I need to enlist the services of some competent brick layers to
construct the blockwork on a an in-ground pond and filter house. This
would involve laying (on a prepared 12" reinforced concrete base) some
800 concrete blocks (dense 7N 18"x9"x4") face down (ie 9" thick
blockwork). The first quote I have had is for a team of 4 (2 skilled
and 2 labourers) at £500 a day for 2 days to complete the job
(£150/day each skilled and £100 a day each labourer).

Does this seem about right for brickwork these days?

These guys have already worked (very satisfactorily) on a conservatory
for me. I would supply all the materials to site of course.

Comments appreciated!

Jeff
To email me just take the MICK out of my addy!

On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 23:43:29 GMT, Jeff Davenport
wrote:

I need to enlist the services of some competent brick layers to
construct the blockwork on a an in-ground pond and filter house. This
would involve laying (on a prepared 12" reinforced concrete base) some
800 concrete blocks (dense 7N 18"x9"x4") face down (ie 9" thick
blockwork). The first quote I have had is for a team of 4 (2 skilled
and 2 labourers) at £500 a day for 2 days to complete the job
(£150/day each skilled and £100 a day each labourer).

Does this seem about right for brickwork these days?

I think that that is pretty reasonable depending on area.


These guys have already worked (very satisfactorily) on a conservatory
for me. I would supply all the materials to site of course.

That is the most important point. Perhaps you may be able to knock
£100-200 from the cost by shopping around, but if you have known good
people then that is worth a great deal.


Comments appreciated!

Jeff
To email me just take the MICK out of my addy!

..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 00:53:30 +0100, Andy Hall
wrote:

On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 23:43:29 GMT, Jeff Davenport
wrote:

I need to enlist the services of some competent brick layers to
construct the blockwork on a an in-ground pond and filter house. This
would involve laying (on a prepared 12" reinforced concrete base) some
800 concrete blocks (dense 7N 18"x9"x4") face down (ie 9" thick
blockwork). The first quote I have had is for a team of 4 (2 skilled
and 2 labourers) at £500 a day for 2 days to complete the job
(£150/day each skilled and £100 a day each labourer).

Does this seem about right for brickwork these days?

I think that that is pretty reasonable depending on area.


These guys have already worked (very satisfactorily) on a conservatory
for me. I would supply all the materials to site of course.

That is the most important point. Perhaps you may be able to knock
£100-200 from the cost by shopping around, but if you have known good
people then that is worth a great deal.


Comments appreciated!

Jeff
To email me just take the MICK out of my addy!

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl


Thanks Andy!

It's a lot of hard work and would take me weeks and never be to the
same standard. As we were very pleased with their previous work they
were our first call. Although they are not experienced pond builders I
am not sure that matters as long as I deal with the pipework and
skimmer as they build.

The area is Bristol which may make it a more competitive price anyway.

Jeff
To email me just take the MICK out of my addy!

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Jeff Davenport wrote:

I need to enlist the services of some competent brick layers to
construct the blockwork on a an in-ground pond and filter house. This
would involve laying (on a prepared 12" reinforced concrete base) some
800 concrete blocks (dense 7N 18"x9"x4") face down (ie 9" thick
blockwork). The first quote I have had is for a team of 4 (2 skilled
and 2 labourers) at £500 a day for 2 days to complete the job
(£150/day each skilled and £100 a day each labourer).

Does this seem about right for brickwork these days?

These guys have already worked (very satisfactorily) on a conservatory
for me. I would supply all the materials to site of course.

Comments appreciated!

Jeff
To email me just take the MICK out of my addy!

I had a pond built by the builder who was building my extension a couple of
years ago. The extension was done at a pre-agreed price, but the pond was
done as an "extra" at time & material rates. I was paying about 100 quid a
day for a brickie, and about 60 for a labourer - but they were on site
anyway and were able to use otherwise idle time - like waiting for concrete
to set or for the BCO to arrive. And all payments were in cash!

The rates which you've been quoted for a stand-alone job seem reasonable.

If it's of any interest, my pond is on sloping ground, so that it's totally
in-ground at one end and partially above ground at the other end. We used
blocks (upright rather than lying down) for the inner layer - except for the
top course which is blue engineering bricks. We used semi-engineering bricks
below ground and facing bricks above ground for the outer layer. The blue
bricks were laid on top of the pond liner - so that the liner is under them
and then up the back of them between the layers. The water level is half-way
up the blue bricks, so that the liner doesn't show. The whole thing is
finished off with capping stones.

I was concerned about maintaining the level all round the brickwork -
because the builder simply used a spirit level from one section to the next
so that cumulative errors could potentially have occurred. In the event,
there is less than 1cm difference end to end, so it doesn't show.
--
Cheers,
Set Square
______
Please reply to newsgroup. Reply address is invalid.

On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 23:43:29 GMT, Jeff Davenport
wrote:

I need to enlist the services of some competent brick layers to
construct the blockwork on a an in-ground pond and filter house. This
would involve laying (on a prepared 12" reinforced concrete base) some
800 concrete blocks (dense 7N 18"x9"x4") face down (ie 9" thick
blockwork). The first quote I have had is for a team of 4 (2 skilled
and 2 labourers) at £500 a day for 2 days to complete the job
(£150/day each skilled and £100 a day each labourer).

Does this seem about right for brickwork these days?

These guys have already worked (very satisfactorily) on a conservatory
for me. I would supply all the materials to site of course.

Comments appreciated!

Jeff
To email me just take the MICK out of my addy!


Sir

From what you descibe I reckon its 8 days work to lay the blocks if I
were to DIY it. However I would need to add to that all the time
shifting the bricks from the delivery point to the pond would take. It
takes me an hour to shift 64 of them from my delivery point to my
house. These blocks weigh in at 20KG a piece, so there is a good chunk
of work involved in the lifting and carrying.

800 blocks go a long way, this must be one HUGE pond you are making.

I pay 60 pence a block from Travis Perkins, delivered. Sand/Cement is
cheepest from B&Q.

Rick

Does this seem about right for brickwork these days?

These guys have already worked (very satisfactorily) on a conservatory
for me. I would supply all the materials to site of course.

Comments appreciated!

Jeff
To email me just take the MICK out of my addy!


A friend of mine is having a two storey ext built and thats close to the
day rates he was quoted.

Dave
--

Some people use windows, others have a life.

On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 05:51:29 GMT, Jeff Davenport
wrote:

Although they are not experienced pond builders I
am not sure that matters as long as I deal with the pipework and
skimmer as they build.

Hi,

If they are building a wall to contain an above ground pond, you
definitely need it checked out by a structural engineer!

cheers,
Pete.

On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 11:45:41 +0100, Dave Stanton
wrote:


Does this seem about right for brickwork these days?

These guys have already worked (very satisfactorily) on a conservatory
for me. I would supply all the materials to site of course.

Comments appreciated!

Jeff
To email me just take the MICK out of my addy!


A friend of mine is having a two storey ext built and thats close to the
day rates he was quoted.

Dave

Thanks for all the advice and comments guys.

It is a reasonable size Koi pond of 4,000 gallons 12' x 9' x 6' deep
and a Nexus filtration system, all 'in-ground'. Because the blocks are
being laid 'flat faced' I need 3 courses per vertical foot (against an
external dimension of 13' 6" X 10' 6") for the pond alone. Hence the
large number of blocks.

I will be glad when it is complete as having 2 big holes in the garden
(albiet shored with props and trench plates) is giving me nightmares
with all the recent bad weather. What the hell happened to Summer?

Cheers!

Jeff
To email me just take the MICK out of my addy!