A mate of mine in Papatoetoe got burned on a boundary wall a couple of years back. Nice bloke did the quote, cheap price, started fast. Six months later the wall had a crack running through it you could post a letter into. He rang the guy. Number disconnected.
I think about that every time someone asks me how to pick a bricklayer. Because brickwork isn’t paint. If it’s wrong, it stays wrong, or you pay twice. So here’s roughly the list I run through now, in no particular order of importance, though the first one is probably the big one.
Are You an LBP?
In New Zealand, restricted building work has to be done or supervised by a Licensed Building Practitioner. Plenty of structural and weathertightness jobs land in that bucket. Brick veneer on a house usually does. Structural block walls often do too.
Just ask them straight out. Someone who’s licensed won’t blink. You can also look them up on the public LBP register in about two minutes, which I’d recommend, honestly, even if they seem lovely.
Got Photos?
Every half-decent bricklayer has a phone full of them. Ask for jobs like yours. A veneer house, a block retaining wall, a little garden planter, whatever it is.
What I look at: the mortar lines. Are they even, or do they wander? Then corners, then the bits around windows. Tidy work has a sort of calm to it. Rough work you’ll spot the second you know where to look.
If they’ve got a finished job a few streets over, go drive past it. I did this once and it told me more than the whole quote did.
Will You Come Out First?
Phone quotes make me nervous. A bricklayer can’t know about your sloping driveway or the fact the pallet has to go round the back through a gate the width of a wheelie bin. Those things change the price.
The site visit is also a bit of a job interview, if I’m honest. Did they show up on time? Did they listen, or just talk? Someone who’s late to the quote is not suddenly going to be early to the job.
What’s in the Price?
Get it written down and broken into pieces. Who’s buying the bricks? Is scaffolding in there? Rubbish removal? Council costs? What if they dig down and hit an old concrete footing nobody knew about?
I’ve had two quotes come in thousands apart, and when I actually lined them up, the cheap one just left half the stuff out. So compare them properly. Line by line. Boring, but worth it.
Who Turns Up?
Sometimes the person quoting isn’t the person laying. That’s fine, lots of firms work like that. Just find out who’s actually on site and who’s responsible on the day. Some of the best small outfits I’ve seen are the ones where the owner is right there on the tools, checking each course.
What Happens When It Rains?
Because it will. This is Auckland. Fresh mortar and a downpour don’t mix, and frost isn’t great either. A good crew covers the work, keeps an eye on the forecast, and won’t rush a wall to make a date. Ask how wet weeks affect the timeline. Their answer says a lot.
Any Guarantee?
Crack in a joint three months later, a section that needs pulling down. What then? People who stand behind their work will tell you plainly. People who don’t get vague.
Can I Actually Talk to You?
Sounds minor. It isn’t. You’ll be making calls about brick colours, mortar shades, a window that moved 200mm. If talking to them is hard work, the whole build gets stressful.
Auckland’s a pretty mixed city and some companies lean into that. Mr Singh Brick & Block Laying, for example, offers help in Chinese as well as English, which I know matters to a lot of families round here.
Stuff That Makes Me Walk Away
- Big discount for cash, no invoice.
- A fat deposit before anything’s been ordered.
- Nothing in writing.
- “I need an answer today.”
- No address, no website, just a mobile.
And if your gut says something’s off, listen to it. Mine was right every time I ignored it.
So, Where to Start?
Licensed. Good photos. Clear quote. Someone you get on with. That’s most of it, really.
If you’re in Auckland and want a name to start with, have a look at Mr Singh Brick & Block Laying. They’re an LBP-registered outfit doing brick and block laying, retaining walls and plastering on homes and commercial jobs. But whoever you call, run through the questions. My mate wishes he had.
