Bricklayers in Oswestry

Brickwork in Oswestry

Oswestry is one of the closest towns to our Welshpool base. It's a market town in north-west Shropshire, a few miles from the Welsh border, reached from Welshpool along the A483 in well under half an hour in normal traffic. That puts it firmly inside our regular working area, and it means we can run Oswestry sites with the same attention as jobs on our doorstep.

We offer new-build housing brickwork for housebuilders and developers, commercial and industrial brick and blockwork, retaining walls to an engineer's design, and general brickwork such as extensions, garages and repairs.

English regulations, close to the border

Although Oswestry is only a few miles from Wales, it is in England, so building work here is regulated under the Building Regulations for England and the Approved Documents published by the UK Government. That's a real difference from Welshpool and the rest of Powys, where the Welsh Government's Approved Documents apply.

The two sets of guidance have diverged since building regulations were devolved to Wales in 2011. For example, England's current Approved Document L for dwellings (the 2021 edition) came into force on 15 June 2022, while Wales introduced its own Part L in November 2022 with different targets. England does not require sprinklers in all new houses, while Wales has required them in new homes since 2016.

For a bricklaying contractor working on both sides of the border, the practical point is to check which set of regulations a scheme is designed to and build exactly to those drawings. The designer is responsible for compliance. We build to the approved details and raise anything that looks inconsistent. Building control in Oswestry is provided by Shropshire Council or an approved private inspector.

Housing and building around Oswestry

Oswestry has grown over recent decades with new housing on the edges of the town, and the surrounding villages see smaller developments, single plots and conversions. Typical brickwork includes two-storey detached and semi-detached houses and bungalows in facing brick, garages, boundary walls, and extensions to existing homes. The town also has commercial and light industrial buildings where blockwork and brick plinths are needed.

The town centre has a lot of older buildings, and Oswestry has a designated conservation area. Work to older properties, or anything affecting a listed building, may need extra care and consents, and matching existing bricks and bonding becomes important. Kris's NVQ includes repairing and maintaining masonry, matching existing materials and continuing existing bonding. If your building is listed or in a conservation area, check with Shropshire Council's planning team before work starts.

Why use a Welshpool contractor in Oswestry

We're close enough to be on site early and reliably, and far enough into Shropshire work to know the English system as well as the Welsh one. For housebuilders running sites on both sides of the border, one brickwork contractor who covers both saves having to find and manage two.

Typical Oswestry jobs

The work we price around Oswestry covers a wide range. On housing sites it's plots and phases of two-storey homes and bungalows, facing brick with a blockwork inner leaf, often with stone or reconstituted stone details. For builders and homeowners it's single and two-storey extensions tied into existing brickwork, detached garages, garden and boundary walls, and repairs. On commercial and farm sites it's blockwork walls, brick plinths and retaining walls built to an engineer's design. Whatever the size, send photos or drawings and a note of your timescale, and we'll tell you honestly whether we can fit it in.