Measurement conventions

The following items are commonly met by the quantity surveyor when measuring masonry.

Apart from half brick skins in hollow walls, brickwork comes in 3 classification, these are:

1. Common brickwork, where the wall, of whatever thickness, is built entirely of common brickwork. The brickwork will have an 'as built' finish and will be used where the appearance of the finished work is unimportant.
2. Common brickwork with facework one side, this can be used in any situation where the brickwork thicknesses is of one brick and over is built with an 'as built' finish on one face, where as the other face can be built with a more expensive facing brick with pointing. For example:



3. Brick facework both sides or entirely facings, where both sides of the brickwork are finished fair with facings or a fair face and pointing. It is therefore possible to have a two brick thick wall, built from common bricks with facings both sides.

With the exception of closing cavities all labours such as rough and fair cutting, throats, mortices, etc. are included and do not have to be measured separately.

Projections

Brick walls are often built with piers (projections) beyond the face of the wall as a means of adding structural stability.

Isolated piers

A wall becomes an isolated pier when the length on plan is less than 4 times its thickness (according to and NRM2). Conversely when the length on plan exceeds 4 times the thickness then the classification is wall.

Tapered walls