Exposed Brick Building

Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar to build up brick structures as walls. A Bond is the pattern how bricks are laid. Where the bricks are to remain fully exposed, as opposed to being covered up by plaster, this is known as face-work or facing brickwork. As a Quantity surveyor, we have to recognize and understand the pattern in order to calculate the the quantity accurately.

Brick work bond

English Bond

  • A traditional bond.
  • Very strong bond and usually used in factories, stations & retaining walls or is always likely to be found in the wall of bridges.
  • Easy to recognize because it consists of a course of headers followed by a course of of stretchers.
  • One header is placed centrally above each stretcher.

Flemish Bond

  • Also known as dutch bond.
  • Consists of alternate headers & stretchers in every single course.
  • Not as strong as the English bond but is more decorative pattern than English bond especially if the header use a differently coloured brick.
  • Requires fewer than English bond.

English Garden Wall Bond

  • An alternative version of English bond with header courses being inserted at every fourth or sixth courses.
  • There is also a Scottish bond or American bond featuring 5 courses of stretchers between courses of
  • Not as strong as true English bond but was quicker and cheaper to lay because stretchers are easier to lay than headers.

Flemish Garden Wall Bond 

  • The number of stretchers is increased.
  • The header bricks are separated by 3
  • The headers of even numbered courses are set to the centre on the middle stretchers of the underlying odd numbered courses.

Header bond

  • Using only the header (end) of the brick as the facing wall
  • Not used as often as Stretcher bond, but is equally
  • It is popular for diaper work. When bricks of different colours are used to make a regukar pattern, it is called
  • Sometimes used to make a building looks bigger.
  • Not preferable to use for load bearing wall.

Stretcher Bond

  • Easiest bond to lay, minimizes the amount of cutting required.
  • Most common.
  • Consists of all stretchers in every course.
  • Used in half-brick walls.
  • Only possible in case of walls with less thickness.