Building a brick fence: what you need to know about a brick fence

Recommendation points

• The advantages of a brick fence
• Classification of masonry brick fences
• Basic (constructive, draft)
• Constructive and finishing
• Piers
• Pillars
• With reinforcing bar
• Hollow rod
• With reinforced concrete bar
• Binding
• Hidden
• Constructive or combined
• Anchor
• Decorative decoration. How it looks
• Additional benefits

Why choose a brick fence and what is its advantage over other types? What elements does it consist of, and how are they connected to each other? What you need to know about laying a fence? From this article, you will learn the basic points about building brick fences.

The advantages of a brick fence

Brick has a striking difference for the better from any other materials:

1. Firstly, it can be repeatedly veneered (along with house renovation), plastered, dowelled, painted. Its decorative elements – canopies, covers, caps on poles, protective devices – lend themselves to any alterations. As a result of finishing, the fence can be completely transformed..
2. Secondly, if an ordinary fence visually “grabs and moves” a part of the street to the house, then the wall of a brick fence (again, visually) “expands” the walls of the house to the boundaries of the site. It is much more comfortable to be in the “stone” courtyard than in any other.
3. Thirdly, a brick fence looks the same from the outside and inside. While, for example, a leaf one forces you to choose who will have to see its frame – the owner or passers-by. The two-way (two-way) option will require doubling the costs.

The good thing about a brick fence is that it cannot be undermined, tucked away or loosened. Also, it will not be possible to disassemble it imperceptibly into segments, as is the case with a fence made of boards. It is useless to try to “bend the corner”, as it is easy to do with a profile barrier.

Classification of masonry brick fences

In terms of functionality, masonry is divided into two categories.

Basic (constructive, draft)

In this case, the brickwork plays the role of the base and is subject to further finishing. It can be putty, plaster, spray (“fur coat”), paneling. This principle is chosen in the case of repairing the facade of a house with a “wet” method in order to finish the fence to match the walls (with one material). For rough masonry, it is allowed to use second-hand bricks.

Disadvantages:

1. Several stages of work stretch the whole process in time.
2. More sophisticated technology.

Benefits:

1. Does not require a high level of bricklaying skills and painstaking work.
2. Allows for phased investments.

Constructive and finishing

Brick serves as both a load-bearing and a finishing material. For this, various types of decorative bricks with and without texture are used. Made from the same material (or similar in appearance) as the walls of the house.

Disadvantages:

1. Requires high own skill of a bricklayer, or payment of an “expensive” specialist.
2. High price of finishing bricks.

Advantage: all work is done in one step.

As can be seen from the primitive analysis, both categories are mutually exclusive. That is, the advantages of one are the disadvantages of the other. At this stage, you should honestly assess your strengths professionally and financially..

The next stage of division is into structural elements. There are only five of them:

1. The foundation for a brick fence is no different from a wall one, since the fence is a brick wall. I have already written about the rules and technology for arranging such a foundation in articles about the strip foundation..
2. The basement is the visible part of the foundation. Often, when finishing masonry, they arrange the first – basement – row across. False plinth – the lower part of the wall of greater thickness (makes the foundation visually higher), which is often made flush with the pillars.
3. Pillars. Vertical supports that prevent the fence from collapsing from the wind (withstand wind load).
4. Piers. Filling spans between posts.
5. Accessories (caps, visors, ebbs). Arbitrary elements that are installed as needed (or at will).

Of all the elements, let’s talk about the laying of pillars and piers. There are several fundamentally different ways of their device..

Piers

The choice of filling the spans between the pillars is a key point in determining the further strategy. Since the piers represent the very plane of the fence and make up 90% of its visible part, the requirements for supports and foundation directly depend on their size and material.

The spans between the posts are partly self-supporting structural elements. They are always tied to the supports and do not carry any other load than their own weight (wind load is transferred to the poles). The walls are divided into four types.

1. Continuous masonry.A brick wall is laid out along the entire height of the pillar. Two subspecies are distinguished here:

1. Constant thickness – laying is carried out in half a brick or on an edge * from the foundation to the top.
2. Variable thickness (with a false plinth) – up to a certain height (3-10 rows) in half a brick, then on the edge.

2. Easy filling.Between the pillars, a frame of cross-beams is arranged, directly or indirectly tied to a rod, on which sheet or piece (board) material is hung. In such cases, the presence of a base is always implied. There are also three subspecies here:

1. Solid sheet planes – fully absorb the wind load (corrugated sheet, polycarbonate, solid board).
2. Densely lattice planes – partially perceive the wind load (welded gratings from a profile pipe, board gratings).
3. Mesh and rare lattice planes – do not carry any loads (netting, lattices with a large pitch).

3. Forging and casting.Elements of significant weight made of steel or cast iron. Attached to studs tied to a rod.

4. Combined.Forged, concrete, profile, lattice and other elements are included in the masonry of the partition.

* – the method of laying “on the edge” is applicable for fences only in the case of using bricks with an edge width of 85 mm (white silicate)

Pillars

If the foundation supports vertical loads, preventing the entire structure from sagging from its own weight, then the pillars provide stability in the above-foundation part. They are the supporting structure of the entire fence..

According to the structure, brick pillars are of three types.

With reinforcing bar

Laying is carried out with a minimum cross-section of the column (2 to 1). Reinforcement of 12-18 mm is driven into the ground to the maximum depth and is located in the body of the post.

Advantages:

1. Minimum consumption of brick and metal.
2. Construction speed.
3. Doesn’t require a strong foundation.

Disadvantage: relatively weak construction *.

* – the term “weak” – comparative in relation to two other methods of laying pillars, the reliability of structures depends on the quality of work

Hollow rod

The laying is carried out by a “well”, inside which a rod in the form of a 40–80 mm pipe is located in the center. The pipe, in turn, is concreted into the ground and tied with a foundation tape. The most common option.

Advantages:

1. More robust layout.
2. Stability due to the area of ​​the posts.

Disadvantages:

1. Greater material consumption.
2. Stronger foundation required.

With reinforced concrete bar

Instead of the pipe from option No. 2, a reinforcing cage with 3-4 solid working rods of 12-16 mm and clamps with a pitch of 200 mm is used. Reinforced concrete rod is formed in the course of laying out and filling the “well”.

Benefits:

1. The most reliable design of the presented.
2. Solid layout – the rod (pillar) is connected to the grout in the seams.
3. Maximum stability (the pole will withstand a ramming by a passenger car).

Disadvantage: making the frame will take time.

Binding

As already noted, the pier transfers the wind load to the posts. To do this, there must be a reliable connection between them. This is necessary to maintain the structural integrity of the fence. There are only three types of binding.

Hidden

The working element is in the seams of the masonry. Visually, the end of the wall just comes close to the pillar, and the gap between the masonry seams breaks off exactly along its plane. The masonry mesh, previously inserted into the post, is inserted into the seams of the wall. This method is always used when working with finishing bricks..

Constructive or combined

Brick piers are included in the pillar masonry. This method is used only for rough masonry, and the pillars and piers are erected simultaneously. The use of a masonry mesh is implied. The maximum constructive effect is obtained by this method in combination with a reinforced concrete support rod..

Anchor

Mounts for the wall are produced from the post rod. When constructing cross-members, the fasteners for them are welded to the hollow rod (pipe). Then a corner is welded on them or a bar is placed on the bolts, to which the sheet or roll material of the wall is subsequently attached. Applicable only for lightweight filling.

Decorative decoration. How it looks

There is no sheet or piece material capable of repeating the masonry at home as accurately as the masonry material itself will do. In turn, the fence can become a dominant feature and look quite independently in areas where the house is not visible. Professional bricklayers lay out magnificent panels in sections with the inclusion of sandstone, glass and forging.

The combination of facing bricks of different textures and colors with massive forged patterns, which are installed in the filling of the sections, is considered a special chic. This type of fence is proudly called a museum fence..

If the brick is used only as a base (rough masonry), then it can be finished in even more ways, which will be cheaper than exclusive masonry. Often, the owner, who decided to build a stone (brick) house, chooses its appearance in harmonious uniformity with outbuildings and a fence.

Additional benefits

In addition to everything described above, a brick fence has the following nice additions (features):

1. Noise isolation. Brick perfectly absorbs street noise.
2. It’s still a stone wall. At any time, by attaching two more to it in the corner, we get a ready-made shed or garage.
3. Don’t waste time calculating wind loads.
4. It is possible to choose an individual design, independently develop a mosaic in the form of a company logo, family monogram or just a pattern.

So, for someone who builds or covers a house with bricks, the choice is obvious. The quality of the masonry and the reliability of the foundation will become the mainstay of the peace and well-being of the owner, who chose a brick fence.