Masonry – Projects and Qualified Teams

Masonry forms the load-bearing skeleton of a building: wall structures of sand-lime, aerated concrete, perforated brick, clinker, or expanded clay carry loads, regulate indoor climate, and define the façade's appearance. The trade covers load-bearing and non-load-bearing masonry, facing and exposed brickwork, interior and exterior walls, chimneys, lintels, ring beams, and masonry repair in existing buildings. Quality depends on choosing the masonry unit according to structural, acoustic, and fire requirements, the correct mortar selection, and proper bed-joint workmanship. Example Germany: design and execution follow DIN EN 1996 (Eurocode 6) and the national DIN 1053. VOB/C DIN 18330 governs masonry as a contractual service.

FAQ

How much does masonry cost per m² as subcontracted work?

Which masonry unit for which use?

Which mortar suits what?

What are the most common defects?

How long does a storey of a single-family house take?

Which building classes and acoustic requirements apply?

How much does masonry cost per m² as subcontracted work?: Example Germany: 11.5 cm interior wall in sand-lime 35–55 €/m² incl. material and mortar, 24 cm aerated concrete exterior 55–85 €/m², 36.5 cm perforated brick exterior 70–110 €/m², clinker facing 90–150 €/m². In Poland typically 30–40 % below German rates.
Which masonry unit for which use?: Sand-lime brick: high compressive strength, good acoustics, standard for interior walls. Aerated concrete: light, good thermal insulation, easy to work. Perforated brick with insulation fill: monolithic exterior wall without separate insulation. Clinker: facing with high weather resistance, often as a twin-leaf wall.
Which mortar suits what?: Normal mortar for standard applications, thin-bed mortar with max. 3 mm joint for ground units, light mortar for thermally insulating bricks. Mortar classes per DIN EN 998-2 (e.g. M5, M10) by compressive strength. Example Germany: at least M5 for load-bearing masonry.
What are the most common defects?: Joints incompletely filled (thermal bridges), wrong mortar class, missing reinforcement in lintels and ring beams, exposed masonry with uneven bed-joint appearance, dimensional deviations across several storeys, missing sliding bearings in twin-leaf clinker walls.
How long does a storey of a single-family house take?: 36.5 cm exterior walls in perforated brick plus interior walls for around 80 m² living area per storey: 8–12 working days for a three-person team. With clinker facing add 6–10 days. Weather-dependent – frost stops work (mortar freezes).
Which building classes and acoustic requirements apply?: Example Germany: DIN 4109 requires ≥ 53 dB for apartment-separating walls, generally reached with 24 cm sand-lime or 36.5 cm perforated brick. Fire class F90 for load-bearing walls in multi-family buildings. Structural design per Eurocode 6 considering wind and seismic loads.

Popular categories

Explore more listings