Removing bricks from side of house

[Ben Blaukopf]

The new boiler flue is much smaller than the old one - so we need to brick up the gap - in a really obvious spot at the front of the house.

Been round all the usual suspects, can't find a good match, so considering removing some bricks from the side of the house (or maybe the garage) and using them (and replacing with bog standard red LBCs or something).

What's the best way of removing bricks from an existing load-bearing wall, and are there any precautions to take? We're talking half a dozen bricks, max.

Ben

[Chris Bacon]

Roughly where are you.

Is the house old or new - if it's old, scrape out the mortar with a bit of steel - if it's new, stitch drilling and very careful use of A. grinder or masonry saw.

Precautions to take, probably none needed if you take out a line of 3 + bricks over/under, and there're enough remaining at the ends of the line.

[Ben Blaukopf]

Cambridge

1980, cavity walls.

stitch drilling? As in drilling many holes close together in a line?

[Mike Halmarack]

Have you considered digging around close to the footings of the house's external walls. In most places I've lived, this has often unearthed a useful number of matching bricks. I suppose the likelihood varies depending on the sloppiness of the original builders.

[Roger Mills]

Use an SDS flat chisel to take out the mortar. Take 3 bricks from one course, 2 from the course above and 1 from the course above that - so as to get a triangular self-supporting hole.

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

So wouldn't it be better taking out the suggested bricks and replacing each course as you take them out? rather than all in one go.

[Chris Bacon]

It's a bit of a way, but Ridgeons in Newmarket may worth a ring. H. Butterfield, Luton used to have an excellent "brick library".

may be useful.

The mortar's probably too hard to scrape back, then.

That's it - if you drill them (say) 10mil apart, you can then use each hole again to drill at an angle, which will help:

\|X|X|X|/ |X|X|X| if you see what I mean. /|X|X|X|\

Any hard clouting is likely to fragment your brick! The first one is much more time-consuming than the next & subsequent!

[Phil]

As well as digging around the garden - have a look under your floors (if poss). Suspended wooden floors will most likely have joist supported on brick dwarf walls - easier to get some bricks out of, or knowing how messy builders can be you might find some 'spare'.

Phil.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Try Ridgeons for matching, or the yard at A505/A11 junction..

Yup. Angle grinder (hire a big one) will also make mincemeat of MOST of a horizontal course of mortar, then drill, and use a cold chisel for last bits.

Wash bricks in bucket of brick avoid after cleaning off the major gunk.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Ridgeons in Cambridge is closer..

[Rob Morley]

... and wait for the mortar to harden, because otherwise there wouldn't be much point (unless you particularly wanted to put bricks in the way to make it more challenging to remove the others).

[Ben Blaukopf]

Went home last night all set to try this out - and my neighbour who I'd been chatting to about this knocks on the door, having just remembered that he's got about a hundred old bricks in the garden after he had a new window put in a few years back. They cleaned up well too :)

Good job he remembered then, and not two hours later!

Ben

[Stuart]

Ain't you the lucky one .?...lol

Stuart

[zymurgy]

Once more - in english ?

P.

[Rob Morley]

Aciiid 8:)

[Stuart]

Brick a void ...Part of a training course for apprentice ( what are they .?) bricklayers . Stuart