Bricks out of alignment - Is this acceptable
Discussion
All - I believe this is completely wrong and Ive told the firm doing it in no uncertain terms. However, they seem to believe Im making a fuss about nothing and that there is no way in the world they can align their bricks to my existing bricks as "yours are all over the place, its impossible!"
Ive ended up with this (mine on left, new extension on right).
Its where the new extension joins my house.
I fully understand that houses are usually slightly off but surely this is something that could of been sorted with a bit of thought. Ive spend a lot of money with this company and asked them to sort it before going any further (before roof was on etc) and they said "nothing we can do" and carried on, hopin that I will forget about it!!!
I keep leaving vmails with the supposed manager who wont return my calls. Ive got a few thousand to pay at the end which is something I can use to negotiate. They mentioned rendering it, however I paid extra to get the extension in brick to match the house, therefore not really an option.
Having spoken to a couple of good friends in the building trade, after they stopped laughing, they catagorically said "its pure laziness and nothing else" and pointed out that it should always 100% align.
Anyone with experience in brick laying have any ideas? Am I being fussy???
Ive ended up with this (mine on left, new extension on right).
Its where the new extension joins my house.
I fully understand that houses are usually slightly off but surely this is something that could of been sorted with a bit of thought. Ive spend a lot of money with this company and asked them to sort it before going any further (before roof was on etc) and they said "nothing we can do" and carried on, hopin that I will forget about it!!!
I keep leaving vmails with the supposed manager who wont return my calls. Ive got a few thousand to pay at the end which is something I can use to negotiate. They mentioned rendering it, however I paid extra to get the extension in brick to match the house, therefore not really an option.
Having spoken to a couple of good friends in the building trade, after they stopped laughing, they catagorically said "its pure laziness and nothing else" and pointed out that it should always 100% align.
Anyone with experience in brick laying have any ideas? Am I being fussy???
That is laughably crap! 
When I had mine done a few years back the brickie purposedly used a slightly thicker layer of mortar than normal to make up for the difference in old vs new bricks...
... and started with them at the same level. Have yours got any brick actually aligned with the one next to it, even at the bottom?
And how is rendering going to solve that? There's not a patch of render on the house!
When I had mine done a few years back the brickie purposedly used a slightly thicker layer of mortar than normal to make up for the difference in old vs new bricks...
... and started with them at the same level. Have yours got any brick actually aligned with the one next to it, even at the bottom?
And how is rendering going to solve that? There's not a patch of render on the house!
Whilst it looks untidy, so long as the two walls are bonded together properly, there won't be any structural implications. It just looks crap.
Origins in laziness definitely. When setting out the foundation height, first course of bricks I would guess. Problem is, to sort that now is a heck of a lot of work I suspect, hence why you're getting ignored.
I wouldn't fancy your chances of legally withholding payment on the basis of that kind of workmanship, as annoying as it is to look at.
Origins in laziness definitely. When setting out the foundation height, first course of bricks I would guess. Problem is, to sort that now is a heck of a lot of work I suspect, hence why you're getting ignored.
I wouldn't fancy your chances of legally withholding payment on the basis of that kind of workmanship, as annoying as it is to look at.
Piersman2 said:
That is laughably crap!
When I had mine done a few years back the brickie purposedly used a slightly thicker layer of mortar than normal to make up for the difference in old vs new bricks...
... and started with them at the same level. Have yours got any brick actually aligned with the one next to it, even at the bottom?
And how is rendering going to solve that? There's not a patch of render on the house!
This. When our extension was built back in UK in the mid 80's the builders couldn't source the exact same brick but did get some the same colour but a few mm thinner so they just adjusted the bed as they went up and because it was only a few mm each course you couldn't really tell they were diffrent bricks.When I had mine done a few years back the brickie purposedly used a slightly thicker layer of mortar than normal to make up for the difference in old vs new bricks...
... and started with them at the same level. Have yours got any brick actually aligned with the one next to it, even at the bottom?
And how is rendering going to solve that? There's not a patch of render on the house!
It isn't to me that's why I check with each trade before they start how they intend to do the job.
I'm constantly surprised what some "Tradesmen" deem acceptable however the vast majority of customers don't care / question them so they may think it's entirely acceptable.
Did you question it as soon as you could, presumably at the end of Day 1 of the brickwork ?
I'd have knocked it down to salvage the bricks that night.
I'm constantly surprised what some "Tradesmen" deem acceptable however the vast majority of customers don't care / question them so they may think it's entirely acceptable.
Did you question it as soon as you could, presumably at the end of Day 1 of the brickwork ?
I'd have knocked it down to salvage the bricks that night.
Little Lofty said:
It's a pity the courses don't follow as the bricks look like a decent match.
I thought that, the existing brickwork joints look consistent. It's usually easier to run the courses through as well, you don't have to set up your own bricks, just knock your line pins into the existing joints and away you go(assuming they're plumb). However if the new bricks are slightly shallower, I'm with your builder and rather than have a thick mortar bed, which I hate, I'd make the new brickwork separate and have a normal 10mm bed.ETA If the bricks are slightly smaller maybe they should have told you and asked you which option you wanted.
Edited by wolfracesonic on Friday 16th September 17:10
Perik Omo said:
Piersman2 said:
That is laughably crap!
When I had mine done a few years back the brickie purposedly used a slightly thicker layer of mortar than normal to make up for the difference in old vs new bricks...
... and started with them at the same level. Have yours got any brick actually aligned with the one next to it, even at the bottom?
And how is rendering going to solve that? There's not a patch of render on the house!
This. When our extension was built back in UK in the mid 80's the builders couldn't source the exact same brick but did get some the same colour but a few mm thinner so they just adjusted the bed as they went up and because it was only a few mm each course you couldn't really tell they were diffrent bricks.When I had mine done a few years back the brickie purposedly used a slightly thicker layer of mortar than normal to make up for the difference in old vs new bricks...
... and started with them at the same level. Have yours got any brick actually aligned with the one next to it, even at the bottom?
And how is rendering going to solve that? There's not a patch of render on the house!
What do you do in a situation like this though (aside from live with it)?
Tell the existing builder to leave site then you knock it down and start again with someone else? Or get the existing builders to knock it down and start again?
I really cant see any other way of fixing it other than starting from scratch?
Tell the existing builder to leave site then you knock it down and start again with someone else? Or get the existing builders to knock it down and start again?
I really cant see any other way of fixing it other than starting from scratch?
MDMA . said:
Why have they not cut out the half brick on the house and tied it in that way. Looks too far gone now. I'd f
k them off now and cut your losses. Bit bodged IMO.
Simply due to the risk of differential settlement.k them off now and cut your losses. Bit bodged IMO.The new extension will invariably have deeper and more solid foundations than the original house (due to building reg requirements) therefore the extension won't be affected by ground movement to the same extent as the main house.
If the two parts of the building were tooth bonded together, you would potentially get cracking and damage at the joint.
Mandat said:
MDMA . said:
Why have they not cut out the half brick on the house and tied it in that way. Looks too far gone now. I'd fk them off now and cut your losses. Bit bodged IMO.
Simply due to the risk of differential settlement.k them off now and cut your losses. Bit bodged IMO.The new extension will invariably have deeper and more solid foundations than the original house (due to building reg requirements) therefore the extension won't be affected by ground movement to the same extent as the main house.
If the two parts of the building were tooth bonded together, you would potentially get cracking and damage at the joint.
The new bricks look like the same size from the pics.
Poor lazy work. Good luck with it op but you should have pulled them up when it was coming out of the ground.
Alignment is not acceptable ... the only way to rectify is to start again from below ground level ...
Check if the finished floor levels will match before you confront the builder ... then tell the builder to stop work whilst you get a chartered surveyor to check the work that has already been done ...
Do not pay anything further until you have negotiated an acceptable solution and then withhold a large percentage retention until the work is satisfactorily completed ...
you need to negotiate from a position of strength and that means following the advice above ...
GOOD LUCK
Check if the finished floor levels will match before you confront the builder ... then tell the builder to stop work whilst you get a chartered surveyor to check the work that has already been done ...
Do not pay anything further until you have negotiated an acceptable solution and then withhold a large percentage retention until the work is satisfactorily completed ...
you need to negotiate from a position of strength and that means following the advice above ...
GOOD LUCK
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff