How much do bricklayers earn?

How much does a bricklayer earn? It depends on a number of factors. Being such a high demand trade, it's good to know you're earning a fair wage, wherever you are in your career. This article looks at the average bricklayer salary for the UK.

What is the average salary for UK bricklayers?

How much does a bricklayer earn? Qualified and experienced bricklayers should expect to earn a decent salary for their hard work.

Whether you're just starting out as an apprentice, experienced bricklayer, or you're running your own company, it's important to know how much you should be earning.

Our comparison table should therefore give you a rough idea of the average bricklayer salary in the UK.

Obviously there are factors like regional variations, and London weighting to consider.

However, a bricklayer’s annual salary will still begin at around £11,063 for an apprentice bricklayer. This can rise to around £59,002 for the owner of a Limited Company.

Want to earn more?

When you've got a steady flow of work filling your diary, you're onto a winner when it comes to making the most of your earning potential.

Need more bricklaying job leads coming your way? Why not check out our other article to get you started.

How to get more bricklaying job leads

Keep your business busy with more bricklaying job leads If you've just become a bricklayer. Or you're already working as part of a construction team. It's no surprise that you'll want your business to be found by more people, and as a result, get more work. To avoid nasty surprises in your diary

Learn more

How much should a bricklayer earn?

So, on to the important stuff. How much does a bricklayer earn?

Bricklayers are often very well-paid tradespeople. Newly qualified bricklayers can expect to earn around £31,942. This can increase to £40,102 as you gain more experience.

The amount of money a bricklayer can earn will also depend on other factors as well as experience levels.

For example:

• Location (for example regional variations and job potential)

• Type of contract (whether employed per job or working as a subcontractor)

• Quality of work (some customers will pay extra for a better finish)

• Type of work you carry out (e.g. garden walls, conservatories, permanent barbeques, new-builds, commercial projects, or home extensions)

When you're looking at bricklayer salary UK averages, it is always worth taking these into account. Knowing what affects income and profitability can help influence your discussions about pay.

How much can a self-employed bricklayer earn?

The first thing you want to find out when you’re planning to start your own bricklaying business is how much you can earn.

If you’re running your own bricklaying business as a sole trader, you can expect to earn around £56,052 per year.

If you decide to set up your own bricklaying limited company, then annual earnings could be closer to £59,002.

However, there are business expenses to consider as well. For example:

• Fuel

• Vehicles

• Insurance

• Tools

• Software

• Subscriptions

So after you take those into account, a sole trader can take home around £37,589* and a limited business owner approximately £38,830*.

How to grow a bricklaying business

After making a choice and starting a bricklaying business, it’s time to build your empire and grow your operations. And we’re here to help… In this guide, we look at the key steps to take and some practical ideas for growing a successful bricklaying business in the UK. How do you want to grow your

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What is the average hourly rate for a bricklayer?

If you’re planning to hire bricklayers to work for your business, you’ll want to know the average hourly rate expectation.

Rates will vary depending on experience and location. On average, you can expect to pay:

• Apprentice - £6.30 per hour

• Newly qualified - £18.19 per hour

• Employed - £19.28 per hour

• Sole trader - £38.00 per hour

• Business owner (Ltd company) - £40 per hour

Of course, if you're working as a subcontractor for another tradesperson, you can expect to earn roughly these amounts for the work you do.

If you're looking at the question of 'how much does a bricklayer earn', as you can see, there is a lot to consider.

How much is the average bricklayer day rate?

As a bricklayer, you might be brought in for a couple of days to work on a larger construction project. You could also work on residential property extension projects.

Therefore, it’s a good idea to know the daily pay rate for bricklayers to ensure that your rates are competitive:

• Apprentice - £50.40 per day

• Newly qualified - £145.52 per day

• Employed - £154.24 per day

• Sole trader - £304.00 per day

• Business owner (Limited company) - £320 per day

Knowing a day rate will help give you an idea of overall bricklayer salary, but it will depend on maintaining a full diary of work.

Building your bricklaying business with Checkatrade

Whatever stage your bricklaying business is at, becoming a Checkatrade member will help it to thrive and grow.

Along with guaranteeing your work when booked through us (T&Cs apply), there are many reasons that a membership could benefit your bricklaying business.

Our fixed membership option lets you build the plan that’s perfect for you and your business needs.

Boost your leads

Make sure that your customers can find you online. In 2024, there were over 223,000 job searches just for bricklaying work just through Checkatrade.** Sound like something you want to miss out on?

Build your reputation

It's the trusted tick that people can recognise when they need work doing. Pass our checks and become a full Checkatrade member.

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Make excellent savings on your business expenses. Save on tools, vehicles, insurance and more. We’ve partnered with selected brands to offer our members discounts and deals, helping our members get money off with people like Quickbooks, Wickes, RAC and Superscript insurance.

Bricklayer earning FAQs

How much does a bricklayer earn per brick in the UK?

Bricklayers can charge per brick, rather than opt for daily rate or hourly charge. So for a project, that could be anywhere between £650 - £1,790 per 1,000 bricks. However, when it comes to private customers it will depend on the quote agreed.

How many bricks can a bricklayer lay in a day?

How much do bricklayers earn at capacity? When working in good conditions on a fully accessible site, a competent bricklayer can lay around 500 bricks per day.

Difficult working conditions and complex structures will reduce this amount, while bricklayers who work quickly may slightly increase the day rate.

How difficult is bricklaying?

Bricklaying is a skilled trade. It requires a combination of strength and accuracy. Therefore, you'll need to be fit and strong to contend with such a physically demanding trade.

You'll also need to be good at taking accurate measurements so that all bricks are laid evenly and courses are identical. The quality of your work can affect the bricklayer salary.

Where do bricklayers get paid the most?

Bricklayers in London and southeast England can expect to get paid the most in the UK. In other areas, earnings will depend on the company you work for and the type of projects you’re involved in.

*includes estimated business expenses such as vehicle, fuel, tools and insurance. You should always consult an accountant.

** Internal search data for users of the Checkatrade.com website in 2024