1. home and garden

The Wickes Project Guide
How to Build
a garden wall
Kit
Tool List
>Spade
>Trowel
>Shovel
>Tape measure
>String or twine
and pegs
Safety
Equipment
>Dust mask
>RCD adaptor
>Safety specs
>Gloves
>Spirit level
>Disc grinder
>Bolster chisel
>Lump hammer
>Brick hammer
Wear gloves and goggles when
cutting or splitting bricks or blocks.
Avoid breathing in dust when cutting
bricks or blocks by wearing a face
mask. Use an RCD device for power
tools. If you are embedding lighting
into your scheme, bear in mind that
all electrical work must conform to
BS 7671, the current IEE Wiring
Regulations, and Part P of Building
Regulations. You are advised to check
with your local authority’s building
control department, or an authorised
competent person before starting. If
in any doubt about electrical work,
contact a qualified electrician.
Whether it’s a smart edge for garden borders or to enclose a
patio (see our project guide How to plan & lay paving)
garden walling is a project that can be completed with a
moderate skill level.
1
Draw a plan
If the wall is part of a wider scheme, draw a scale plan. Mark in the
walls of the house or large trees, and plan in all cabling and drain
runs, which will need to be in position, underground and protected
before starting.
Lay out the site
Transfer your plans into a full-size layout
on the site, setting out with string lines
and pegs. Wherever possible, plan the
area so that you use full-size blocks or
bricks to keep cutting to a minimum.
Use the right tools
If you will be cutting lots of bricks or
blocks, use a 230mm disc grinder.
Otherwise, you can use a lump hammer
and bolster chisel. You will also need a
spirit level at least 600mm long. See our
full tool list (left).
Buy the right amount of
walling materials
When determining how many bricks are
required, first work out the brickwork area.
For a single skin wall – also known as
a half brick wall (see Fig. 1 on page 2),
allow 60 bricks per square metre.
This style is known as stretcher bond
with only the long ‘stretcher’ faces of the
bricks visible.
For a one brick thick solid wall with the
visible ends of bricks known as headers
on show (see Fig. 2 on page 2) – allow
for 120 bricks per square metre.
These figures do not allow for wastage or
breakage, so add 10% extra to the order
to make certain you do not run short.
Fig. 3, 4 and 5 show more information
about calculating material quantities
(see pages 2 and 3).
Skill level required
Laying bricks and blocks is not complicated
but it does take practice to get a neat finish.
Fig. 1 Single skin brick wall
Fig. 2 One brick thick solid wall
Stretcher face
Header face
Half-brick wall
One-brick thick solid wall
Fig. 3 Calculate the bricks, blocks and mortar
Number of bricks & amount of mortar required (single skin of brickwork)
Sq m of brickwork 1
Number of bricks needed 60
Bags of Wickes’ bricklaying mortar (rounded up) 2.4 (3)
Number of bricks & amount of mortar required (solid one brick thick wall)
Sq m of brickwork 1
Number of bricks needed 120
Bags of Wickes’ bricklaying mortar (rounded up) 4.8 (5)
Number of blocks & amount of mortar required (single skin 100mm thick blocks)
Sq m of brickwork 1
Number of blocks needed 10
Bags of Wickes’ bricklaying mortar 2
Fig. 4 Calculate mortar mixes for brickwork, blockwork & rendering (all ratios by volume)
Choosing mortar mixes for brickwork
Type of construction
Proportions of Mastercrete cement/building sand
External walls above damp-proof course level
1:5
External walls below damp-proof course level
1:4-5
Retaining walls
1:3
External freestanding walls
1:4-5
Choosing mortar mixes for blockwork
Type of construction
Proportions of Mastercrete cement/building sand
External walls above damp-proof course level
1:6
External walls below damp-proof course level
1:5
External freestanding walls
1:5
Choosing a suitable mortar mix for rendering
Background material
Mix
Undercoat
Topcoat
Low suction such as hard dense clay bricks,
dense concrete blocks and stone masonry concrete
Mastercrete cement
sharp sand
1:3-4
1:5
1:5
1:6
Normal suction such as average types of bricks, clay Mastercrete cement
blocks, concrete blocks and aerated concrete blocks sharp sand
Fig. 5 Calculate the number of bags of concrete mix required
Major bags concrete mix
Produces approximately this amount of concrete
15
0.19 cu m
30
0.38 cu m
45
0.56 cu m
80
0.56 cu m
Ratios of concrete mix
Use
Equivalent ratios using cement and bags of all-in ballast
Foundations
2:8
Blinding layer for sub-floors etc
2:21
2
2
Fig. 10 R
etaining wall where the ground
slopes towards house
Wide coping
Preparing
foundations
for a wall
House wall
Dealing with ground sloping
towards the house
Paved walkway
or patio
200mm thick wall
on footings
These pictures show the best ways to construct a wall,
depending on the landscape in which you are working.
A wall to edge a path
Fig. 6 shows a simple wall or an edging
to a path. Fig. 7 shows the layout of a
wall with soil behind for plants, then
paving. The foundations for the two walls
are separate to allow drainage through to
the ground below.
Fig. 10 shows how to deal with ground
sloping towards the house.
Fig. 8 R
etaining wall where the ground
slopes away from house
One way to deal with ground sloping away
from the house wall is to build up
Fig. 6 A simple wall or edging to a path
Coping
House wall
Paving slab
Walling
blocks
Soil
removed
Existing
ground
Path
Soil and
hardcore
added
Coping
stone
Single
thickness
wall
Building blocks
on footings
Concrete
foundation
On
footings
Fig. 9 R
etaining wall where the ground
slopes away from house
300mm
foundations should be 300mm wide and
225mm deep. The bricks or blocks will be
laid along the centre of the concrete surface.
2. Dig out the trench
Use pegs and a string line to mark out the
trench. Excavate a 300mm deep trench
where the wall is to be.
3. Drive in pegs
Drive 450mm timber pegs into the centre
of the trench at 1200mm to 1800mm
intervals so that they finish about 25mm
below ground level. Use a spirit level and
straight-edge to ensure the tops of the
pegs are level. They will serve as a guide
when the concrete is laid, indicating the
surface level.
Fig. 11 Preparing foundations for a brick wall
Pegs to be level 25mm below ground
Soil and hardcore
added then sand
Concrete
blocks
Paving
Walling
blocks
House wall
Fig. 7 A wall with soil behind for plants
Ground level
Concrete
to finish
25mm below
ground level
Existing
ground
Paving slabs
Soil for
plants
Concrete
foundation
On footings
Concrete
foundation
200mm
300mm
300mm
Building retaining walls
Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 show other ways of
building retaining walls where the ground
slopes away from a house wall.
3
Lay foundations for a wall
Plan to lay foundations during a dry spell,
and avoid working with concrete if frost
is predicted.
1. Measure up for foundations
Unless you are building on to existing
concrete, you will need to provide adequate
concrete foundations for the wall. The
Concrete
Trench 200mm deep
4. Infill the trench
Pour the concrete up to peg level (see
Fig. 11), tamping it level with the edge of a
board, using the tops of the pegs as a guide.
Leave the concrete to cure for at least 24
hours, covering it with polythene sheeting
to keep any rain off, and also to prevent it
drying out too quickly in hot weather.
1. Mark out the wall’s position
Stretch a string line along the set concrete
where the front edge of the wall is to finish.
This will ensure that the first course is
laid straight.
Building a wall
If this is the first time you have attempted to work with bricks
or blocks and mortar, give yourself plenty of time to complete
the job – and to finish the pointing neatly.
2. Mix your mortar
A good, general-purpose bricklaying/
blocklaying mortar is made with six parts
sand to one part cement to one part
hydrated lime (or, one bag of sand, mixed
with one shovelful of cement and one
shovelful of hydrated lime), plus mortar
plasticiser in the mixing water.
3
For very hard materials, such as
engineering bricks, especially in an exposed
position such as a garden wall, a harder
mortar mix is needed: four parts sand to one
part cement with no hydrated lime.
If mixing mortar by hand, mix the dry
materials thoroughly together first on a
board. Then make a well in the middle, add
some water, and mix in. Do not add too
much water. The plasticiser helps the mortar
to flow without making it too wet, and the
more you mix, the more it will flow. Use a
shovel for mixing, not a garden spade.
3. Begin the blockwork
Lay the blocks or bricks in the centre of
the concrete, starting at one end and
spreading the mortar to a depth of about
12mm behind the string line. The mortar
should be workable but not sloppy. Lay the
first end or corner block or brick in place
and tap down gently, compressing the
mortar to about 10mm. Check it is level
(see Fig. 12).
Fig. 12 Laying the first block
Concrete foundation
String line
1st block
4. Finish the first course
Continue laying the first course with 10mm
mortar joints between each block or brick.
Do not allow mortar to get on the faces of
the blocks or bricks where it could cause
staining. On a straight wall with no return
corners, start the second course with a
half block or brick (see instructions for
cutting in step 6). On a wall with a corner
(return), start the second course with one
block or brick laid at 90° to the first course
(see Fig. 13 for the two layouts).
a sand bed, place the chisel in the groove
then strike firmly with the lump hammer
to split the block or brick. Or, use a
disc grinder.
Fig. 13 Starting the second course
Half block
7. Lay the second course onwards
Continue building course by course,
checking the blocks or bricks are level
and in line both vertically and horizontally,
keeping the mortar joints to an even
10mm thickness.
Full length block
Return wall detail
Take time to get the first course of brick or
block work right because it will affect the
entire wall if you get it wrong. Ensure it is
perfectly straight and level before you begin
the second course (sometimes it helps to
‘dry-lay’ the first course to begin with).
5. Use a bricklayer’s line
For each course, bed the two end bricks
or blocks, and level them using a straight
board on edge with the spirit level on top.
Then stretch the line between them
(running from the front top edges) by
wrapping it around two bricks and laying it
on top of the end bricks. Then infill with the
remaining bricks or blocks. As you progress,
make sure the infill bricks or blocks are not
touching the line and pushing it out of true
(see Fig. 14).
6. Cut blocks or bricks to fit
To cut a block or brick, chip a groove all
round the block or brick along the intended
cutting line with a bolster chisel and lump
hammer. Lay the scored block or brick on
8. Finish the pointing
When the mortar starts to set, either
smooth it flush with the blocks or bricks
using the rounded end of a piece of wood
or a rake, or smooth back behind the block
or brick face to a depth of about 6mm,
using a trowel. This is a job that can
generally be left for a while, depending on
temperature, after the mortar has been
laid, but take time to ensure it is neat.
9. Finish the wall
Cap the finished wall with coping stones,
laid on a mortar bed.
T rade Tip
If in doubt, make mortar
mixes weaker rather than stronger. This is
especially important when repairing or repointing older brickwork. Pre-1939 brickwork
was usually built with sand and lime mortar
(no cement). Re-pointing it using a strong
cement-based mortar can damage it quickly,
with the faces of the bricks blown off by
movement and frost damage.
Fig. 14 Using a bricklayer’s line
Bricklayer’s line
T rade Tip
Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the product design, descriptions, specifications and techniques of constructing the products are accurate
at the date of printing. Wickes products will inevitably change from time to time and the customer is advised to check that the design, descriptions,
specifications and techniques of constructing any of the products described in this leaflet are still valid at the time of purchase or placing an order.
© Wickes Building Supplies Limited 2014.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be produced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or therwise or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without the written permission of the copyright holder and the publisher.
4
119560/05/2014
Our Wickes Project Guides cover a wide range of indoor and outdoor projects, and are
regularly updated. Pick them up in store or view them online at www.wickes.co.uk.
0618
You should be able to push
or tap a block or brick down to create a 10mm
mortar bed; if this is too much like hard work,
you are probably using too much mortar or
mortar that is too dry.