Yesterday, I was at home with nothing to do, so I took a look around my house. I found that some bricks on the outer wall seemed pretty old, and they might have been there since the house was built. I thought they might be porous, and I wanted to know if they really were.
Figuring Out If My Bricks Were Porous
First, I needed to figure out if these bricks were actually porous. I went online and read a bit. It seems like porous bricks can soak up water, which isn’t great for durability. I did a simple test: I took a garden hose and sprayed the wall for a while. Then, I watched to see if the water was absorbed or if it just ran off. It looked like the bricks were soaking up some water, so yeah, they were porous.
Checking the Cost of Replacing Them
Next, I wanted to know how much it would cost to replace these bricks. I didn’t want to replace the whole wall, just the really bad areas. I checked online again and found that bricks usually cost around $1.00 to $1.25 each. I counted about a hundred or so bricks that needed replacing. So, I figured it would be around $100 to $125 for the bricks themselves. I also read that bricklayers charge about $25 to $45 per square foot, but I just needed a few spots done. I thought maybe I could get it done for a few hundred dollars.
Thinking About the Driveway
While I was at it, I also noticed my driveway could use some work. It’s pretty old and cracked. I looked up how much it costs to pave a driveway. The prices were all over the place, from $2700 to $6500! That’s a lot. But then I saw some sites saying you could get it done for as little as $1200 if you choose the right materials. My driveway isn’t huge, so I thought maybe I could get it done on the cheaper side.
Deciding What to Do Next
So, for the bricks, I decided to start by replacing the worst ones. I figured I could do it bit by bit, and it wouldn’t break the bank all at once. I went to a local store and looked at some bricks. They had different types, and some were definitely less porous than others. But they were also a bit pricier. I’m not an expert, but I picked some that seemed like a good balance between price and quality.
- Step 1: Buy some replacement bricks.
- Step 2: Learn how to remove old bricks.
- Step 3: Start replacing the most damaged bricks.
- Step 4: See how it goes and maybe get some help if needed.
As for the driveway, I decided to hold off for now. I’ll probably do some more research and maybe save up a bit. But for now, fixing those porous bricks seemed like a good start.
