The possibilities of the use of brick for floors, walks, steps,
pergolas, gate posts, seats, and other places about the house and
garden are unlimited. For outside work it is a most permanent and
beautiful material which never cracks or decays requiring periodic
repairs or painting such as other materials do. It may always be
the same color and texture as the brickwork of the house, thereby
linking the house and garden together into one harmonious whole.
[Sidenote: Steps]
Brick steps, except where supported by the foundation wall, as
shown in our working drawings, should always be laid over a
concrete slab, reinforced, unless resting on solid, undisturbed
soil. The concrete slab is poured in the form of steps, to
correspond to the finished brick steps, but with proper allowance
for laying the brick flat or on edge in a cushion of sand, at the
option of the owner. Figs. 40-42 illustrate different pitches of
steps and methods of setting the brick. Great care should be taken
in the laying of brick steps, if they have to withstand severe
usage. The joints should all be filled with a rich cement mortar
composed of one part cement to two parts sand.
[Illustration: Fig. 40. Steps with End-set Treads]
[Illustration: Fig. 41. Steps with Flat-set Treads]
[Illustration: Fig. 42. Steps with Edge-set Treads]
[Sidenote: Walks and Floors]
Brick walks and floors, with the brick on edge or flat, are usually
laid on a filling of cinders or sand, but if subjected to hard use,
they should be placed on a bed of concrete the same as steps. Two
favorite patterns of edge set brick are shown in Figs. 55 and 56.
The brick may be laid flat in the same patterns, but the effect
is not quite so pleasing. The joints in the brick walk or floor
are usually filled with sand, swept into place with a broom so as
thoroughly to fill the joints, but they may be filled with cement
grouting if desired. The thin grouting is carefully poured into the
joints after the brick are laid, and all grouting that spills on
the surface of the brick cleaned off before it hardens. The borders
of the walk or floor may be made of brick set on edge or on end;
or, if preferred, of concrete, especially when the walk or floor is
placed on concrete. If it is desired to prevent grass and moss from
growing in sanded joints, mix salt with the sand before filling the
joints.
[Illustration: Fig. 43. Pergola Post]
[Sidenote: Pergolas]
For pergola posts, brick imparts a feeling of strength and
solidity, yet care must be taken not to make the posts too large,
as they will be entirely out of fit proportion to the light wooden
rafters and vines which they support. In most cases, a post 12
inches square will be about the right size. Foundations for these
posts should always extend below the frost line and be of brick
or concrete. A long, one half inch steel rod with nuts and large
washers at each end should be imbedded about 18 inches in this
foundation and extend beyond the top of the finished post. The
brickwork of the post above grade should be one brick thick, laid
in cement or cement-lime mortar giving a hollow space 4 inches
square in the center of the 12-inch post. As the work progresses
this space is filled with concrete around the rod, which, passing
through the center, binds the brickwork together in a solid,
reinforced mass (Fig. 43). The cap of the post may be either brick,
stone, or concrete placed when filling the interior. The wooden
girders of the pergola may now be bolted to the post by means of
the bolt projecting above the top.
If conditions or design demand a heavier post than 12 inches
square, as in Fig. 44, no steel rod reinforcing will be necessary
for stability.
[Illustration: Fig. 44. Large Porch or Pergola Post]
[Sidenote: Gate posts]
Gate posts are usually lower and heavier than pergola posts and
made stable enough to carry whatever weight the iron or wooden gate
may demand. Large driveway gates (Fig. 45) should have a steel
I-beam or angle placed in the center of the post and extending from
the bottom of the foundation to the top of the post. The anchors
for the support of the gates should be riveted to this steel beam
or angle so that no undue strain will be exerted on the brickwork.
The brickwork should always be laid in cement or cement-lime
mortar. If ornamental caps are desired, they should be of stone or
concrete. On large posts, it is desirable to lay brickwork in some
natural bond as this not only increases the rigidity of the post
but gives a beautiful effect.
[Sidenote: Garden Walls]
Long, straight garden walls under 4 feet in height may be built 8
inches thick; over 4 feet high they should be 12 inches thick. If
the walls are snort or reinforced at intervals with buttresses they
may be only 8 inches thick provided they are not carried up over 6
feet. A footing is not needed but the foundation of common brick
should extend below frost line. The wall should be finished on both
sides with face brick, laid with cement-lime mortar in a natural
bond, and should have a brick rowlock coping laid in rich cement
mortar. Fig. 45 gives an idea of a garden wall with soldier base
and rowlock coping.
[Illustration: Fig. 45. Face Brick Gate Post]