Build your own garden house out of stone

Approval is given before construction

For the construction project you will need in any case a building permit. You can obtain this from the responsible municipality on presentation of the precisely dimensioned building plan.

The foundation

In order for the brick house to be stable, it needs a good foundation. This should be:

• Be three times as thick in width as the walls.
• A third of the planned wall height extends into the depth.

Alternatively, you can concret a continuous floor slab as a foundation. This stabilizes very well and also proves to be a sensible investment during expansion and later use.

The masonry

All solid stones are suitable, so it is ultimately a question of individual taste which material you choose. Because of their low price, easy-to-use sand-lime bricks are very popular.

How is masonry built?

• The first row of stones is placed in a layer of mortar at least 1.5 centimeters thick. This evens out small unevenness in the base plate.
• The masonry is then offset so that the joints are shifted by half a stone width each. This is the only way to make the masonry stable.
• Apply the mortar in a trapezoidal shape. This is not entirely straightforward. If you are laying the wall for the first time, you should have a professional show you this step.
• Carefully bring the set stone into the correct position with a rubber mallet.
• Wooden frames fixed with wedges serve as recesses for doors and windows.
• U-shell stones that are wider than the openings are placed in the row of stones above the frame. Lined with steel bars and filled with concrete, they ensure stability.
• The last row of walls also consists of U-shaped bricks filled with metal bars and concrete. They form the basis for the ring anchor, which prevents the walls from collapsing under the weight of the roof.