How to Build a One and a Half Brick Wall Using an English Bond

In this video you will learn how to build a one and a half brick wall using the English Bond.

The tools that you will need are:

Mortar Pan

Trowel

Jointer

Straightedge

Mason’s Square

String

Plumb Bob

and Spirit Level

The materials that you will use are:

Bricks

and Mortar

Don’t forget to use Personal Protective Equipment, including:

Safety Gloves

Reflective Jacket

Safety Helmet

Safety Shoes

and Dust Mask

The arrangement of bricks in an English Bond of One-and-a-Half Bricks’ Thickness has a stretcher on one face for every pair of headers on the other face. If a course closes with three Stretchers placed side-by-side on one end of a wall, then it will close at the other end with a pair of Three-Quarter Queen Closers followed by a pair of Three-Quarter Bats, all in Header positions.

First, set up the profiles guiding the first course of the two walls.

Lay a mortar bed wide enough to accommodate the length of one and a half bricks.

Place the Quoin Brick. The Quoin will serve as a stretcher for the first wall and as a header for the second wall.

Place a Queen Closer against the length of the Quoin. Now, place a stretcher next to the Queen Closer.

Next place a second Stretcher in line with the width of the Quoin Brick.

Now, place a three quarter bat in the interior of the corner. Its length is pressed against the Queen Closer in the second wall such that its width is adjacent to the second Stretcher of the first wall.

Continue laying pairs of Stretchers in line with the Quoin till the end of the first wall.

Continue laying headers so that there is a pair of headers on one surface for every stretcher on the other surface, except for the last one.

Close the course by placing two more stretchers next to the last stretcher.

Next, using the Mason’s Square and the Straightedge, ensure that the width of the wall is at a 90 degree angle with the front surface.

Use the Straightedge to check the alignment of the course.

Lay the mortar bed for the second wall.

Start with laying headers in line with the Quoin brick. Ensure that there is an odd number of headers after the Queen Closer.

When the last Header is laid, place a three quarter Queen Closer followed by a three quarter bat.

Now, lay a stretcher on the inside surface for every pair of headers.

Couple the last three quarter Queen and bat with another three quarter Queen and bat so that you have a pair of each to close the course.

Just as before, use the Mason’s Square and Straightedge to ensure that the width of the wall is at a 90 degree angle with the front surface.

Use a straightedge to check the alignment of the newly laid course.

Apply mortar on top of the course using a trowel , and insert it into the gaps to fill the joints.

Set up the profile for the second course of the first wall using the Quoin Brick on one side and the pair of three quarter bats at the opposite edge, as shown here.

Now lay the mortar bed for the second course of the FIRST wall.

Place a Queen Closer next to the Quoin followed by two headers.

Next, place a three quarter bat in the interior of the corner. As opposed to the first course, its length is pressed against the Queen Closer of the first wall such that its width is adjacent to the second Stretcher of the second wall.

Now lay a series of stretchers in line with the three quarter bat.

Fill the remainder of the course up by placing a pair of headers alongside every stretcher in the first course of the wall. Fill the remainder of the course up by placing pair of headers alongside every stretcher in the front surface of the wall. Leave the penultimate position for a pair of three quarter Queen Closers.

Check the alignment of the courses using a plumb bob.

Shift the profile to the second wall using the Quoin and Queen Closer on one end and two of the three stretchers at the other end of the wall. Lay the mortar bed for the second course.

Place a series of stretchers in line with the Quoin brick.

Now, fill up the rest of the course with Headers.

Use a Plumb Bob to check the alignment of the courses.

Use the straightedge to check the alignment of the bricks.

You may now apply mortar on top of the course using a trowel, inserting it into the gaps to fill the joints.

Repeat these steps till you’ve reached the desired height.

Once all the courses have been laid ensure that perpends and mortar beds on all the surfaces are leveled with mortar.

Now, use a Brick Jointer to scrape off the extra bits of mortar sticking out from the sides of the wall to provide definition to the bond.

Lastly, clean up the area around the wall.

You have now learnt to build a one and a half brick wall using the English Bond.