casting a gigantic dark shadow over us all, and with the current difficulty people are experiencing in selling their houses, home extensions are becoming an increasingly more appealing alternative to moving for those who need the extra room. The relaxation in regulations concerning the building of house extensions is another reason people are more inclined to go down this route. So what exactly is involved in building a bog standard house extension and what is the potential cost. The following,while only an approximation,will give a good idea of the costs involved

Item	Cost
Architects Planning Fee	£450
Council Planning Permission Fee	£150
Architects Building Regulations Fee	£350
Council Building Regulations Fee	£125
Council Inspection Fee	£260
RSJ Calculations	£80
Builders Cost	£23000
Inevitable extras	£2000
Total Cost	£26,415

When compared to the cost of moving and when all the expenses are taken into account it can make good economic sense to consider a house extension, especially for someone with a growing family. It can make even better sense to do it yourself and save even more money and this is a way of saving an absolute fortune while not having to worry about the possibility of ending up with "the builder from hell", as the responsibility will be entirely yours, and it may prove to be a stepping stone to a an even bigger future project when you may even decide to build your own home.... Just a thought........

Chimney Breast Removal

Chimney Breast Removal is something nearly every householder thinks about at one time or another. It has enormous advantages including making a room look larger and it also provides much needed free wall space for the insertion of a row of units or fitted wardrobes. Apart from being quite a messy job it is not that difficult to do and it is well worth the effort because of the benefits.The thing to remember is that gallows brackets have to be installed in the loft to support the stack.These are triangular steel supports which are bolted on to the wall on either side of the stack on top of which a wide steel plate or concrete lintel is placed to carry the weight of the upper stack. Prior to carrying out chimney breast removal you must always inform the local authorities and also the next door neighbour who shares the party wall with you.

During the chimney breast removal great care is needed because too much vibration could cause damage to the fixtures and fittings next door so a softly softly approach should be adopted. It is also advisable to hose down with water as the demolition of the breast is in progress so that dust is kept to a minimum. After the breast and hearth is removed the ceiling joists can be extended where the old trimmer used to be and the floorboards can be put in place and the ceiling areas can be plasterboarded ready for skimming. A couple of coats of unibond to the walls is neccessary here so that the render adheres to the brickwork.The skirting boards can now be fixed and also the coving and care should be taken here to ensure that a perfect match is achieved. The plaster should now be left to dry for about a week and it can then be decorated so that it seamlessly blends in with its surroundings.

How to lay bricks

Image by cwalker71 via FlickrLaying bricks is not as hard as you might think and with a little bit of practice you can be laying bricks like a professional in a very short time.The hardest part of laying bricks is getting the mortar bed right and even that is not very difficult anymore with a marvelous tool called" the bricky".This is a great little aid to laying the exact amount of mortar as a bed for the bricks. It comes in at under 30 pounds and if you want to do your own bricklaying this is ideal.
The first project you should undertake is a straightforward wall.Start off on a level surface and lay one row(known as a course) of bricks ensuring the bed joints and the perps(these are the mortar joints that go between bricks) are 10mm.
You can start at one end and introduce a half brick to obtain what is known as the bond.This is the arrangement of bricks
in a wall such that the end of each brick ends up half way in the brick of the previous course.This particular bond is known as stretcher bond and the other two most popular bonds are English Bond and Flemish Bond but the latter are mostly related to double skins of brickwork as opposed to stretcher bond which is single skin. Build up a corner on either end and ensure that the joints are exactly 10mm.When this is completed you can now run in the bricks in the middle using a string line as a guide to ensure that the tops are dead level. As the mortar is going off use a jointing iron to smooth finish the joints and use a very soft brush to clean the brickwork. Now just stand back and admire your handiwork.