What You Can Do With Reclaimed Bricks Outside

Say you have a bunch of bricks from quaint Midwestern streets or old construction and you want to touch up your backyard, but you need to brainstorm some outdoor project ideas. You need a focal point that doesn’t need watering or a complement to your greenery. Here are a few simple outdoor brick projects that use your reclaimed bricks to make your yard shine.

Fountains – Fountains are incredibly easy to make. Find a leak-proof container such as a bowl or a tub and fill it with water. Put a pump in the water. Build walls with reclaimed bricks around the container by mortaring them to the sides by layering a simple wall all around it. Plug the pump in to the nearest outlet and you have a charming, sweet little fountain. This fountain can be as big as you want it: you can make the wall support a small bowl at chest height, or you can add a brick facade to a tin tub. Throw some fancy rocks in the bowl for an extra touch of whimsy once you are done.

Walls – Reclaimed bricks give antique appeal to very versatile walls. They create little outdoor rooms for your veggie garden. They provide a hidey-hole for your compost. Short, 2-layer walls can act as borders to your flower gardens. Clear a space and dig a shallow ditch, and lay a concrete footer. Lay concrete in your trench, and then layer bricks in a wall with mortar. Use a string as a guide and be careful to check your layers with a leveler for soundness.

Layering Raised Beds – You can put your wall around just about anything, including sloped areas of your yard. Make a few retaining walls in terraced layer to give your garden a fuller feel and to make sure all your flowers get sunshine. Pick a spot in your hill and build small retaining walls at different heights in the slope. You can also build 2 concentric circles of bricks, with the height of one circle of bricks higher than another, and then fill both to their tops with soil before planting. Either way, make sure your foundations are sound, your soil is level behind your retaining walls and then plant all the flowers you can fit.

Planters – Similar to layered raised beds, you can make a simple box to fill with gardening soil. Instead off building up a pile of soil and then installing layers of retaining walls, build 4 simple walls into a box and fill it with soil for a very appealing planter. You can even top the walls with sideways bricks you can sit on for enjoying your flowers from a seated position. These look nice as borders to your patio or your lawn.

Faux Wells – A great little focal point is a pretend well. Clear out a circle in your lawn and dig a 3 inch deep circle. Inside the trench and across from each other, dig 2 holes that are 6 inches deep and 4 inches wide and put 2×4 wooden posts in the holes, hammering them in place with a mallet. Fill in the post holes around the wood with sand and level it. Put a layer of bricks in the 3 inch circular trench and use thick layers of mortar to build up the walls. Brush off the excess mortar, and while that dries, build the triangular wooden roof by nailing boards between the 2×4’s and nailing wood cut into triangles over them. Your lawn will have the central focus it needs to take it to the next level of charm.

Brick Bench – You can give yourself and your guests built-in places for picnics and naps. Clear some space and lay bricks with mortar for 4 layers in 2 towers. Lay a wood board for a seat between them to make sure it fits correctly. Then build two shorter layers of brick on the original layers and mortar on the wooden seat. Let the whole thing dry for a fine resting place.

If you liked these reclaimed brick ideas, we have all the reclaimed bricks you need to get started. If you want to begin your next project, contact us.