From raised beds to brick barbecues, brickwork has so many uses around the garden. With some basic bricklaying skills, many of these projects are achievable as DIY.

With significantly colder temperatures and frequent bouts of torrential rain, winter might not be the obvious season to start thinking about brickwork projects for your garden. But getting ahead now could mean that you get to enjoy the results of your hard work in time for the summer.

Planning the project in winter and getting started as the weather becomes milder in the spring, by the time the weather’s warm enough to be spending more time outside the building work will be finished.

If DIY garden renovations are on your list of home improvements for the new year, here are four brickwork projects to think about for your garden.

Brickwork projects for home and garden

Build a raised bed out of brick

Raised beds are a great way of dividing up the space in the garden, adding an aesthetically pleasing yet practical feature for planting. Brick raised beds are suitable for various plants and shrubs, depending on their size, and lend themselves to planting vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

Constructed from several courses of secured bricks, brick raised beds are incredibly durable and can be built to required height before filling with layers of gravel for drainage then compost or soil to plant in.

Build a garden wall out of brick

Brick walls can be incorporated in various ways in the garden. They can be used to divide the space, to create a focal point, or to build terraced areas out of a sloping garden.

Similar to brick raised beds, a brick garden wall can be used to retain soil, creating flat areas for planting, for lawn, or for decorative materials such as gravel or bark.  

Build brick edging to a garden path

Brick edging creates a decorative finish to a garden path or around a lawn. Suitable as a way to frame or retain lawn, brick edging creates a neat finish and from a practical perspective will make mowing easier. 

As path edging, brickwork can be used to contain lose material such as shingle or decorative bark to create a soft pathway.

Build garden steps out of brick

If your garden is on a slope, steps are a nice feature to include. Even a single step from a doorway or onto a patio area makes it easier to walk around and adds to the overall look of the garden or outside dining area.

Often finished with paving slabs, brick steps are constructed from one or two courses of brick either covering the whole area of the step or backfilled with hardcore and concrete. The slab is then secured on top.

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The options for adding a bit of brickwork to your garden don’t stop there. From outdoor kitchen areas with brick-built barbecues to welcoming wildlife with living walls and bird baths, brickwork and blockwork have many versatile uses around the garden. With some basic know-how and a level of practical skills, many of these projects are achievable as DIY.

Able Skills introduction to bricklaying

On the Able Skills Introduction to Bricklaying course you’ll learn how to build and point a brick corner, pillar, pier and cavity wall. This course is specifically designed to teach the basics of bricklaying to beginners, so it’s suitable for anyone who wants to learn for DIY projects or home improvements