Boundary walls
Front and side boundary walls built on concrete foundations, with engineering brick below DPC, piers at the right centres and a coping detail that sheds water clear of the face.
Brickwork
Brickwork, walls & pillars
Boundary walls, garden and retaining walls, brick entrance pillars and extension brick and blockwork — built on proper foundations and finished with the pointing and detailing that make the difference.
Brickwork done properly
Most of what separates good brickwork from bad is invisible by the time the job is finished. The depth and width of the foundation, whether engineering brick was used below DPC, whether piers were built in at the right centres, whether wall ties and movement joints went where they should — none of it shows in a photograph, and all of it decides whether the wall is still straight and sound in twenty years.
We build to those details as a matter of course and we set them out in the quotation, so you can see exactly what you're paying for and compare it properly against anyone else you're speaking to.
Above ground, it comes down to consistency: even perp joints, a level course line, clean pointing struck the same way throughout, and a coping detail that actually throws water clear of the face of the wall.
We take on brickwork alongside our rendering work, which is useful on projects where a wall is being built and then rendered to match the house — one team, one quotation, and no gap between trades for something to fall through.
Benefits
What we build
Garden walls
Feature and retaining garden walls, planters and raised beds. Retaining work gets the drainage and weep holes it needs behind it, not just a wall in front of soil.
Brick entrance pillars
Gate and driveway pillars built square and plumb, with capping, and ducting run through for gate automation, lighting or an intercom where you want it.
Extension brick & blockwork
Cavity brick and blockwork for extensions, including insulation, wall ties, cavity trays and lintels, laid to the structural drawings and ready for inspection.
Brick matching
Sourcing a brick that genuinely matches your existing house, including reclaimed where that's what the job needs. We'll bring samples to hold against the wall.
Repairs and rebuilds
Rebuilding storm-damaged, leaning or failed walls, cutting out and replacing spalled brickwork, and repointing where the mortar has gone.
Is it right for you?
Typical brickwork projects
How we work
From first visit to finished wall
The same four stages on every job, so you always know what happens next and when.
- 01
Site visit and quotation
We measure up, check ground conditions and access, talk through bricks and coping options, and issue a detailed written quotation itemising the foundation and the specification.
- 02
Setting out and foundations
Levels and lines set out, foundations dug and poured, and left to cure before anything is built off them.
- 03
Building the wall
Brickwork laid to line and gauge, with piers, ties, DPC and any ducting or drainage built in as the wall goes up.
- 04
Pointing and completion
Copings and caps bedded, joints pointed consistently, brickwork cleaned down, and all spoil and materials cleared from site.
At a glance
Specification
What we quote, and what we install. If anything here needs adapting to your property, we'll set that out in writing before we start.
- Foundations
- Concrete strip foundations sized to the height of the wall and the ground conditions, dug and poured as part of the works.
- Below ground
- Engineering brick below DPC with a damp proof course bedded in at the correct level.
- Piers and stability
- Piers built in at appropriate centres for the wall height, with movement joints where the length of the run requires them.
- Mortar
- Mix specified to suit the brick and the exposure, coloured to match existing where we're joining onto original work.
- Pointing
- Struck consistently throughout — weather struck, bucket handle or flush, agreed with you before we start.
- Copings and caps
- Brick-on-edge, cast concrete or natural stone copings and pillar caps, detailed to throw water clear of the wall face.
- Extension work
- Cavity construction with insulation, stainless wall ties, cavity trays, weep vents and lintels to the structural drawings.
- Typical duration
- A few days for pillars or a short garden wall; two to four weeks for an extension shell, depending on size and access.
Verified reviews
What customers say about our brickwork
Rated 9.94/10 from 55 verified Checkatrade reviews. These are the ones about this kind of work, copied across word for word.
10/10Verified reviewerCheckatrade · February 2026 · LL11
Top Quality Work
“Excellent work by Adam and Declan on my mothers bungalow, thank you. I would likely recommend AJP for brickwork and rendering.”
9.67/10Verified reviewerCheckatrade · February 2026 · WA15
Great quality of workmanship
“They communicated throughout, giving choices of colour. They arrived promptly and worked swiftly and great quality of work. They cleaned up afterwards and I now have a great looking front garden wall. I would have no problem recommending them for this type of work.”
Questions
Brickwork FAQs
The questions we're asked most often — answered straight, including where the honest answer is 'it depends'.
Do I need planning permission for a boundary wall?
In England you generally need permission for a wall over 1 metre high where it fronts a highway, or over 2 metres elsewhere — and rules are tighter for listed buildings and conservation areas. It's your local authority's call, but we'll flag it at survey stage if we think your project is near a threshold rather than let you find out afterwards.
Can you match the bricks on my existing house?
Usually, yes. Brick matching is part of the job on any extension or repair, and we'll bring samples to hold against the existing wall in daylight before ordering. On older properties reclaimed brick is often the closest match. A brand-new brick next to a hundred years of weathering will never be identical, and we'd rather set that expectation at the start.
How deep do the foundations need to be?
It depends on the height of the wall and the ground conditions — deeper on clay, deeper again near mature trees. A low garden wall needs far less than a two-metre boundary wall with pillars. We size it at survey and state it in the quotation, because it's the single most common place cheap quotes cut corners.
Do you build retaining walls?
Yes. Retaining walls need drainage and weep holes behind them and the right thickness for the height of soil they're holding back. Above certain heights they need structural design, and we'll tell you if your project falls into that bracket rather than build something that isn't up to the job.
Can you build the wall and then render it?
Yes, and it's one of the advantages of us doing both trades. Whether it's a boundary wall being rendered to match a house or an extension being built and then rendered as a single package, it's one team and one quotation.
Do you take on extension brickwork for builders and developers?
We do — brick and blockwork packages for extensions and small developments are a regular part of our work, and we're used to working to drawings and to a programme alongside other trades.
Where we work
Brickwork across Cheshire & the North West
We carry out brickwork work throughout Cheshire, South Manchester, the Wirral, Liverpool, Wigan, Chester and North Wales — including:
WilmslowAlderley EdgePrestburyKnutsfordHaleHale BarnsBowdonAltrinchamStockton HeathLymmTarporleyHeswallCaldyFormbyChester
Also from AJP
Our other services
Silicone render
A flexible, water-repellent thin-coat system that keeps its colour and stays cleaner for longer. Our most popular finish for re-rendering existing homes across Cheshire and South Manchester.
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Monocouche render
A through-coloured, one-coat cement render with a hand-scraped finish. Hard-wearing, self-coloured and the system we most often recommend for new builds, extensions and self-build projects.
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Smooth render
Hand-applied sand and cement rendering, floated flat for a clean, timeless finish. The right choice for period properties, patch repairs and anywhere the elevation is going to be painted.
Read more →Get in touch
Thinking about brickwork?
Send us a few details and any photos you have of the property. We'll come back to you with honest advice on the right system and a detailed written quotation.