Anybody here with brick-laying experience?

[disneysteve]

I'm looking into doing a fundraiser at our synagogue where we sell engraved bricks with personalized engraving that will be installed along the walkway into our building. I've found vendors online who make the bricks but I'm trying to get an estimate of the cost of installing them. It would involve tearing out the existing cement sidewalk and replacing it with the bricks. Any clue how much something like that might cost? I realize it will depend on the size of the area being worked on. Let's assume it will be 4x8 inch bricks covering a standard sidewalk width for about 100 bricks.

[bjl584]

General rule of thumb with contractors is to take the material cost and multiply it by 3. That will give you a ballpark of what the job will cost.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by bjl584

General rule of thumb with contractors is to take the material cost and multiply it by 3. That will give you a ballpark of what the job will cost.

Interesting. Of course, we would be supplying the material (at least the actual bricks, not the sand, mortar, etc.) and these are special personally engraved bricks so they cost a lot more than plain old bricks so I'm not sure I can use 3x that cost as an estimate. Perhaps I need to find out what the bricks would cost if not engraved.

[bjl584]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

Interesting. Of course, we would be supplying the material (at least the actual bricks, not the sand, mortar, etc.) and these are special personally engraved bricks so they cost a lot more than plain old bricks so I'm not sure I can use 3x that cost as an estimate. Perhaps I need to find out what the bricks would cost if not engraved.

That's probably best considering you have a special case. Just be sure to price brand new bricks, which I'm assuming the engraved bricks will be. Often people use used or defective bricks for sidewalks, which are sold at a discount. (Too ugly to be used on a building, but just fine for walking on.)

Not sure what bricks are going for currently. 50 cents a piece or so maybe.

[snafu]

When our city hosted the Olympics, one of the fund raisers was engraved bricks but after a few years the lettering wore down/wore off. Will this loss of visibility anger your Temple participants?

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by snafu

When our city hosted the Olympics, one of the fund raisers was engraved bricks but after a few years the lettering wore down/wore off. Will this loss of visibility anger your Temple participants?

Properly made bricks shouldn't do that. We bought a brick on the walkway outside the Magic Kingdom at Disney World in 1994. It still looks just fine 17 years later and millions of people walk on it every year.

From the little research I've done so far, the sandblasted ones are better than the laser engraved ones. The one company I'm looking at has a lifetime guarantee (they've been in business almost 25 years).

[bjl584]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

Properly made bricks shouldn't do that. We bought a brick on the walkway outside the Magic Kingdom at Disney World in 1994. It still looks just fine 17 years later and millions of people walk on it every year.

From the little research I've done so far, the sandblasted ones are better than the laser engraved ones. The one company I'm looking at has a lifetime guarantee (they've been in business almost 25 years).

Agreed. If they are made properly they will outlive you and me. There is an engraved brick sidewalk in the courtyard of my old college. Alumni can buy a brick engraved with their name and graduation year. The brick is then added to the sidewalk. Some of the engravings are from the mid 1980's and they still look brand new.