Construction of a brick fence, its types and differences, advantages and problems, choice of materials, preparation for construction, work procedure and measures to protect the finished structure. A brick fence is one of the most popular home garden fences. The reasons for this attention are the cozy look of the masonry and the sense of security that such a structure evokes. In today's article, we will take a closer look at how to make a brick fence yourself.
Varieties of brick fences
Deaf fences in the form of a solid wall can now be seen rarely. Combined fences are much more common. Brick goes well in construction with materials of various types, which can give the structure originality, and at the same time reduce its cost.
The most successful options for such fences:
- Fencing made of wooden spans and brick pillars;
- Construction of forged lattices and brick pillars;
- A fence made of profiled sheets and brick posts.
The combination of different materials in one fence reduces its weight, and sometimes the price. The structure looks less bulky without losing its functionality.
There are four criteria for distinguishing brick fences:
- Base type … Typically, such structures are located on strip foundations. But if wood or profiled sheet is used as their canvas, the foundation can be columnar.
- Fence thickness … Solid laying of spans is most often performed in two, one and a half or one brick. For building a thicker wall, certain foundations are required, since the cost of such a fence will be much higher.
- The presence of pillars … In a brick fence, it is not necessary, but their presence makes the structure more presentable.
- Fence height … It is determined by the desire of the owner of the land plot and design requirements. The higher the fence, the thicker it should be. Therefore, a three-meter structure needs three-brick masonry, and for a half-meter fence, one brick is quite enough thickness.
Advantages and disadvantages of brick fences
Brick fences have their own advantages, which include:
- Durability … The material perfectly tolerates the weather vagaries of nature, it is not afraid of extreme temperature fluctuations and changes in air humidity. Therefore, brick fences serve for a very long time.
- Increased reliability … Even a strong gust of wind is not capable of damaging such a fence, let alone protecting the site from blowing. In addition, reliable building spans are a significant obstacle for unwanted visitors to suburban real estate.
- Unpretentious maintenance … The brick fence does not need frequent repairs. To maintain it in its original form, special efforts are not required.
- Presentability … A neatly laid brick fence does not need to be finished, the material looks great anyway. This is especially noticeable when combined with forging or wood.
The existing disadvantages of brick fences come down, as a rule, to the price and labor costs. Brick for the construction of such structures must be of high quality, concrete for the foundation - too. And you have to pay for quality. Therefore, you can save on materials, but not much. But the cost of labor can be significantly reduced if you build a brick fence with your own hands.
Another disadvantage of such fences is efflorescence on the brick, which is a white bloom. But after a few cleanings, you can get rid of their appearance.
Brick fence construction technology
It includes the alternating passage of several stages: marking the fence line, earthworks, foundation and installation of racks, brickwork of pillars and spans, decoration of the structure. Let's consider all these steps in order.
Selection of materials for the fence
The process of installing a brick fence can be significantly accelerated if you worry about the availability of the necessary equipment, materials and tools in advance.
So, we need:
- For the foundation - cement, crushed stone and reinforcement.
- For laying a fence - bricks and binding material for fixing them. 1 m2 brick thickness of 100 blocks is needed. The same masonry footage of 2 bricks will require 200 blocks.
- Concrete mixer.
- Excavation tools - shovel and scrap.
- The same for making brickwork - a trowel, a construction pickaxe and a suitable container for mortar.
- To connect the reinforcement cages - knitting wire.
High-quality brick for the fence is the key to a good work result. There are several types of such material, which differ in appearance, technical characteristics and price. Which one to choose depends on the preferences and thickness of the owner's wallet.
Types of fence bricks:
- Sand-lime brick is white and has good sound absorption, which is useful for reducing noise from the street. On the other hand, it is hygroscopic and gets wet quickly, which is very noticeable on the fence.
- Ceramic brick perfectly tolerates any weather, it is more durable than its silicate counterpart. High-quality material almost does not absorb moisture.
- Pressed brick is strong, smooth to the touch, durable and frost-resistant. The material withstands temperature fluctuations in the air and the effects of precipitation well.
- Decorative brick looks like natural stone, does not require additional finishing, has a wide range of shades, but weighs a lot and is expensive.
Preparatory work
The preparatory stage always involves the production of a detailed drawing of the fence for a more visual perception of its appearance, as well as an accurate calculation of the required materials.
To mark the fence on the ground, you will need pegs, a hammer, cords and a tape measure. At the two extreme points of each side of the proposed fence, you need to hammer in the pegs and pull the cord over them. After that, it is necessary to mark with pegs the points of installation of the pillars, the location of the gates and wickets.
Usually brick pillars are placed at intervals of three or more meters in relation to each other. It is important to know that their too dense arrangement can ruin the appearance of the fence. Depending on the features of the landscape and the length of the fence, the distance between its posts can reach 6 m or more.
Foundation construction and installation of racks
Strip foundations are especially effective on soils subject to various deformations. In our case, such a foundation will exclude the subsidence of the brick fence.
The work should be performed in the following sequence:
- Along the marking line, you need to dig a trench 50 cm wide and about 1.5 m deep. The locations of the fence posts must be further deepened by 30 cm.
- Sand should be poured at the bottom of the trench, moistened, and then tamped.
- When the sand cushion is ready, you need to lay the reinforcement tied into a volumetric frame on it. In this case, two rods should be laid from the bottom and two from above. After that, metal channels or pipes must be installed vertically along a plumb line into the grooves of the trench, connecting them to the frame. Such reinforcement will greatly strengthen the brick fence.
- It is necessary to assemble the formwork from thick plywood or wooden panels and reinforce it with spacers made of bars. If wood materials are not available, others suitable for this purpose can be used.
- Ready concrete must be poured into the formwork. To prevent the formation of voids in the mixture, it should be compacted with a vibrator or at least a bayonet shovel. For self-preparation of concrete, you need to take four parts of sand and gravel for one part of cement.
- After pouring, the foundation surface must be leveled horizontally with a trowel or a small rule.
- In the process of work, it should be remembered that the foundation for the fence must be half a meter above the ground level.
If the soil in the trench for pouring the foundation is not free-flowing, the formwork can be installed only for its above-ground part. This will save time and materials. In this case, the walls of the trench should definitely be covered with a greenhouse film. Otherwise, about 10% of the cement laitance of the concrete will go into the soil.
Features of brickwork
Before it begins, the foundation must stand for a week to begin to gain strength. After that, the formwork can be removed. From above, the concrete surface must be covered with roofing material folded in 2-3 layers. This will protect the brickwork from excess moisture.
Piece materials must be laid on a mortar, in which one part of the cement accounts for four parts of sand. A dry mixture should be prepared from them, and then mixed with water until mushy. One part of lime can be used as a plasticizer for the mixture. The performance of such a solution is 1.5 hours. Based on this, you need to plan your work.
You should start laying a brick fence with pillars. If they do not carry a load, the thickness of the pillar can be taken as one and a half bricks. Gate posts should be laid out in two bricks. During installation, piece materials must be installed flat around the perimeter around the metal rack, tying the seams of the masonry. The operating procedure is described below.
By evenly distributing the grout on the foundation around the metal core, the first row of brickwork must be completed. Its horizontal position must be checked with a level. The quality of further work depends on this. After laying 7-8 rows of bricks on the mortar, it is worth laying several reinforcement rods in the cavity around the metal rack and pouring it with concrete. Pebbles can be used instead of fittings.
It is recommended to repeat this procedure until the post rises to the desired height. The bottom 2-3 rows should be laid out of solid bricks. For subsequent rows, lightweight material with voids is suitable. When laying the masonry, the coincidence of the vertical seams of adjacent rows is unacceptable. This reduces its strength.
If the fence is combined, you should take into account the location of the embedded parts intended for the installation of sections of the fence or lag on them. The parts can be welded to the metal cores of the posts or installed directly into the masonry. The first embedded part of the pillar should be installed 150 mm above the foundation, the last one at the same distance below the top row of masonry. The third part should be placed in the middle of the pillar.
In the process of working on each of the pillars, it is necessary to align the masonry seams. This will give the racks an attractive look. First, you need to wash off excess solution with water. Then you need to prepare a mixture for jointing. To do this, you need to take one part of Portland cement and lime, and then add 10 parts of sand, water and mix everything thoroughly.
A special tool is used for joining. He is able to cut off excess mortar and give the seam a relief. At the same time, the masonry gets decorative, and the seams are compacted. First, the vertical seams should be sewn, and then the rest. The installation of the combined fencing should be started three weeks after the end of the laying of the pillars.
A fence with pillars and brick sections can be erected in one brickwork from the very beginning to the end. In this case, first of all, you should wind up the corners, checking their verticality with a building level. Then, along the length of each row from the corners, it is necessary to pull the cord, which makes it possible to control the correct level of the masonry.
Brick fence protection
To protect the fence from the vagaries of the weather, you can use protective caps, moisture-proof mixtures or factory drips. Pole caps are made of metal, ceramic, polymer or concrete. Steel products have anti-corrosion zinc coating. Concrete is made from a special cement mixture for outdoor use. In addition to protective functions, they give the fence a finished look.
They should be fastened so that they hang slightly outside the pillar. In this case, rainwater will not fall on its surface, but on special ebb tides that close the fence spans from above.
The base of a brick fence is the most vulnerable part of it. Therefore, for the protective lining of this element, high-strength and durable materials are used: stone, marble slabs, ceramics, etc.
How to make a brick fence - watch the video:
From all of the above, it can be seen that the installation of a brick fence is a responsible and laborious process that needs constant monitoring at every stage. But if all the technical recommendations are followed, even an inexperienced builder will be able to cope with such work.
