I built this brick planter WRONG! Does it MATTER? Garden Refurb #2 

One thing I’ve learnt through the various DIY projects (I know this isn’t strictly DIY) I’ve done over the years is that we all make mistakes and they’re the first thing you look at when you walk into a room/garden etc. We know they’re there and our eyes just goe straight to them. But in reality we’re the only people who notice them as we’ve worked up close and no-one else who lives with it or visits will ever see those things. I think the wall looks ace, I’m about to start a garden refurbishment and hope my mistakes look as good as yours 😁

'Ibstock latin for wonkey' 😂 is the best thing i have heard for a long time!! And theres me thinking is was michelmersh.

I’ve just finished decorating the living room, on the day there was a faint hint of seeing a line coming through the vinyl paper. In some light conditions you could not see it. The wife was away and after 11 hours of graft I decided I couldn’t live with it. So while the paper was still wet I stripped the chimney breast, got the sander out and re did that bit. 13 hour shift at my age - took me a couple of days to get over it. Sitting here now watching your vid my heart goes out to you. Thanks for sharing it makes me feel better ❤️🤪 All the best Mike

Maybe cut a fake joint to make an extra queen closer on the external corner to make it look all quarter bond . And same on internal corner.

When mixing mortar for gun pointing use a whisk in a drill this makes it nice and creamy, less water a little more plasticiser and more mixing is the key

I've used this mortar guns a couple of times and when they work they're brilliant. I've found that one way to get them to work is go nuts on the plastisiser and keep the watet to an absolute minimum. Like you, I've had what I thought was a perfect gun mix only to have it push out about half the load then push out just water. I only do pointing and brik work occasionally so I tend to just go old school and use a bucket trowel and a pointing iron, banging the trowel on the edge of the bucket to give me an even load of mortar just slightly thinner than the joint, then using the pointing iron to slide it into the joint and pack it firm.

Not sure if anyone else has mentioned about the mortar gun but I did my patio around 14 months ago with one amd the mix I found (please don't have a pop, i know it isn't a conventional mix) was 6 building sand, 3 lime, 3 cement and a big load of plasticiser and minimal to zero water. It goes to a fluffy, yoghurty mix and slips through the gun perfectly. The patio still looks great, it didn't crack or pull away from the sides of the slabs at all and in some places was 40 - 50mm deep. I did it in the morning and just kept whaffing over it with water from a garden sprayer to stop the high lime content from drying it out too quickly. Dried a lovely light grey colour too. Don't know if i just got lucky or if that's the way to go but so far so good! Great channel, keep up the great work 👍

Wall looks great! Even with the mistake! Put a pot in front of it or take out the pointing a little and repoint it but get some brick dust to cover the surface. Great video as always

2:02 one of my pet hates is seeing a spirit level used as a concrete tamping aid.

Love your honesty, building/landscaping can seem like a black art to many but you explain it really well and make it seem as if anybody can do it. Thanks for taking the time to video this there's alway something to learn from these vlogs 👍

Preferred the raked out dark joints to the lime ones soz.

Looks brilliant Adam, doesn’t look awkward at all - will be a nice courtyard garden to chill with a glass of vino in the summer

Just drawn in some joints with some tip-ex...job done...! 💪🏼👌🏼🤟🏼😁

Chuck that gimmick gun away mate,just mix your muck with a whisk and a good sloosh of plasticiser for a nice creamy mix then apply using a mortar bag,basically a heavy duty cake icing bag,great for pointing wider jointed paving too.

As a brickie, looks mint regardless

I'm glad I'm not the only one who keeps the odd bag of lime moartar, k rend etc that might come in handy, my store is stacked with sutch, old doors too good to skip, hardwood offcuts etc! The planter looks great. I'm no bricklayer so only spotted the fault with the bond once you drew my attention to it. Personally i would give the indide a couple of coats of blackjack.

Yeah let’s do it wrong on the other side also. Looks great!!

Looking smashing Adam, you’re a class act and I love your building videos. Great stuff, keep the good work up 👍🙂

I saw it straight away but don't worry about it

Looks great mate. The problem is, it is in your head now and always will be. I would swollow the pride, pull down and rebuild. You've done an amazingly great job on the house renovation so far and i guarantee that If i was yuo, in years, I would have wished I would have changed the 5 courses of bricks whilst having the chance, before the cost of the water feature, slabs etx all go in. Won't take long. Get the man power on it 😂

Recently repointed a 3 bed semi after removing roughcast render. Since we are DIY not professional we decideded to clean up the bricks and repoint. Originally tried the Roughneck mortar gun but could not push the mortar through- it kept jamming as the liquid was being pushed out leaving a dryer mix. The problem is that the mortar is being pushed out rather than pulled out. We bought a "Quikpoint TURBO - Electric Mortar Pointing System" from Sunrise tools - this is electrically powered with an electric drill that drives an augur which pulls the mortar from a hopper. Brilliant tool and very fast to repoint- we used 4.5 bricklayers sand : 1 cement : 0.5 Hydrated Lime and a small part of plasticiser and had no problem.

Just think of the planters as 'Fine art' it is a one (or two in this case) as a unique piece of work. Then perhaps the embarrassment of doing it wrong (AKA OCD) will wear off! Thanks as always for taking the time to do the video.

Still looks smart pal 9 out of 10 people wont even notice i know you will see it all the time and it will bug you but it is what it is now pal

Build the other planter in the correct way Adam and laugh about it. It would be good to demonstrate what you really had on mind. Great video and well done to Harry for putting up with you. 😉

first guess, you've built it, perfectly, then your mrs has seen it and now it's wrong, always the way...

Look forward to seeing more of the garden , please say you won’t be using fake grass

haha in this case mate 2 wrongs do make it right, very nice video

Sorry to say my missus says knock it all down! Now you know she is OCD but not over your brickwork but she wants the dust....it would make loads and she'd be round like a whippet up your trouser leg 🦵 😊 Keep up the stunning work! Steve

Looks amazing adam you should be proud of yourself mate and have a great weekend guys

hiya great to see you been watching the basement job almost complete and looking good ..... not watched the video yet but the only time it matters if its wrong is if it bothers you or a client or if its not fit for purpose otherwise its cool .....

Looks good to me I would plant some vegetables 😋

nice job that and looks grand, seen that on a tea plantation they said it was brooke bond. well done buddy and ave a bostin week

Big plant pot put in front mistake sorted 😁.

For me I wouldn't worry about it, get some trailing perennials for the edge of the planters and bobs your uncle 👍 The lesson for Harry here is always make your life as easy as possible and never let the boss forget his wheelbarrow 😅

Looks fantastic. You have to replicate the other side exactly the same so it looks semetrical & the eye won't notice your error so much. And to be honest, the minor mistakes is over shadowed by how good it looks & to be honest, it's only the trained eye that will notice it. Good luck, fella, love the channel

Then mortar guns work great. Don't use too much water and use plasticiser and mix it very well. You want a lot of air in the mix. If it's not mixed enough it will compact and squeeze the water out

Build the next one exactly the same. Having the next one built differently, would bug the hell out of me. It's only going to be a planter anyway. 🙂

For pointing you should use a grout bag from screwfix

Got to do the other one wrong for it to look right. Could always plant something that will hang over to mask it.

Latin for ‘wonky’ spit my rose out on that comment 😂 sounds like every ‘rustic’ bbq build I ever attempted, I should stick to wine and plumbing 😂 happy Sunday 😊

Both the same. Nobody will notice if they are the same. Nice job😊

This will be sick

Looks like a top job as per normal mate 👍 Why does it always happen at home, happens to us all 😆 Keep the gun wet and the mix wetter ….. 🤞

Those missing 3/4 would plague me every time I looked at it. But you have to do the other side the same or it will really bug you.

I didnt notice it till you did the pointing then it stood out but I'd just blame it on the lad if anyone asks and say he was helping you that day 😂😂

Them mortar guns need a tad of fairy in the mix and it works a treat

I'd undo that corner and try blend it better just because it's my own house

Love the colour contrast of red brick and white lime mortar. Will the mortar change colour over time Adam? I think do it wrong to make it look right!

Saw it straight away also... i dare say most of us have done worse,,, its still quarter bond

Good enough run🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️😂😂😂

stand a plant pot in the corner ! job done

I reckon do the mirror wrong as well to match, sucks, but nice work speaks louder than the error, that anyone could do 👍

Mate it looks really good any one say anything say it’s monk bond

Well you know the mistakes being a bricky of 30yrs plus id have to change it that would drive me nuts

no , drama its tidy!, knowing a mistike is travesty to repeat, the header return has the closeur, next course stetcher-header, 3/4 is never asthetic nor closeur to a jamb, good work ;

Mate, that's what pot plants are useful for. Put one on the ground in the corner and cover it up.

Did you forget drain holes for the planter?

what are you using to cap the bricks I used reclaimed blue diamond pattern pavers (Victorian I think) rock hard but protects bricks from frost etc and keeps the old y world look your after Adam

We all make mistakes m8 don’t forget pte which it is 🙏🏽

... you can always put a big plant pot in that corner, hiding the horror!!!!

Honest question.... but would it not have been an idea to add some drainage holes at the bottom of the planter? or is there sufficient drainage in the ground underneath?

As a bricklayer you just got the bonding wrong. Corners offer strength when bond is correct. The only time you would have been right and introduced a half in a corner would be if the wall was 14” to throw the quarter bond into place on the internal and external side of the wall. No meer cat emoji exists but bonding is “Simples”! NEVER about aesthetics. Always about bond- that’s the difference kid- clean work all the same. Shame about the pointless gun. We set properly to the line, correct bond and no smudges. It’s a skilled trade, for a reason

Wall looks nice in Flemish and white pointing spot on. Your chimney breast is Flemish so thats great as well

Always a way round things just rake a fake joint in it job done

well Adam what can I say it looked perfectly OK to me think you just bein picky but yes you need todo the other one exactly the same 😂😂😂😂

As a bricky of 25 years the only people that will notice is you and other tradesmen 😂 Average joe will think its a good bit of brickwork its not smudged with muck pointings good id drill a couple weepholes in the bottom let a bit of water escape just incase you get a bad frost and it blows the brickwork out at some point in the future And i always bitumen painted the inside when i built these looks crackin as for matching or not matching like i said above its only trades that will notice it

I was thinking it was something I was doing wrong with them mortar guns . Same I can never get them to work . I did notice they do a special mix for guns on that website not sure if this is the stuff you used

Just put a planter in the corner, you won’t see it and no one else will either 👍

As the saying goes, two wrongs don't make a right. But in this instance I think they most certainly will.

Ex brickie here, l noticed it when it was raked out but became more pronounced after you pointed it. If you’re mirroring the raised bed then it’s got to be done exactly the same otherwise it will really stand out. Great job otherwise.

I think I would build the other side out of sleepers, and deny all knowledge of the brick one !!

Have you come round a corner with a header from the short end wall, and then gone straight into another header instead of a stretcher?

You gotta do the next one wrong 👍🤪

Change direction, change bond ,all competent bricklayers now that,take it it's your second trade..?

I'm intrigued by the fence behind you raised bed Adam, I may have missed it but is it yours or neighbours? Construction method has made me think it's yours as not many would cap the feather(sounds like some masonic ritual).

Do the mirrored one the same :)

Very well thanks.You must be working very hard or you’ve started exercising regime? You look like a lean marathon runner recently?!

for mortar guns the mortar has to be really creamy, closers go next to headers not stretchers, ¾ should be avoided

Looks mega regardless mate. I personally would copy what you have done then it looks like you did it purposely,🤙🤙🤙

Always looks worse when wall is stood on its own. Once all other features are added and ornaments/furniture, they will distract the eye away from what is obvious to you.

Do you put a membrane/fabric under the MOT?

Completely baffled why you would use two differing strength mortars? Would be better to use all lime mortar.

Did you miss drainage holes?

Go on, build a Pagoda. You probably won't need planning permission for it if it's all wood...

Personally I would have just set that out to work bricks. You can call that bond whatever you want but in a small wall all those quarters and three quarters just looks weird! Only my opinion!

Quoins 🤦‍♂️

Id have to take it down. Poor advert for your work. Its only the short sections that need bonding out

Please, make speedup time lapse off your talks

I was told years ago you can make a bad job look good with good pointing and a good job look bad with bad pointing. Your pointing looks a mess. Sorry mr A

Don't like the closers look crap sorry

It's only wrong if u don't like it

Your soil isn't the greatest in nutrients my advice is put some horse manuar in it better soil better flowers display

A is for Amateur,have you not heard of Snowcrete. Leave Bricklaying to Time served Trowels who are too busy working than making videos

Its a planter buddy, you have over complicated it by doing a snapped header flemish course! Its very neat brickwork, but over 5 courses it should be. Is the video just to show viewers how good your brickwork is as i see no other reason.

Its a planter,move on,even if it was a private job,i would just carry on

You don't have a choice, considering you are a professional, you must do the new box properly and correct bond.. believe me, it will keep you humble. Besides, In ten years no one will notice. I do like the repointing.

He talks to much He makes to much money from far more then his bullshit bricklaying

Hi Adam! I did spot the “deliberate mistake” and yes, it’s a bit embarrassing for a bricklayer, but you’ll have to do it on the other side now! One thought I had was why didn’t you use snowcem but then remembered that you had the lime mortar left over. 🫣 It’s looking good though and well worth the effort. See you next week. Will you be in the extension job? Have a good week. 👍🏼

u on utube alot with alot of muck ups i wud nevere employ u

Does it look good? Yes! Does it matter? No it’s your house pal 😁🧱🧱