Bricklayers in Shrewsbury

Brickwork in Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is Shropshire's county town and the largest town close to our Welshpool base. The A458 runs directly between the two, so Shrewsbury sites are part of our regular working area. It's also where the kinds of work we do come together most: new-build housing on the edges of the town, apartments, commercial and public buildings, industrial units on the business parks, and extensions and repairs to older homes.

We offer new-build housing brickwork, apartment and flat brickwork, commercial and industrial packages, large-scale projects, retaining walls built to an engineer's design, and general brickwork.

Building regulations in Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is in England, so building work here follows the Building Regulations for England and the Approved Documents published by the UK Government. That's different from our home area of Powys, where the Welsh Government's Approved Documents apply. The current English Approved Document L for dwellings (2021 edition) came into force on 15 June 2022, and it sets the energy performance that affects wall build-ups and details at openings and junctions.

On larger residential buildings, England also has a separate regime under the Building Safety Act 2022. Buildings at least 18 metres high or with at least seven storeys, and at least two residential units, are "higher-risk buildings" and go through the Building Safety Regulator. Most housing and low-rise flats fall well below that. We build to the approved drawings and specification on every job, and the client and designer are responsible for compliance. Building control for most projects is provided by Shropshire Council or an approved private inspector.

Housing and development around Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury has grown steadily, with housing developments on the edges of the town and in nearby villages. Typical new-build brickwork includes two-storey detached and semi-detached houses, three-storey townhouses, bungalows and low-rise flats, usually in facing brick with a blockwork inner leaf. Many schemes use stone or reconstituted stone bands, heads and sills, which have to be set out so the coursing works around them. That's the type of detail our project photos show.

The town also has industrial estates and business parks where units, warehouses and workshops need blockwork walls and facing brick plinths, and public buildings such as schools and healthcare facilities.

Older buildings and conservation

Shrewsbury's historic centre, inside the loop of the River Severn, is known for its timber-framed and older brick buildings, and much of it is a conservation area with many listed buildings. Work to a listed building, or visible work in a conservation area, may need listed building consent or planning permission, and new brickwork has to sit well next to old. Kris's NVQ covers matching existing materials, continuing existing bonding and decorative features such as arches. Check with Shropshire Council's planning team before work starts on anything historic.

Travelling to Shrewsbury

From Welshpool we reach most Shrewsbury sites in well under an hour, depending on traffic and the side of town. The A458 carries a lot of holiday traffic in summer, which we allow for when planning start times.

Working with Shrewsbury housebuilders and contractors

On new-build sites around the town we work as a brickwork subcontractor, from DPC to wall plate, alongside the groundworkers, scaffolders, joiners and roofers. We agree the sequence with the site manager, load out ahead of the gang, and keep scaffold lifts tidy for the next trade. Drawing queries go in writing and early.