Tools & Materials
Tools: a mason's trowel for spreading and buttering, a mortar tub or mixer, a mason's line and line blocks to keep every course straight between the corner leads, a torpedo level and a 4-foot level, a brick jointer for striking the joints, a rubber mallet for tapping bricks into line, and a brick set chisel or a wet saw for cuts at corners and openings.
Materials (size each with the calculators below):
- Modular bricks — count them with the Brick Calculator
- Type N or Type S mortar mix for laying the courses
- Mason sand for mixing mortar — size it with the Sand Calculator
- Concrete for the footing — size it with the Concrete Calculator
- Wall ties and weep vents, if you are tying a brick veneer to a backup wall
Step 1: Plan the Wall and Bond
Set the wall's length, height, and thickness first, then choose a bond pattern. Running bond — each course offset a half brick from the one below — is the standard choice for strength, drainage, and appearance. Sketch out the courses on paper or with a story pole so corners and ends land on full or half bricks instead of awkward cuts. Count the bricks you will need with the Brick Calculator before you order, and add roughly 5–10% for waste and cuts.
Step 2: Pour a Footing Below Frost Line
Excavate and pour a concrete footing below the local frost line, at least twice as wide as the wall is thick and reinforced with rebar per local code. A footing that is too shallow lets freeze-thaw cycles heave the wall out of level over a few winters — it is the single most common reason brick walls crack. Size the concrete with the Concrete Calculator and let it cure before you build on it.
Step 3: Mix Mortar and Set Up Line and Leads
Mix Type N or Type S mortar with mason sand and water to a peanut-butter consistency — it should hold a clean edge when you slice it with the trowel. Build the corner leads up a few courses high first, checking them with a story pole for even spacing, then stretch a mason's line between the leads at each course height. The line is what keeps every brick in between straight, so take the time to set it true.
Step 4: Lay the First Course Level
Spread a full mortar bed on the footing and set the first course level in both directions, checking constantly with the 4-foot level. Every course above follows this one, so a first course that is flat, straight, and level is worth the extra time it takes — mistakes here compound all the way up the wall.
Step 5: Build the Courses in Running Bond
Work up from the leads, following the mason's line course by course, and keep head and bed joints a consistent 3/8 inch. Butter the end of each brick, set it against its neighbor, and tap it into the line with the trowel handle or a rubber mallet. Check level and plumb every few bricks, not just at the end of the course — a lean that starts small gets much harder to correct once mortar sets.
Step 6: Strike and Tool the Joints
Once a joint is thumbprint-hard (it resists a light press but does not smear), tool it with a jointer to compress the mortar and shape it — a concave joint is the standard choice because it sheds water instead of collecting it. Trim the mortar burrs that squeeze out with the trowel edge once they have firmed up enough to cut cleanly.
Step 7: Cap the Wall and Cure
Finish with a solid cap course or coping to keep water from soaking down into the wall from the top. Keep the fresh mortar damp and shielded from direct sun and freezing temperatures for several days while it cures — mortar that dries too fast or freezes before it sets never reaches full strength.
Common Mistakes
- Footing too shallow. A footing above the frost line heaves with freeze-thaw cycles and cracks the wall within a few winters. Check your local frost depth before you excavate.
- Inconsistent joints. Joints that wander wider or thinner than 3/8 inch throw off your coursing and weaken the bond between bricks. Use a spacing gauge if you are new to laying brick.
- No line or level. Eyeballing a course instead of following a taut mason's line produces a wall that wanders out of plumb, and the drift only gets worse the higher you go.
- Mortar too wet or too dry. Soupy mortar squeezes out and will not hold a brick in place; mortar that is too stiff will not bond properly. Aim for a consistency that holds a clean trowel edge.
Cost: DIY vs. Contractor
DIY materials for a typical 10 ft × 4 ft garden wall (about 40 sq ft of wall face, roughly 280 bricks at 7 per square foot) commonly run $400–900 for brick, mortar, sand, and a modest concrete footing, with brick prices swinging by style and region. See how we build out those estimates on our pricing methodology page, and get exact counts with the Brick Calculator before you order.
Contractor-installed brick walls typically run $25–40 per square foot for labor and materials together — roughly $1,000–1,600 for the same 40 sq ft wall. Height, curves, decorative caps, and site access all push the number up. Pouring the footing yourself and hiring a mason for the brickwork is a common middle path.
Related Calculators
- Brick Calculator — Count bricks and mortar bags by wall area
- Concrete Calculator — Size concrete for the footing
- Sand Calculator — Size mason sand for mixing mortar
- Pricing Methodology — How we estimate delivered and installed costs
Written by Daniel McCarney — AceCalc