My name is James and for 15 years I’ve been a brickmason in Malta where bricks weigh approx 40kg.

Being a brickmason is a satisfying job where you get to see a creation taking place. On the other hand, it’s a hard job. Not only is the job challenging but we also face all the elements like rain, wind, and the 40 degree temperatures in summer.

A typical day usually starts before the sun has come up. I’m usually on site before the sun rises unless it’s the longer summer days.

Most often a site foreman takes care of organizing all his workers. In the meantime, we will have discussed what part of the construction site we are going to be working on for that day or week.

My responsibilities include placement of windows and doors, what height lintels and concrete slab are coming (as to end the bricks at the right level).

Placement of walls, doors, and lintel, and slab height are marked by the surveyor. But I always give a second check and confirm with the plan.

One thing to keep in mind is that everyone is waiting for the brick Mason to finish his job. I constantly get complaints that the concrete carpenters and steel fixers will soon finish their job and need to start closing the part I’m working in. That is the most stressful part.

It is also imperative to have a clear working space. Although cleaning isn’t my job, it is my responsibility to communicate with the site foreman to send over the labor guys for any clearing up. Having the working space organized also helps work more comfortably and most of all it is much safer.

Once all the above has been settled, which I do before the working day starts since I’m self-employed, I prepare the mortar and communicate with the crane operator to send over the bricks I will need.

The rest of the day I will be lining the bricks on the wall, next, giving mortar and placing the bricks, and cutting the joint.

Once 6/7 courses are in place, I prepare a platform for the remaining 4 or 5 courses. A standard storey is between 275cm and 290 depending on what needs to be done beneath the finish floor level: ie: drainage, electrical, water pipes, etc.

Typically an apartment of 1500 sq feet takes 2 weeks to complete the masonry work. And it is rare to be on a project of just 1 apartment on each storey.

In the case of a block of apartments, once the masonry work is complete on one apartment, the carpenters come in and the brick Mason moves on to the next apartment. And so on for the entire project.

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