01Move
DNA dimensions
Bricks/day/brickie (450–650), avg project ticket (£3,400–£28,000), Guild of Bricklayers / FMB membership, conservation + matched-brick share, builder subcontract vs direct-to-homeowner mix.
All playbooksServices
Bricklaying playbook.
A UK independent bricklaying contractor (3–6 brickies + labourer) running new-build extensions, garden walls, chimney rebuilds, conservation pointing and matched-brick repairs on Victorian / Georgian stock. The 2026 win is the matched-brick conservation niche — £4,400–£28,000 tickets at 42–52% margin for Conservation Area + listed-property owners.
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Reference fit-out · Bricklaying
Overview
A UK indie bricklaying contractor in 2026 runs three engines: builder-subcontract extensions + new-builds (£180–£240/m² brickwork rate, 4 brickies × 560 bricks/day = ~£14k/week revenue, 32–42% margin), direct-to-homeowner garden walls + chimney rebuilds + outbuildings (£3,400–£14,000 ticket, 42–52% margin, 1–2/week), and conservation + matched-brick + lime-mortar pointing (£4,400–£28,000 ticket, 48–58% margin, 1–2/month — Conservation Areas, listed properties, English Heritage projects, heritage-grade lime mortar at £14/bag vs £4 OPC). Maths for 4-brickie + labourer crew: £56k subcontract + £14k direct + £14k conservation = £84k/month gross. Conservation is the margin + brand engine and the moat (most brickies can't colour-match a Victorian London Stock).
560
Bricks/day/brickie
£8,400
Avg ticket
22%
Conservation share
What you'll need
Equipment list with real 2026 UK prices.
Sized for a 2–4 chair shop. Buy mid-range on chairs and clippers; cheap kit fails inside 12 months and walks away with your barbers.
01
Crew kit
Tipper van + sign-writing
£18,000–£32,000 used
Cement mixer (Belle Premier 150)
£480–£900
Concrete blocks + brick saw (Stihl TS800)
£1,400–£2,400
Trowel kit (Marshalltown + WHS Tyzack) × brickie
£180–£420 per brickie
String lines + corner blocks + spirit levels (1.8m + 2.4m)
£280–£640
Mortar boards + pointing irons + jointers
£280–£640
Aluminium tower scaffold (3.5m / 5m)
£1,400–£3,400
Fall-arrest harness + edge protection × crew
£640–£1,400
02
Yard + materials
Yard / storage compound (≥150 m²)
£900–£2,800/month
Opening brick + block + sand + cement + lime stock
£6,400–£14,000
Conservation lime-mortar + pigment library
£1,400–£3,400
Skip + grab-lorry account
£640–£1,800/month
Powered Now / Commusoft
£90–£280/month
03
Compliance + accreditation
Guild of Bricklayers
£280–£480/year
FMB membership
£420–£900/year
CSCS card per brickie
£60 per 5 years
Working at Height + asbestos awareness
£280–£640 per brickie
Public + product + £5m liability
£1,400–£3,400/year
Where to set up
Location is half the business.
Service area
25-mile radius
Tipper + scaffold transit.
Yard
≥150 m² with pallet drop access
Brick pallets + sand bays.
Catchment
≥30,000 households + 12 active extension / loft firms + Conservation Area overlay
Subcontract + direct + conservation mix.
Merchant proximity
Within 15 min of Travis Perkins / Jewson / Ibstock
Daily brick + block runs.
Industrial Class B2 / B8
Yard zoning + 7.5t access
Pallet delivery + grab lorry.
Area tier
Rent / month
Notes
London + SE
£2,400–£8,400 yard
Conservation Areas premium — matched London Stock at £4–£8/brick reclaim.
Regional city + suburbs
£900–£2,800
Sweet spot. Extension subcontract + garden wall direct.
Market town + county
£480–£1,400
Rural barn + estate + heritage repointing.
Licences & registrations
Get the paperwork done before you sign a lease.
UK figures for 2026. Lead times assume you submit complete applications — councils will pause the clock if you miss documents.
Requirement
Who issues
Cost
Lead time
ReqCompanies House Ltd
Companies House
£100
Usually 24 hours
OptGuild of Bricklayers
Guild
£280–£480/year
4 weeks
OptFMB
FMB
£420–£900/year
8 weeks
ReqCSCS card per brickie
CITB
£60 per 5 years
2 weeks
ReqWorking at Height + asbestos awareness
CITB
£280 per brickie
4 weeks
ReqPublic + product + £5m liability
Tradesman Saver / Hiscox
£1,400–£3,400/year
1 week
ReqEmployer's liability
Broker
£420–£900/year
1 day
ReqVehicle (tipper + commercial)
AXA / NIG
£900–£2,400 per vehicle
1 day
ReqWaste carrier registration
Environment Agency
£154/3 years
2 weeks
ReqICO data protection
ICO
£40–£60/year
1 day
Build-out timeline
From decision to open in 12 weeks.
01
Phase 0 — Setup
Weeks 1–4- Companies House + FMB + Guild applications
- Tipper + scaffold + mixer purchase
- CSCS + Working at Height training
02
Phase 1 — Yard
Weeks 4–10- Yard lease + pallet rack set-up
- Trade accounts (Travis Perkins / Jewson / Ibstock / Womersley lime)
- Powered Now go-live
03
Phase 2 — Brand + subcontract pipeline
Weeks 8–14- Extension / loft-firm outreach (8 firms)
- Conservation portfolio shoot
- Architect + structural engineer intros
04
Phase 3 — Soft launch
Weeks 12–16- First subcontract extensions
- First direct garden wall + chimney
- Checkatrade + MyBuilder profiles
05
Phase 4 — Open
Week 16+- Conservation matched-brick niche launched
- Repeat builder contracts running
- English Heritage / listed-property project pipeline
Budget
Realistic startup and monthly cost ranges.
One-off · Startup
Setting up the shop
Yard lease + deposit
£2,400 → £8,400
Tipper + sign-writing (×2)
£28,000 → £56,000
Mixer + scaffold + brick saw + trowel kits
£3,400 → £8,400
Opening brick + block + sand + lime stock
£6,400 → £14,000
Conservation lime + pigment library
£1,400 → £3,400
Software + IT + phones
£640 → £1,800
Branding + Guild + FMB + insurance + licences
£2,400 → £5,400
Training (CSCS + WAH × crew)
£900 → £2,400
Pre-launch marketing + Checkatrade
£900 → £2,400
Working capital (3 months)
£14,000 → £28,000
Typical total
£60.4k–£130.2k
Recurring · Monthly
Keeping the lights on
Yard rent
£900 → £2,800
Vehicles (tipper × 2)
£1,800 → £3,800
Skip + grab lorry
£640 → £1,800
Materials COGS (32–42% revenue)
£18,000 → £44,000
Wages (4 brickies + labourer + office)
£18,000 → £36,000
Software + accreditation + insurance
£480 → £1,400
Marketing + Checkatrade
£420 → £1,400
Typical total
£40.2k–£91.2k
Numbers that compound
How a bricklaying actually looks on a chart.
Illustrative planning ranges, not measured customer data. Toggle the views to see ramp, mix and weekly load.
12-month revenue ramp
Low vs high scenario (£ monthly)
High Low
Illustrative example for planning, not measured customer data.
First 90 days
Dates that actually matter after opening.
01Day 1
Soft open: first subcontract day on extension (£900) + garden wall quote sent (£4.4k accepted).
02Day 7
First week: 5 subcontract days, 1 garden wall starting. £8.4k revenue.
03Day 30
Steady: 22 subcontract days (£44k), 2 garden walls (£12k), 1 chimney rebuild (£3.4k). £58k revenue.
04Day 90
Full ramp: £72k/month, 4 repeat builder contracts, first Conservation Area matched-brick commission.
05Day 180
Mature: £84k/month, conservation share at 22%, English Heritage project pipeline established.
What's inside
DNA, route, automations, integrations, benchmarks, advisors — tuned for a bricklaying.
02Move
Suggested route
Join Guild of Bricklayers + FMB, build 5–8 builder / extension-firm subcontract relationships (reliable £180–£240/m² rates), specialise in matched-brick + lime-mortar pointing for Conservation Areas (English Heritage register), partner with architect + structural engineer firms for new-extension lead flow.
03Move
Automations
Brick + mortar order auto-cut from drawings, scaffold + skip co-ordination, weather-delay rescheduling, photo progress updates to client + builder, NHBC / LABC inspection booking.
04Move
Integrations
Powered Now / Commusoft, Stripe, GBP, NHBC builder portal, Xero.
05Move
Benchmarks
Bricks/day, matched-brick share and conservation premium vs Guild of Bricklayers cohort.
06Move
Advisors
Encore advisors from Guild of Bricklayers, Brick Development Association, FMB master craftsmen, ex-Ibstock / Wienerberger trade reps and conservation lime-mortar specialists.
Stack
Modules used in this playbook.
01DNA Engine02Route Map03Launch Twin04Automation05Verified06Encore
Related playbooks
Owners of a bricklaying often run — or cross-sell with — these adjacent operations.
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