Tag: brickwork

Valley Road extension ready for scaffolding

Post author By Rob Bailey
Post date 18 October 2026

Valley Road Extension: Wall Construction & Roof Framing Complete

The concrete floor for our Valley Road extension project has been poured, and the brick walls are officially up!

We built the exterior walls using a 150mm full-fill cavity insulation method. We prefer this approach on our projects because it significantly reduces thermal bridging and air leakage routes, creating a warmer, more energy-efficient structure for the homeowner.

We tend to get our insulation and plasterboard from Galaxy Insulation in Long Eaton as the prices a re competitive and they always given un biased advice.

A red brick house extension under construction with wooden roof joists and insulation

Valley Road rear elevation

The timber roof structure is now completely framed and in place. We are currently awaiting scaffolding installation to begin the roofing works and make the entire structure fully watertight.

Stay tuned for more updates as this project progresses!

Tags beeston, brickwork, Broxtowe, Building Contractor, Cavity Wall Insulation, East Midlands, House Extension, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Roof Framing, Valley Road

External Groundwork

Upgrading Garden Planters in Beeston

Post author By Rob Bailey
Post date 17 October 2026

While timber sleepers are a popular choice for garden borders and raised beds, weather exposure over time inevitably takes its toll. In this recent project, the client’s existing oak sleeper planters were beginning to pull apart, decay, and lose structural integrity. They wanted a long-term, permanent solution that would hold up to the elements without sacrificing style.

The Project Overview

Out with the Old: We completely removed the shifting oak sleepers and excavated solid footings to ensure a strong base for the new masonry. We sourced a skip larger than was required so we could also remove clear the customers debris stockpile from their garden which will free up space for future projects. In total we filled an 8 yard skip for the project.
Durable Brick Construction: We used Ibstock Cattybrook Bristol Buff sourced from John A Stephens in Nottingham, they were the only local branch to hold them. We used them as they matched the house to give a smoother aesthetic, we built the retaining walls and raised planters to complement the existing home and garden layout.
Staffordshire Blue Finish: To top off the walls, we laid double bullnose Staffordshire blue bricks along the coping. The smooth, rounded edges give a clean, professional finish that doubles as comfortable garden coping.
Moisture Protection: We applied a tanking slurry to limit the moisture transferring to the bricks. We used engineering spec bricks which can be laid underground but the tanking can’t hurt and is a belt and braces approach.
Acaster dug out

Why Choose Double Bullnose Staffordshire Blue’s for the soldier course?

Unmatched Durability: Staffordshire blue bricks are renowned for high strength and exceptionally low water absorption, making them ideal for ground-level garden exposure.
Safety & Comfort: The dual-rounded bullnose profile removes sharp corners—perfect for family gardens and comfortable to lean against or sit on.
Striking Contrast: The deep slate-blue tone creates a sharp, modern contrast against warm orange brickwork and green foliage.
Corner headers: We managed to source corner headers which really finish it off nicely, though they are £60 each including VAT

Looking to upgrade tired timber features in your garden to a clean, permanent brick structure? Get in touch today for a free consultation and quote! Call us on 07737 988 243

Tags #Landscaping, beeston, Beeston Rylands, brickwork, Garden planters, Nottingham, Outdoor renovation, Raised beds, Retaining walls, Timber replacement

Roofing

Gable end and dwarf wall repointing

Post author By Rob Bailey
Post date 16 August 2026

Gable End and Dwarf Wall Repointing

We were recently called out by a customer whose existing gable end pointing had begun to weather and drop out over time. While we frequently recommend and install modern dry verge systems these days for a maintenance-free finish, this customer preferred to maintain the traditional mortar look for their roofline.

The stick isn’t permanent, just to supper whilst it’s drying out.

To ensure a high-quality, long-lasting repair, we carefully raked out all the old, loose mortar to create a solid base before expertly repointing the entire gable end. (Note: If you spot a stick in the photos, don’t worry—it’s definitely not a permanent fixture! It’s simply there to provide temporary support while the fresh mortar dries and sets into place).

While we were on site, we also tackled some essential maintenance on the customer’s dwarf wall. The coping stones had become loose, so we lifted them up, cleared away the old debris, and securely relaid them. The wall is now structurally sound and looking smart once again!

Tags #SwallowHillHomes, bramcote, Bramcote Nottingham, brickwork, Coping Stones, Dwarf Wall, Gable End, Mortar Repair, Nottingham, Property Maintenance, repointing, Roof Repair, Roofline Maintenance, Swallow Hill Homes, Traditional Roofing, verge repointing

Brickwork Renovation

Brick wall repointing

Post author By Rob Bailey
Post date 12 April 2026

The wall had been in place for approximately 130 years and needed some TLC. We removed the Staffordshire blue the coping stones, repointed the wall and refitted the coping stones.

We used standard cement and yellow building sand, a few of the bricks could have been replaced but the client wished to patch up the wall to minimise expenditure. The work took 2 days for one of our skilled bricklayers to complete.

various bricks are blowing, but the customer wanted to minimise the spend so we simply patched up as best we could. Sometimes it is possible to chop out a blown brick and then use the other inward facing side on the outside. however in practice if the face of a brick has blown then when extracting the brick from the wall it tends to break up and can’t be reused.