If the arbor is to be a little larger, last for decades or be used as a weekend house, a brick garden shed is an alternative to the wooden house. Building a house brick by brick is not that difficult and even knowledgeable laymen can certainly dare to do this work.
Even a small garden shed needs a permit
Approval is required prior to construction
In any case, you need a building permit for the construction project. You will receive this by submitting the precisely dimensioned construction plan to the responsible municipality.
The foundation
In order for the brick house to be stable, it needs a good foundation. This should be:
- Be three times as thick in width as the walls.
- A third of the planned height of the wall down.
Alternatively, you can concrete a continuous floor slab as a foundation. This stabilizes very well and also proves to be a sensible investment when it comes to expansion and later use.
The masonry
All solid stones are suitable, so it is ultimately a question of individual taste which material you choose. Due to their low price, sand-lime bricks that are easy to process are very popular.
How is brickwork done?
- The first row of stones is placed in a layer of mortar at least 1.5 centimeters thick. This compensates for small bumps in the base plate.
- The brickwork is then staggered so that the joints are shifted by half a brick width. This is the only way for the masonry to be stable.
- Apply the mortar in a trapezoidal pattern. This is not entirely uncomplicated. If you are laying bricks for the first time, you should have a specialist show you this step.
- Use a rubber mallet to carefully move the set stone into the correct position.
- Wooden frames fixed with wedges serve as recesses for doors and windows.
- U-cup bricks, wider than the openings, are placed in the row of bricks across the frame. Lined with steel rods and filled with concrete, they ensure stability.
- The last row of walls also consists of U-shaped blocks filled with metal rods and concrete. They form the basis for the ring anchor, which prevents the walls from collapsing under the load of the roof.
tips
For safety reasons, you should only install the roof truss and roofing yourself if you have the necessary specialist knowledge.