Masonry and Walls

What this page covers

This unit sits in the Building Construction Technology strand of Civil engineering and construction. It brings together walls built from brick and block, from the oldest sundried mud brick to modern cavity construction. Resources were made by GoConqr users, and all of them are free to open and study.

Where to start

If you are new to the topic, begin with the mind maps. Masonry1 covers the history of the material, from sundried mud brick to clay brick and mortar. Masonry3 looks at loadbearing walls, and Masonry6 turns to maintenance, including the effect of acid rain on different stone and brick.

Then move to walls with cavities:

1. Read the mind map Walls - DPCs & Cavity Walls for what a damp-proof course must do and how it should run through a wall.
2. Look at the maps on building and creating a cavity wall to see the steps in order.
3. Check the note Cavity Walling - created from Mind Map for a written version.

Testing yourself

The quiz Bonds asks when English bond is mainly used, how stretcher bond is described and how many bricks fit in a square meter of a 1 brick wall. Try it after the maps, then go back to any map that matches a question you missed.

Two flashcard decks on cavity walls ask for the main components of a cavity wall, the filling used above and below ground level, and the characteristics of different wall types. The Modern Masonry decks ask you to identify symbols and tools, such as the one used for long horizontal joints.

For wider practice, the quiz Construction 2 Exam Revision includes matching member names to drawings and putting the stages of tilt-up walling in order. There is also a quiz of practice questions for a Level 2 Technical Certificate in Bricklaying theory unit, and two quizzes on bricklaying terminology.

Make it your own

Teachers can pull a map or a deck straight into a lesson. Pick one resource that matches what you are studying today, work through it, and then build your own flashcards for the terms that did not stick.