Brick FAQ
Straight answers to the questions we get asked most, on brickwork, costs, repairs and looking after masonry, from someone who lays it.
20 June 2026
Cracks, crumbling mortar, a failed lintel or a few spalled bricks. Here are the brick repairs we get called for most, how to tell what is serious, and what moves the price.
19 June 2026
Specification-grade masonry for builders and developers. What separates a reliable commercial bricklayer, and how to keep a brickwork package on program.
18 June 2026
The part you never see decides whether the brickwork lasts. How footings work, why Melbourne soil matters, and what moves the cost.
12 June 2026
The honest answer is that it depends. Here is what actually moves the number on a brick fence.
11 June 2026
A plain-English guide to the main brick types and where each one belongs.
9 June 2026
The two main brick materials, how they differ, and which suits your project.
8 June 2026
Face brick or a rendered finish? Both have their place. Here is how we think about the choice.
6 June 2026
Reclaimed bricks bring instant character and suit heritage work. What to know before you use them.
5 June 2026
Brick colour sets the whole tone of a home. How to choose one you will still love in twenty years.
3 June 2026
A failing retaining wall rarely fixes itself. Catch these early and you save a much bigger bill.
2 June 2026
Extending an older home? Matching the new brick and mortar to the old is an art. Here is how it is done.
30 May 2026
Mortar is half of any brick wall. What it is, the colours it comes in, and why the joints matter so much.
27 May 2026
Besser and concrete blocks have their place. When blocks beat bricks, and when they do not.
23 May 2026
The bond is the pattern the bricks are laid in. A tour of the main ones and where they are used.
19 May 2026
That white powder on brickwork has a name and a cause. What efflorescence is, and how to deal with it.
18 May 2026
What a brick BBQ or full outdoor kitchen costs to build in Melbourne, from a simple charcoal setup to a benched and clad outdoor cooking area.
15 May 2026
Bricking a new home is a big line on the budget, from brick veneer versus double brick to your brick allowance. What actually moves the number, in plain terms.
14 May 2026
What a brick wall costs per square metre in Melbourne, why single and double brick differ, and the details that move the rate.
12 May 2026
The difference between repointing and tuckpointing, what each costs in Melbourne, and why the state of the old mortar decides the price.
8 May 2026
What a retaining wall costs in Melbourne and the things that quietly drive the price, from height and drainage to the soil behind it.
6 May 2026
A straight look at what house rendering costs in Melbourne, the difference between cement and acrylic render, and what pushes the price around.
4 May 2026
What a Melbourne bricklayer charges per day, what that rate includes, and why the number on the quote is rarely the whole story.
27 April 2026
Sealing and painting brick are big commitments, and both can cause trouble if the wall is not right for it.
22 April 2026
A cracked or crumbling brick can be cut out and replaced cleanly without disturbing the wall.
16 April 2026
Damp creeping up from the ground is common in older Melbourne homes, and it has real fixes.
11 April 2026
The wrong cleaner or too much pressure can ruin brick faster than the dirt ever would.
7 April 2026
Both renew old mortar joints, but they do very different jobs and suit different homes.
3 April 2026
Not every crack in brickwork is a disaster, but some are warning signs worth acting on.
28 March 2026
What a lintel is, why every window and door in a brick wall needs one, and what happens when they fail.
23 March 2026
What those vertical gaps in a brick wall are, why brickwork needs to move, and what happens without them.
18 March 2026
What weep holes do in a brick wall, why they matter, and why you should never block them.
13 March 2026
Simple things you can sort before the bricklayers arrive to keep the job moving and the cost down.
9 March 2026
What drives the timeline on a bricklaying job, from wall size and weather to access and the weather window.
4 March 2026
When a brick fence or retaining wall needs a building or planning permit in Victoria, and how to check before you start.
25 February 2026
Why the top of a freestanding brick wall needs capping, and the common ways to finish it.
14 February 2026
A plain guide to common concrete block sizes and where they make more sense than brick.
10 February 2026
The small metal ties hidden in cavity walls do a big job, and corroded ties are a real risk in older Melbourne homes.
6 February 2026
The hidden layer near the base of a brick wall that keeps ground moisture out of your home.
3 February 2026
The two common ways to build a brick wall in Melbourne, how they differ, and where each one earns its keep.
28 January 2026
Cream and red brick both run deep in Melbourne's streets, and the right choice comes down to the era of the home and its neighbours.
23 January 2026
A brick feature wall adds warmth and texture inside or out, and a few choices make all the difference to how it reads.
17 January 2026
If your home sits in a heritage overlay, brickwork changes can need council approval, so here is how to approach it.
12 January 2026
Bricklaying can carry on through a Melbourne winter, but cold, wet and frosty conditions change how the work has to be done.
8 January 2026
Melbourne sits on reactive clay that swells and shrinks with the seasons, and that movement is the main reason brickwork cracks.
4 January 2026
What to look for in a brick that has to handle Melbourne's wet winters, hot summers and four-seasons-in-a-day swings.