Why Your Budget Overruns Start With Brickwork

Quality bricklaying saves money. Simple as that.

Most Quantity Surveyors don't connect budget overruns to brickwork quality. They see it as a basic trade, a line item, something that just gets done.

But I've built this business over 40 years by understanding something critical. The quality of your bricklaying contractor directly determines whether your project finishes on budget, on time, and to standard.

Here's what the data shows. 69% of construction projects were over budget by more than 10%. That's not a coincidence.

And delays have gotten worse. 91% of respondents in 2022 had been involved in a project that experienced delays. More concerning, there was a 20 percentage point increase in delays adding more than 20% to project costs between 2016 and 2022.

The problem starts with visibility

Most bricklaying contractors show up, do the work, and leave. You find out about problems when it's too late. When the NHBC inspector flags issues. When remedial work blows your budget.

That's where we do things differently at Vinny Warner Ltd.

We include site checks as standard. Throughout the works, we report back to housebuilders with visuals and detailed reports. No other bricklaying contractor does this.

Why does this matter for you as a QS?

Because early visibility prevents expensive corrections. When you know about alignment issues, plumbness problems, or standard deviations during the work, you can address them immediately. Not after the fact when costs multiply.

Quality prevents delays

Poor brickwork creates cascading problems. Failed inspections. Rework. Schedule disruption. These don't just add days, they add costs across multiple trades waiting on corrections.

We train all our staff to high standards. We expect those standards to be upheld at all times. We recently ran an immersive day course with NHBC Senior Quality Advisor Dean Grimes, bringing bricklayers together for direct feedback and skill development.

That commitment to consistency means fewer surprises for you.

The QS shortage makes this critical

With 60% of companies reporting skill shortages in quantity surveying, you're stretched thin. You need contractor partners who don't add to your workload through poor quality or lack of communication.

You need contractors who understand that your success depends on predictable outcomes.

We've grown to over 70 staff by focusing on what matters. Safety, standards, quality work, and great service. Those aren't buzzwords. They're how we operate every day.

When you're managing multiple sites, dealing with housebuilder pressures, and trying to bring projects in on budget, your contractor choice matters more than you might think.

The best way to control costs? Start with quality bricklaying and proper visibility throughout the process.

That's how you protect your budget, meet your timelines, and maintain the standards your housebuilders expect.