Brickies Mate/labourer Job description

[DIWHY]

Just started with a brickie who is running me ragged, he expects me to

1) mix mortar + feed
2) feed stack bricks
3) drill + fix crock clips as required
4) stihl saw cut bricks as required
5) stihl saw/chisel to tooth out existing brick as required
6) point up beds and perps (almost never any mortar in perps, is this normal)
7) brush off snots
8) handsaw cut internal breeze blocks
9) cut damp, place ties, sweep up, clean tools

And all for £200 a week
Any advice on what I should be doing

 

[breezer]

Yes, you should be doing the following

1) mix mortar + feed
2) feed stack bricks
3) drill + fix crock clips as required
4) stihl saw cut bricks as required
5) stihl saw/chisel to tooth out existing brick as required
6) point up beds and perps (almost never any mortar in perps, is this normal)
7) brush off snots
8 ) handsaw cut internal breeze blocks
9) cut damp, place ties, sweep up, clean tools

 

[^woody^]

When I was doing it full time, the labourers were on at least 2/3 or 4/5 of our day rate, or a share of the price work

The thing to remember is the brickie is nothing without a good labourer.

I would not expect you to tooth, point, brush off snots, cut blocks, cut damp, place ties or clean my tools.

The brickie sounds like a bit of a t0sser who is taking the p155.

 

[breezer]

have you considered that although its a lot of work the op is learning to do the job?

 

[^woody^]

The impression I got was that the OP was told to do all those things and its not an option or a learning point. They are just the crappy menial tasks, that the brickie should be doing himself. I can't see any great learning value in doing them

If I was expected to mix and load out and then run around doing those things as well, not just in the slack time, then It would be a shovel of gravel in the compo and adiós from me.

It is not so much the doing them that I think is wrong, but not for that much a week. Of course, it depends on how good the labourer is, but generally the more he does, the more he should be paid.

BTW, tell the brickie from me that he is not much cop if he can't fill his joints up.

 

[NS215]

when were a 3 and 1 gang
our carrier would load out bricks and mortar and then go load out the next house ready for a drop whilst waiting for the scaffold.
he would also arrive half hour before to get mortar on the boards then at the end of the day load up the mortar boards again and then go home while we used up
he would also point up if he had time, so we would split the money equally 25% each
worth his wait in gold
£40 a day is a joke tell him to stick his job and go onto a site and you'll get £70/£90 a day
empty joints sounds like a chancer to me no wonder he doesn't like pointing up

 

[The-brickie]

No muck in the perps! deffo a bengal lancer, hes forgot;

10) Make tea...

I wouldnt pay a labourer new to the game more than 40-60 a day working on small works, site work would be different.

 

[tawelfryn]

I am a bricky. If I find a good labourer that doesn't need to ask for anything and does the above said, then I would give a 60/40 split on price. Good incentive as the labourer then is not just on a flat rate, we work as a team, and the more we lay.....
Every time the trowel is of of my hand we are losing money. So yes a good labourer is worth his weight in gold.
On dead starts Its the other way about, I help stack etc

 

[DIWHY]

Cheers fellas

I thought it he was pushin it a bit.
I do brew and I also chase the bond through.

I did pull him on the perps but he claims its a piece work speed thing
Thanks for sorting me out with that one it was bugging me.
I hate trying to force a decent amount mortar into empty perps more to create a bond than just point.

Its so much neater when you can just point up what should already have been put in be in there and has gone off a bit.

thanks again

 

[shedhed]

piece work speed thing???
surely if joints were full it'd be quicker to point up and brushing snots off back surely you cut them with trowel and use for perp.
I could never leave lad to tooth out as i would only want half bricks out not half the wall.
I'd expect an hoddie to bury me in stuff if it was only me to look after an if not he's doin summat wrong and cleaning up so that when i've finished we can both walk away.
eventually i'd have you pointing ,properly(top n tailed)and as more got laid the more you'd receive.In fact a good hoddy'll not ask me wot to do next he'll tell me where i'm going next.
but you can't expect a man to come into this game an know it all straight away and all for a starting wage!!!
And tea making skills count for a lot ,i hope you blow it so he doesn't scald himself !!! lol

 

[noseall]

i'd have you pointing ,properly(top n tailed)

i thought all brickies used a brickies brush to top'n'tail these days.

 

[shedhed]

But they brush it and you still see how they've done perps 1st and beds 2nd mind ya most i see now don't even fill all holes in (It'll do,it's not our house etc...)
It only takes a few minutes more to top n tail and it makes a neater more presentable job of it .

 

[noseall]

But they brush it and you still see how they've done perps 1st and beds 2nd mind ya most i see now don't even fill all holes in (It'll do,it's not our house etc...)
It only takes a few minutes more to top n tail and it makes a neater more presentable job of it .

i'm on your side shedlad.

 

[The-brickie]

I've seen some dreadful jointing recently, as you say just gone over on the quick when the mucks too soft. These fellas still make out they are the best brickies since sliced bread. (And charge accordingly, or not as the case may be)

I'm building a wall with a flush joint at the mo so no quick and easy options, wonder what they would make of that?

 

[shedhed]

I'm hearing that brother,they can't do a full joint for bucket handle i think half of them point up with a putlog tube anyways.
If you don't mind me asking,is your wall weatherstruck or proper full joints?