BRICK WORK:

1. EXTENT AND INTENT:

The contractor shall provide all labour, materials;, operations, equipments and incidentals
necessary and required for the completion of all brick work called for.
2. Bricks:
Bricks and tiles shall be of uniform deep red or copper colour, thoroughly burnt without
being verified, regular in shape and size and shall have sharp and square sides and
parallel faces to ensure uniformity in the thickness of the courses of brickwork. Bricks
shall be free from cracks, chips, flaws, stones or lumps of any kind. They shall be sound,
hard, homogenous in texture and shall be of the best quality and as approved by the
architect. The size of the bricks shall be 9” x 4-3/8”x2-3/4” (22.9cm x 11.2 cm x 7.0 cm)
unless otherwise specified. The bricks shall be provided with frogs.

3 samples:

Samples of each type of brick taken at random from the load shall be deposited with the
architect for his approval before being used in the work. All subsequent deliveries shall be upto
the standard of the sample approved.

3. Soaking of bricks:
All bricks shall be thoroughly soaked before use in specially prepared vats, tubs or tanks
for not less than two hours and until air bubbles stop being given off. The duration of
soaking may e modified by the architect after trials at site. The soaked bricks shall be
kept on wooden planks or brick platforms to avoid earth being smeared on them.
4. Mortar:
Mortar for all brick work shall consist of cement and clean, sharp coarse sand.
5. Cement:
Portland cement conforming to IS: 269-1967 shall be used, unless otherwise specified.
Cement shall be fresh when delivered at site.
6. Sand:
Sand shall be clean, not too fine nor too coarse and shall fall within the grading zones I to
IV given in table III of IS: 383-1963.
7. Water :
Water used for mixing mortar shall be in accordance with clause 4.3 of IS: 456-1964
8. Mix proportion:
The mortar shall consist of one part cement & 6 part sand for brickwork 240mm thick
and above. For brick piers, half brick walls, honey combed brickwork and hollow
(cavity) walls, the mortar mix shall consist of one part cement and four parts sand.
9. Mortar mixing:
Mixing of mortar shall be done in a mechanical mixer. Hand mixing shall be resorted to
only when specifically permitted by the architect. Cement and sand shall be mixed dry
 thoroughly and then water shall be added gradually. Wet mixing shall be continued till
mortar4 of the consistency of a stiff paste and uniform colour is obtained. Only the
quantity of mortar which can be used up within 30 minute of its mixing shall be prepared
at a time. Mortar shall be used as soon as possible after mixing and before it has begun to
set any in any case within 30 minute after the water is added to the dry mixture. Mortar
left unused for more than 30 minutes after mixing shall be rejected and removed from the
site of work.
10. Laying brickwork.
All brickwork shall be built in English bond with frog upwards. Each brick shall be set
with bed and vertical joints filled thoroughly with mortar. Selected bricks shall be used
for the lacework.
The walls shall be taken up truly plumb, all courses shall be laid truly horizontal and
vertical joints shall be truly vertical. Vertical joints in alternate course shall come
directly over the other. The thickness of brick courses shall be kept uniform and for this
purpose wooden straight edge with graduation giving thickness of each brick course
including joints shall be used. Necessary tools comprising of wooden straight edge,
mason’s spirit level,, square, foot rool, plumb, line and pins etc. Shall be frequently and
fully used by the masons to ensure that the walls are taken up true to plumb, line and
levels.
Both the faces of walls of thickness greater than 230 mm shall be kept in proper plane.
All the connected brickwork shall be carried up nearly at one level and no portion of the
work shall be raised more than one metre above the rest of the work. Any dislodged
brick shall be removed and reset in fresh mortar. Before commencing any brickwork, the
contractor shall cover with other trades to ensure that all pipes, conduits, drains, sleeves,
bolts, hangers, or any other materials necessary to be installed in the brickwork at the
time it is built, have been fixed or provided for.
12. Precast concrete blocks: pre-cast cement concrete blocks (1:2:4) mix shall be
provided at locations as called for in the jambs of doors and windows, to receive
expansion bolts for fixing doors and windows. The blocks shall be of size 150mm x
150mm x width of wall and built in position along with the building of the wall.
13. joints: bricks shall be so laid that all joints are full of mortar; the thickness of joints
shall not be more than 10 mm. the face joints shall be racked to a minimum depth of 12
mm by a raking tool during the progress of the work when the morta4r is still green, so as
to provide proper key for the plaster or pointing to be done., where plastering of pointing
is not to be done, the joints shall be struck flush and finished at the time of laying. The
face of brickwork shall be cleaned daily and mortar droppings removed.
14. reinforced brickwork:
All brickwork under 21 cm thick shall be reinforced with hoop iron (16 gauge 25 mm
wide) at every fourth course. The hoop iron, cleaned of rust and loose flakes with a wire
brush shall be embedded thoroughly in cement mortar at every fourth course. It shall be
cost in or securely fixed to adjoining columns or walls.
15. curing
All fresh brickwork shall be protected from the defects of sun, rain etc. By suitable
covering. All brickwork shall be kept constantly moist on all the faces for a t least ten
days.
16. Scaffolding:
Unless otherwise instructed by the archite4ct, double scaffolding having two sets of
vertical supports shall be provided for all building work. The supports shall ne not
sound, strong and tied together with horizontal pieces over which the scaffolding planks
shall be fixed. The contractor shall be responsible for providing and maintain sufficiently
strong scaffolding so as to withstand all loads likely to come upon it.
17. Openings:
Openings in brickwork for air conditioning ducts, grills, pipes etc. shall be provided at
the time of laying brickwork.
18. Caulking:
After installation of piping, conduits, grills etc. all openings left around pipes conduits,
grills etc. Shall be checked and caulked with cement mortar to render the whole work
vermin proof and duly finished.