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What Would You do With a Bunch of Bricks?

Written by Nickel - 13 Comments

This might be a weird question, but when we moved into our house there was a brick pile out back in the near edge of the woods. The former owner saved the leftover bricks when he had the house built so he could eventually build a matching barbecue (but he never got around to it). We knew that the pile was there, but we figured that we’d use the bricks for something, so we didn’t ask them to remove it. But… We didn’t realize the pile was as big as it turned out to be.

When we finally got around to digging into the pile (it was covered by about four years of accumulated pine straw) we discovered close to 800 bricks. Thankfully we had recently purchased a John Deere 125 lawn tractor, complete with a small dump cart, so it was easier to move them than it could’ve been.

While we’re thinking of using a decent number of these bricks (say 150-200) to line our front walkway and the adjacent mulch bed, we’re at a loss as to what to do with the rest of them. We’re not really interested in building a barbecue, and right now we’re actually leaning toward getting rid of them… More specifically, we’re thinking of advertising them on Craigslist or FreeCycle and just letting someone haul them away.

That being said, I’d also like to hear about any creative uses that you might have for these things before we let them go. So… What would you do with a bunch of bricks?

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Published on August 7th, 2006
Modified on September 10th, 2006 - 13 Comments
Filed under: House & Home

About the author: Nickel is the founder and editor-in-chief of this site. He's a thirty-something family man who has been writing about personal finance since 2005, and guess what? He's on Twitter!

13 Responses to “What Would You do With a Bunch of Bricks?”

1
D Says:
August 7th, 2006 at 9:17 am
Those bricks are a gold mine. You should sell them. You can check with local brick layers for price, but I think you are sitting on a couple of bucks.

Once you make a couple calls, don’t tell them you have them to sell – ask them how much it would cost for 600 bricks or what ever you have left. This will give you an estimate of what you have. Then call around and make a deal, of course at a discounted price because they would need to load and carry themselves and they could just order from suppliers.

Don’t forget landscapers. We actually have a beautiful brick driveway, that gets a load of attention. Our front walk is also brick, along with our front porch. All installed by bricklaying landscape people. This is big business and worth big money.
2
Blaine Moore Says:
August 7th, 2006 at 9:46 am
Yeah, if you aren’t going to use them, you can sell them for a good bit. I think that the barbeque is a good idea, but I love food. A patio if you want one would not be a bad move. You could also build some bookshelves out of them, if you wanted something in the basement or some such.

I agree with D, though; use what you can, then price out what’s left and try to sell them later.
3
FMF Says:
August 7th, 2006 at 10:38 am
Send them to jim. He’s a few bricks shy of a full load.
4
nick Says:
August 7th, 2006 at 11:17 am
list it on Craig’s list.
5
Tom Says:
August 7th, 2006 at 11:58 am
Brick walkways and patios are not normally brick!

The brick you have isn’t what is used for paths, walkways, driveways, etc. It is brick veneer for a house (or BBQ). The “bricks” that you see in use for driveways, etc. is actually made of concrete and has MUCH more compressive strength than the bricks you have.

I don’t have a good suggestion as to what to do with them, but I would keep about 100 of them, just in case something happens to your house (car runs into it, tree falls on it, etc.). You may not be able to match the bricks in the future, but having some left will allow you to blend in new and old for a repair.
6
Beck Says:
August 7th, 2006 at 2:15 pm
I second Tom’s recommendation to keep about 100 in case something happens and you need a match. I, however, would keep them all. But I love bricks and have lots of hiding places in my yard.

You nix’d the BBQ idea, but what about a firepit?

http://static.flickr.com/48/13.....f8ccb3.jpg

I built one last fall and it was great for winter nights — cheaper than going out on a Friday and a lot more fun. Plus, I bet your boys would love it.
7
Terry Says:
August 7th, 2006 at 6:35 pm
Keep a few and put the rest on the Yahoo Freecycle list in your area.
8
Matt Says:
August 8th, 2006 at 3:15 am
Honestly, I’d build the barbecue or a firepit or something like that. The suggestions above all sound good if you’re determined to get rid of them…but if I had the bricks and the yard space, I’d definitely use them. Hey…anything to turn useless lawnmower-fodder into a fun place to hang out…not to mention turning wood and carcasses into fire and food.
9
PAULA Says:
August 8th, 2006 at 8:12 am
You will regret getting rid of them.
Build a patio with a raised reflecting pool/fish pond. If you want to go all out (since you have 800! bricks) you could create a formal/kitchen garden with brick lined walkways. Build a small “shed” or a kid’s playhouse. Brick retaining wall around a slope in your yard? The options are endless. I have a brick house. To have matching brick when we built out patio would have been marvelous. I spent over $700 trying to match our existing brick for a 10 x 13 patio.
10
Bri Says:
August 8th, 2006 at 3:15 pm
If you want to get rid of them, get a tax deduction while you do. Call up Habitat for Humanity and see if they will take materials donations. They do in my area. There are also many other non-profit home improvement stores that will accept building material. One store here will actually pick up the material from your home. It might take a few google searches, but you’ll save $$$ on your tax bill.
11
Cynthia Says:
May 16th, 2007 at 10:05 am
I also have lots and lots of brick that I want to mayne build a patio and a walk with,are you guys sure that that wont be sturdy enough?
12
mouse Says:
February 5th, 2010 at 4:52 am
Have you considered eating them? Iron is essential to human beans, in moderation of course.
13
Brian Says:
July 3rd, 2011 at 11:01 am
I would definitely build a false wall in my house. Inside that room I would put lots of mirrors, pictures of just me, hairdolls I made from my own hair. I’d probably spend most of my time in there writing poetry about myself and one man plays.

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