How to Block & Brick in a Front Porch

Foundation

• 1

  Build a wooden frame to hold the concrete block by nailing together wooden boards in the dimensions of the foundation. The frame should be at least 6 inches deep. When choosing the size of your foundation, remember that you will lay brick on top of it, and over the sides. This means that you'll want the size of the foundation to be slightly smaller than the actual size of the porch itself.

• 2

  Excavate the land under the wooden frame. Dig out organic materials such as grass and leaves, then tamp down the dirt to make it flat and even.

• 3

  Pour concrete into the frame, then stop half way. Lay steel bars into the cement in a grid formation, then pour the rest of the concrete into the frame.

• 4

  Level the concrete by running a flat piece of lumber over the top of the concrete block. Use the lumber to push the concrete around so that it fills any spaces that are lower than others. Wait for the concrete to cure according to the manufacturer's instructions.

• 5

  Remove the frame, then scrub the concrete with a stiff brush and water.

Bricking the Foundation

• 6

  Place a row or two of bricks on the foundation in the pattern you want to see when the project is complete. Leave a 1/2-inch gap between bricks for the mortar. This will help you decide how you want to pattern the bricks and how they will look when the porch is complete.

• 7

  Remove the bricks from the foundation, once you know the final pattern and layout. Spread a layer of thinset on the foundation in place of the first five bricks in the first row. Use a notched trowel to spread the thinset, then use the notched side of the trowel to scrape grooves in the thinset before laying the bricks.

• 8

  Lay the bricks on the thinset in the same pattern that you established in Step 1. Then spread more thinset on the foundation in the place of the next five bricks and lay the next five bricks. Continue in this pattern until the entire top of the foundation is covered in bricks. Wiggle the bricks a little bit when you set them on the thinset, to press the thinset into all the pores of the bricks.

• 9

  Lay the bricks around the sides of the porch to establish what pattern you'd like the side bricks to take. Remove the bricks and spread thinset on the side of the foundation, in the same way you did on the top of the foundation. Brick the side of the foundation in the same way you bricked the top of the foundation, leaving a 1/2-inch gap between bricks. Wait for the thinset to cure, according to the manufacturer's instructions.

• 10

  Use a narrow tuck point trowel to spread mortar between the bricks. Scrape excess mortar off with the edge of the trowel. Mortar the entire brick layout, then wait for the mortar to cure according to the manufacturer's instructions.

• 11

  Scrub off excess grit and dust from the mortar using a stiff bristle brush and water.