Introduction
Once the Brick Calculator tells you the wall needs 700 bricks, the next question is who lays them: you, or a mason? Bricklaying looks straightforward — stack bricks in mortar — but the skill gap between a first wall and a professional one is wide, and masonry mistakes are uniquely expensive: hardened mortar doesn’t forgive. This guide compares the two paths honestly so you can choose with a clear picture of cost, skill, and risk.
The Comparison at a Glance
| Factor | DIY | Hired mason |
|---|---|---|
| Material cost | Same bricks and mortar either way | Same, sometimes with trade discount |
| Labor cost | Your time + tool rental/purchase | Often the largest line item — priced per ft² or per 1,000 laid |
| Speed | A beginner lays a fraction of a mason’s daily output | Production pace with consistent quality |
| Quality risk | High on first projects — plumb, level, joint consistency | Low — this is the daily trade |
| Structural risk | Real for load-bearing work | Covered by experience, and typically insured |
| Scheduling | Weekends and evenings; weather-dependent | Contracted timeline |
When DIY Makes Sense
- Small, non-structural projects: garden walls under ~1 m (3 ft), planters, mailbox piers, edging, and interior accent veneers. Low height means low consequence.
- You have time to learn: bricklaying is a motor skill. A practice panel of a few dozen bricks — laid, judged, knocked down — teaches more than any video.
- The design is simple: straight runs, running bond, no arches or intricate openings. Complexity is where beginners bleed time and material.
- You accept the pace: a first-timer might lay 100–200 bricks in a careful day; a mason lays many times that. A 700-brick wall is a long weekend at best for a beginner, not an afternoon.
DIY material math for the worked example: ~710 bricks, ~20 bags of mortar, plus trowels, levels, string lines, a mixer rental, and scaffolding or staging for anything above chest height. Start from the complete estimating walkthrough to lock the count, then price it with the brick cost guide before deciding the savings are worth the weekends.
When to Hire a Mason
- Structural work: load-bearing walls, retaining walls, chimneys, anything holding up a roof or holding back earth. This is engineering-adjacent work — hire it.
- House veneer: the most visible square footage you own. Flashing, ties, weep holes, and window detailing all have to be right; mistakes hide inside the wall until they leak.
- Height and access: anything needing real scaffolding, or work over occupied space. Falls and dropped material are not DIY risks worth taking.
- Decorative and complex work: arches, soldier courses, herringbone, corbelling — the details that make brick beautiful are exactly the details beginners can’t execute.
- Deadlines: if the wall gates other work (a fence, a patio, a sale), a mason’s schedule beats a beginner’s learning curve.
Cost Comparison
On hired jobs, labor commonly matches or exceeds material cost — masonry is skilled, physical, slow work, and it’s priced accordingly. As a budgeting framework (verify locally — ranges vary widely by region):
- DIY: materials (bricks, mortar, accessories, delivery) + tool rental/purchase + your time. A small garden wall’s DIY budget is mostly materials; the “savings” are the labor you donate.
- Hired: materials + masonry labor, commonly quoted per square foot of wall or per thousand bricks laid, plus setup, scaffolding, and cleanup. Get two or three written quotes that separate materials from labor.
The honest DIY question isn’t “can I save the labor cost” — it’s “is my time plus the quality risk worth the labor cost.” For a 96 ft² garden wall, many homeowners land on DIY; for a house veneer, almost everyone lands on a mason. The pro tips guide shows which professional habits transfer best to first-time DIY work.
The Middle Path: DIY Prep, Pro Laying
A common compromise: you handle excavation, footing forms, material staging, and site cleanup, and the mason handles the brickwork. This trims the labor bill without touching the skilled work — and masons generally welcome a well-prepped site. Agree the split in writing before work starts so “prep” doesn’t drift into disputed territory.
Skills and Tools Checklist
If you go DIY, you need more than the brick count — the brick project checklist verifies tools, materials, and site readiness before you start:
- Skills: mixing mortar to the right consistency, buttering and laying to a line, keeping courses level and the wall plumb, tooling joints at the right moment.
- Tools: brick trowel, pointing trowel, 4 ft level, string line and line blocks, story pole, brick hammer or saw for cuts, mortar mixer (rental), wheelbarrow, scaffolding for height.
- Safety: dust mask when cutting (silica), gloves, eye protection, proper lifting — a pallet of brick is over a tonne, moved a brick at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take a beginner to lay 700 bricks?
Longer than expected — a careful first-timer might lay 100–200 bricks in a day, so a 700-brick wall is a multi-day project. A mason lays many times that pace with consistent quality.
Can I DIY a brick veneer on my house?
Technically possible but rarely advisable as a first project: flashing, ties, weep holes, and window detailing all have to be right, and mistakes hide inside the wall. Most homeowners hire this one.
What does a mason typically charge?
Commonly per square foot of wall or per thousand bricks laid, with labor often matching or exceeding material cost. Get two or three written quotes separating materials from labor.
Is a hybrid approach — DIY prep, pro laying — realistic?
Yes, and it’s a common compromise: you handle excavation, footing forms, staging, and cleanup while the mason does the brickwork. Agree the split in writing first.
Related Guides
- Brick Calculator: The Complete Guide — the estimating foundation.
- Brick Cost Guide — full budgeting for both paths.
- Brick Pro Tips — habits worth copying as a beginner.
- Brick Project Checklist — pre-build verification.
- Code Compliance — permits and inspections for both paths.
Choose Deliberately
Small, low, simple, and non-structural: DIY is a reasonable, rewarding choice. Structural, tall, visible, or complex: hire the mason. Either way, start from a solid estimate — run your wall through the Brick Calculator, price both paths with real local numbers, and pick the one whose risks you actually understand.
Disclaimer: this is general guidance for planning, not a recommendation for your project. Structural masonry should be designed and built by qualified professionals per local code — consult a licensed professional or your local building authority.
