Bond and coursing

Choose the bond type based on the project and the desired appearance. Stretcher bond (the most common) offsets by half a brick length per course. English bond alternates header and stretcher courses with a half offset. English cross bond is like English bond, but the stretcher courses are offset by a quarter brick so the perpends form a cross/diagonal pattern.

Course height = brick height + one bed joint. For a Danish standard brick (DF, visible height 54 mm) with a 12 mm bed joint this gives 66 mm per course. The bond only changes the horizontal offset — not the course height.

Divide the target height by the course height to get the number of whole courses and any remainder. If the target height does not fit whole courses, the bed joint is adjusted slightly within the tolerance (8–16 mm in normal inspection class), or the level is agreed with the designer — better that than ending with half a course at the top.

Plan height levels (window openings, rebates, wall plates) in whole courses from the start, so you avoid cut courses in visible areas.

Build the corners (quoins) first, plumb with a gauge rod, and check the course height on both faces. The corners are the reference for the whole wall — if they are plumb and on course, the rest can be laid to the line.

Stretch the course line taut between the corners for each course and lay up to the line without touching it. The line holds both height (coursing) and alignment (vertical plane), so the facade is flat and regular.

Start each new course with the chosen offset so that the perpends never line up over each other in two courses. In stretcher bond this means half a brick (e.g. a quarter-brick closer or a half-brick at the end), so that the pattern works out at corners and openings.

Keep perpend and bed joints the same all the way, normally 12 mm (the nominal size of the normal joint). Even joints are what give a calm coursing — uneven joints show clearly on the finished facade.