Here are Just A few of My Building Projects. Undertaken

Hi There please feel free to have a look at some of my Building Projects Past and Present , these Pictures are from my past when I had not long started in construction , Buildings that I did for a very very dear Friend of mine the late Les Oakes , and I was only 18-19 years old at the Time , thanks for Everything Les .


I Built this one out of old reclamation material Its sole purpose is to store very old Horse drawn vehicles .

This is a Photograph of a very large stone wall, and built into it was very old stone grinding wheels and inset further back you will see the main museum.

This one is my favourite building of them all , I rebuilt this one from an old Nursing home from Burton Upon Trent Staffordshire, that I helped Les Oakes dismantle ,and rebuilt it from a sketch I drew on a scrap piece of paper. If you look at the stone sculpture on top of the arched door you will see Florence nightingale supporting the stone bay window.

This one is Mind boggling I was only 18 years old when I Started this Building ,and finished it when I hadn't not long turned 20 years old, this was the very first Building that I Built for Les Oakes.

This One I rebuilt the front entrance to the museum . with the stone cobbled driveway.

Helped Les Okes Stone Cobble all is very large driveway, Inset He placed a plaque in memory of Lady Diana

Build yourself a raised Fish Pond

Raised ponds are probably the least well known of all the many styles of water features which is a shame, since they have much to offer – often to gardens which for one reason or another, are unsuitable for more usual types. Although they are often thought of as being particularly at home in formal gardens, they can also be incorporated very effectively into softer planting regimes, or be used to form the front wall of a raised bed and rockery – the scope is limited only by the imagination of the gardener. They can also provide a degree of additional child safety particularly around very young toddlers and are much more accessible to wheelchairs users and others for whom bending down to a traditional pond is difficult.
Another aspect which should not be overlooked is that they reduce the amount of excavation required to construct the pond in the first place – significantly reducing the amount of soil needing to be found a new home. For some gardens – especially small ones - this can be an important consideration and of course enables a pond to be enjoyed even when the only available space is a concrete backyard or patio.
Building a Raised Pond Planning the raised pond requires that the strength of the walls be given particular thought, since they effectively do the job which in a traditional pond would be done by the earth itself. There are many ways to produce suitably strong walls, with brick, stonework and wood – especially railway sleepers – being popular DIY solutions. Some types of purpose built units are also available – such as the Blocklink and Hexapond systems which allow you to create matching raised ponds and raised garden beds, which are ideal for limited space.


Part of the appeal of raised ponds is their flexibility, which enables them to fit into almost any garden design. They can be constructed either completely or partially above ground level – and ponds raised on three sides only – perhaps built into the shoulder of a slope – offer some advantages in terms of filtration, since a waterfall return feature is easier to accommodate. This need not be a major issue, however, since there are in-pool filters which will meet the needs of most small- to medium-sized ponds. The construction of raised pools does, however, make certain demands on the builder. The walls must, of course, be able to support the weight of the pond itself – whether made of a flexible or pre-formed liner – and heavy fountains or other features will need additional footings to support them.
One of the easiest ways to construct a raised pond is to build a wall of brick, wood or stone of suitable size to support a pre-formed liner, or alternatively to use a wooden half-barrel, large ornamental flower pot or other similar water-tight container. To make sure that visiting wildlife can enter and exit the pond, it is a good idea to provide a ladder of bricks or well positioned planters.
PlantingFor a small pond of this kind, planting can be a problem, since most native plants are too vigorous and will quickly grow to clog the water. Selecting small plants – such as brooklime (Veronica beccabunga) or bog arum (Calla palustris) should help keep things in scale, while small exotics, such as pygmy water lilies (Nymphaea pygmaea) and the dwarf Japanese reedmace (Typha minima) can also be used. It is worth persevering with getting the planting right; if the proper balance can be struck, even the smallest of barrels can provide a useful water feature as well as a wildlife haven.
For small gardens – or those which are difficult to excavate – the raised pond can be the perfect solution. Space and aesthetics aside, one of their principal advantages is the speed with which they can be installed. Some of the kits – although a little pricey – can easily be ready to receive water in little more than an hour, which gives them an obvious appeal to the more impatient water-gardeners amongst us.

How to Build your first Garden wall

Brickwork - a simple garden wall
The following notes are intended to be sufficient to enable you to tackle simple garden-wall type projects. For your first attempt at laying bricks, it is a good idea either to build your wall dry, or make up a mix of soft sand and water so that you can practise spreading mortar.
The mortar and bricks.
Real mortar should never turn out too hard when set, in fact never harder than the bricks it bonds. 1 part cement to 4 of clean soft sand, plus a plasticiser is a good average mix. The plasticiser (available from B&Q or any Builders merchants) makes the mortar 'buttery' and easier to handle and adds extra adhesion. Never make the mix too sloppy or you'll have problems handling it and it will be squeezed out by the weight of the bricks and mark your brickwork, my advice would be just mix it like thick creamy butter.
Mortar has a limited life; one and a half to two hours is about the limit, and once it stiffens should never be 'knocked up' again with water,so only mix what you can use. There are all kinds of bricks, but for most projects medium density facing bricks will do. Avoid really soft bricks which soon break down if exposed to the elements. Bricks for foundation work should always be engineering , or semi engineering bricks .
Choose your bond.
If you look at any brickwork you will see that the vertical joints are staggered so that no two line up. The simplest bond is the stretcher bond, and using standard bricks 22.5 cm x 11.25 cm x 7.5 cm (allowing 1 cm joints) to produce a wall, you produce a wall 11.25 cm thick. The size given includes a thickness of mortar, so the brick is in fact slightly smaller than quoted. A wall produced in this bond would not be very strong, so if it is more than about 38 cm high, pillars need to be built into the wall to add support. These will be 22.50 cm by 22.50 cm and the addition of pillars will involve the cutting of half-bricks (referred to as 'queen closers').
If you turn a corner in this bond, rather than build a pillar it is probably better to just inter lock as illustrated.
Where a stronger wall is required you can build a double thickness wall (22.50 cm), and this needs no strengthening. You can also use more decorative bonds (i.e. English or Flemish bonds) than for a half brick wall. These involve the stretcher bond already mentioned plus headers (bricks laid across the width of the wall). English garden wall bond is really a modification of another bond and it consists of one course of headers to three of stretchers. It produces an interesting and fairly economical wall. With this bond you will note that a piece about 5.6 cm wide (called a queen closer) has to be placed next to the corner header bricks.
Bricks are cut using a wide blade chisel called a bolster, and the bolster is tapped firmly with a club hammer. Grooves are nicked in both sides of the brick, then a good sharp tap will split the brick along the cuts. Having said that, practise for a while with old bricks until you get the knack.
Foundations.
The most important part of any wall is its foundation, and if this is out of true, you will have a hard job producing a wall. Always cut your foundations horizontal, on sloping ground this may involve stepping them to accommodate the slope, make each step equivalent to a whole number of bricks plus mortar. And the foundation must be strong enough to bear the weight of the wall. For a light garden wall, 30 cm deep should be sufficient if the soil is firm and well drained. But on unstable or weak ground, make the depth 46 cm. Make the trench twice the width of the brickwork. Lay a concrete footing of, say, 1 cement, 5 ballast to a depth of about 15cm (6 inch) in the bottom of the trench.
Laying the bricks.
When you come to actual laying, you will note that your bricks have an indent on one face, called a 'frog'. The brick should be laid with the frog up, this will ensure that the frog is then filled with mortar as work progresses and no voids are left within the wall.
With your foundations laid, mix enough mortar for an hour and stack bricks near the job. Place some mortar on your mortar board and you are ready to start. Lay a course of bricks dry first to see the work fits in the given space. Open or close joints slightly if necessary rather than have to cut bricks. Start with a corner brick and bed it in mortar, run a line from the laid brick to the opposite corner of the wall. Lay a second brick a metre or so along the line then checked with the spirit level. Then fill in between bricks. Proceed in this way until the far corner or end is reached. The first course must be straight and true!

When you've laid a number of bricks, you need to check and adjust them. The four checks are (in order):
Gauge - use the gauge rod to make sure that the corner brick is the correct height.
Level - use the spirit level to check that the row of bricks is horizontal. Don't try to level each individual brick.
Plumb - Use the spirit level to make sure the wall is vertical.
Straight - use a straight edge horizontally along the face of the wall and adjust so that they are all in line.

When you first start bricklaying, you may want to check and adjust and then check it all again. After a little experience, you'll be quite confident to just check and adjust once.
Bricks are mass produced and are not perfectly square, so you won't get a perfect level along the top of the bricks or a straight line along the face.
Now building up the corners, checking each course (Gauge, Level, Plumb and Straight). With the corners built, you can fill in the rest of the wall using a line between the corners.
The actual joints may look a little ragged, so as the mortar stiffens, point the joints as required.
Finish the job.
When work is done, be sure to clean your tools before the mortar sets on them.

Damp proof Issues

When building certain things like e.g houses extensions garages , well almost anything that is going to be lived in or used for storage, or work related, you have to put a damp proof layer minimum depth of 150mm above ground level, any less and you might start having damp issues with your property,and other unforeseen problems. A damp proof layer, or course in building terms , is a layer of PVC or an high grade ruberoid , that is placed around your foundations at the same level as your house, or extension floor level . This forms a very affective and impenetrable barrier to stop rising damp, moisture will not penetrate above this, but I have through my own experience have been to clients homes who wish to have an extension to there homes, have built themselves patios, decking etc etc above there damp proof course, which is a no no , its there for a reason to stop damp and once you go above the damp proof course you going to get all sorts of problems, if prolong spells of rain in the winter months or early spring start, you will most likely get rising damp , which can run up your House walls to an height of 1 metre which is not a good sign, and do untold damage to your brickwork, that's why today we have to build below DPC with a very hard and damp resistant brick known as an engineering or semi engineering brick, in the early 1960s to the late 1970s possibly as late as even the 1980s the mass produced housing market used a brick known as a London brick below and above ground , let me tell you they are rubbish below and above ground , but thousands and thousands of homes were built with these bricks , and below ground , over a matter of a few years they would crumble and perish . the Victorians were masters of damp proofing for the technology of there day they use to use lead and slate and very hard blue bricks ,this was very effective against Damp.

Building A Patio

Before you construct your own patio or any other home project , make sure you have the time and Patience, to see the project through.
It might have only taken the builder depending on size 2 - 4 days to do your neighbours patio but he's doing it for money. After a hard days Graft digging off, its easy to think sod this, I'll finish it next weekend. The next thing you know your garden spends the whole summer looking like a building site and your wife takes herself and the kids to her mothers. Keep it nice and simple, forget curves and other fancy shapes. Choose a paving slab that matches the colour of your house, you want it to blend in not stand out like a blind cobblers thumb. Plan the size of your patio to suit the size of your slabs, so that there is not much cutting if none at all . Remember to allow for your joints approx 10mm for each joint when measuring out your area.But some certain types of slabs do not need joints. Tools required. A spade and shovel. A fork if grass needs to be removed. A rake for levelling the hardcore. A rubber mallet or rubber hammer. A spirit level. Lines and pegs. Wheelbarrow. Safety gloves. Small cement mixer and aslo a wacca plate. If cuts are required an angle grinder or disc cutter with safety goggles.Marking out your patio area. Use pegs and lines to mark out your area. To check your angles measure from corner to corner. The distance between corners 1 and 3 should measure the same as corners 2 and 4.Digging out. You should dig down about 150mm (6inch). If your patio is going to butt up to your home you must make sure that the top of the paving slabs will finish at least 150mm below your damp course. Also, it is important that your patio falls away from your house. 1 - 2 inches for every 10ft.

If you are only digging out top soil you should be able to get away with dispersing it around your garden. Anything else and you will require a skip.Laying the hard core. Spread the hard core approx. 150mm (6inch) deep. Run the wacca plate over the hardcore, adding more to any low points. Your hardcore should finish about 100mm (4inch) in depth and should be solid under foot.Laying your slabs. Mix sand and cement with water, it should be at a consistency just like thick double cream at a ratio of 4 sand to 1 cement. If you are using a small mixer, 8 shovels of sand and 2 of cement is just enough for the mixer and gives you a good wheelbarrow full.Spread out your sand and cement mix in a corner. If you are butting up to your house, start against the wall. Using a plained wooden straight edge such as a length of 6 feet long 5x1 timber, level out the mix.Place your first slab down and tap it to the desired level with a rubber lump hammer or Mallet . If the mix hasn't been packed down to hard you should be able to move the slab. Use your level to make sure this first slab is correct. All the other slabs work from this one so take your time to make sure its in its correct position.Don't forget you should have a slight fall away from your house.Always work off the hardcore. Don't stand on your paving slabs for a few days while the mortar sets. Use your spirit level with your straight edge to check each slab as you lay them. If a slab goes down to easy, lift it and spread more mortar underneath.Alternatives. Consider using brick pavers instead of slabs or building your patio in decking. If your patio needs to be raised or finishes above ground level you will need to build a base.

Ornametal Brickwork

Herringbone is one of my favorite types of ornamental Brickwork , its so appealing when applied in to certain parts of buildings , my personnel opinion is , if I had the money to build my own house in a specific manner, I would most certainly build the whole house using herringbone , It would most certainly be no small feet , as you cannot return corners using this method of building without having what they call in the building industry a straight joint which is not very strong , especially on the corners of the house were strength is needed most , so the other and possibly the only option would be to insert corner quoins. Corner quoins are large square stones placed on the corners interlocking each other , which also can be carved very decoratively , which would also put a very nice and attractive finish to your home, you can also build corner quoins out of bricks , don't get me wrong they look very nice but why have a BMW when you could have a Bentley that's the difference . There are so many ways in using Herringbone, and so many ways in doing it, also there is double Herringbone, there is 90 degree and also 45 degree Herringbone, you could even do herringbone in very small thin tiles this looks amazing as the pattern shows up even more concentrated in a smaller space I personally like this type in very large inglenook fire places. I can go on for hours talking about this but please look at the diagram below and any questions please ask but best of all go and have a go you will enjoy doing so . I will also ad more patterns as there are so many into my blog as soon as I can so once again enjoy and have a go , you may enjoy it.


Single Herringbone



Double Herringbone

Certain types of Brick Bonds and Patterns

Has a rule in brickwork , when I was being taught many yrs ago, the old bricklayer named Joe told me that there were many patterns that you could accomplish in brickwork, but he told me that there were only two true bonds in brickwork, and they are half bond and quarter bond. In this other part of my blog for the beginner I will go through just a few of these bonds and patterns, which when applied in to practice will most certainly give a very attractive appearance and self satisfaction.

First of all we will explore the most commonly used bond to date .

Half Bond or Stretcher bond. This bond is mostly used in the construction of mass produced houses today , this is one of the quickest ways in brickwork to build houses , and very plain in appearance , consists of one half of the full brick passing over the lower course by half a brick hence the term half bond. Please see diagram below.

Rat Trap Bond.

Rat-trap bond, also known as Chinese bond, is a type of garden wall bond in which the stretchers and headers are laid on their sides, with the base of the stretcher facing outwards. This gives a wall with an internal cavity bridged by the headers, hence the name. The main advantage of this bond is economy in use of bricks, giving a wall of one brick thickness with fewer bricks than a solid bond. Rat-trap bond was in common usage in England for building houses of fewer than 3 stories up to the turn of the 20th century and is today still used in India as an economical bond, as well for the insulation properties offered by the air cavity. Also, many brick walls surrounding kitchen gardens were designed with cavities so hot air could circulate in the winter, warming fruit trees or other produce spread against the walls, causing them to bloom earlier and forcing early fruit production.

The Next Bond, Is a quarter bond (Alternately Flemish Bond)

Flemish bond, also known as Dutch bond, has historically always been considered the most decorative bond, and for this reason was used extensively for dwellings until the adoption of the cavity wall. It is created by alternately laying headers and stretchers in a single course. The next course is laid so that a header lies in the middle of the stretcher in the course below. Again, this bond is one brick thick. It is quite difficult to lay Flemish bond properly, since for best effect all the perpendiculars (vertical mortar joints) need to be vertically aligned. If only one face of a Flemish bond wall is exposed, one third of the bricks are not visible, and hence may be of low visual quality. This is a better ratio than for English bond, Flemish bond's main rival for load-bearing walls.
A common variation often found in early 18th century buildings is Glazed-headed Flemish Bond, in which the exposed headers are burned until they vitrify with a black glassy surface. Monk bond is a variant of Flemish bond, with two stretchers between the headers in each row, and the headers centred over the join between the two stretchers in the row below.

Flemish Bond

Brickwork for strength (English Bond)

English Bond Is a very strong bond, if not the strongest bond , this bond is mostly used for large loads bearing down upon it, or even more so retaining large loads , such as bridges , large retaining walls etc etc but not very commonly used today now that there is such a substance like reinforced concrete it has a combination of alternate courses of headers and stretchers .

Next Post ,we will look at heringbone, plus other ornate bonds.