I need bricks. Any suggestions?

**hamtown mike** · May-13-11, 09:42 AM

Hi Yessers!

I need bricks about 250 of them. I spotted a pile dumped in a vacant lot south of Hamtramck but it's a bit sketch and not sure if there are 250 usable bricks in the pile.

Someone mentioned a brickyard on Chene. Anyone know of this place or any others?

A few places I've called are asking 50 to 65 cents per brick!

**Detroitnerd** · May-13-11, 09:48 AM

Yeah, that brickyard on Chene is the only place I know.

**rjk** · May-13-11, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by hamtown mike

Hi Yessers!

I need bricks about 250 of them. I spotted a pile dumped in a vacant lot south of Hamtramck but it's a bit sketch and not sure if there are 250 usable bricks in the pile.

Someone mentioned a brickyard on Chene. Anyone know of this place or any others?

A few places I've called are asking 50 to 65 cents per brick!

The place on Chene [[Chene and Mack or close to that?) isn't there anymore. I think they were dealing in pallets for a while, but now it's closed up. I got some bricks at the Chene place for 30 cents 4 or 5 years ago.

Any schools in Detroit currently in the process of being demolished? A few years ago I got a bunch of bricks from a school that was demolished in Delray.

**Planner3357** · May-13-11, 10:05 AM

You can start by digging up Mich Ave....specifically the huge dip going eastbound....what a disaster!!

**bdglsmn** · May-13-11, 10:26 AM

A factory building just got torn down on Plymouth road about 6 blocks East of Evergreen. Lots of bricks still there but they are cleaning it up fast.

**Hamtragedy** · May-13-11, 10:35 AM

EastTown Theater @ Van Dyke & Harper is partially demo'd, unsecured, and ripe for the pickins. It's a typical Detroit demo site where there is no fence, and the workforce is made up of guys with pickup trucks and a "Kentucky fire wrench" [[torch), a couple guys chiseling the mortar off bricks, and regular joes such as yourself out looking for bricks. There are no construction or deconstruction vehicles to be found.

Also, a drive down St. Aubin on the way to Eastern Market usually yields a fresh demo.

**hamtown mike** · May-13-11, 10:45 AM

Yeah, the stash I saw was on St. Aubin, There's nothing around there so I guess it's relatively safe to hit that solo. If nothing else, I could grab the brick and scrape mortar at home if I'm afraid of any ghoulies popping out from behind the trees.

**DetroitPlanner** · May-13-11, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by bdglsmn

A factory building just got torn down on Plymouth road about 6 blocks East of Evergreen. Lots of bricks still there but they are cleaning it up fast.

The one across from the police station? Would that not gether a lot of scrutiny? I think that used to be a Park-Davis facility.

**bdglsmn** · May-13-11, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

The one across from the police station? Would that not gether a lot of scrutiny? I think that used to be a Park-Davis facility.

Yep right across the street from the police station. I've seen people gathering bricks there the last couple of days with the demo crew still on site. I would just roll up and ask permission, the worst that could happen is that they might say no.

**jackie5275** · May-13-11, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by hamtown mike

Yeah, the stash I saw was on St. Aubin, There's nothing around there so I guess it's relatively safe to hit that solo. If nothing else, I could grab the brick and scrape mortar at home if I'm afraid of any ghoulies popping out from behind the trees.

Don't forget about the packs of dogs around there too.

**rjk** · May-13-11, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by hamtown mike

Hi Yessers!

I need bricks about 250 of them. I spotted a pile dumped in a vacant lot south of Hamtramck but it's a bit sketch and not sure if there are 250 usable bricks in the pile.

Someone mentioned a brickyard on Chene. Anyone know of this place or any others?

A few places I've called are asking 50 to 65 cents per brick!

Try offering him 30/35 cents a brick, I'll bet he'll jump at it.

Getting 250 bricks from a demo site can be a pain in the ass especially if they have a lot of mortar on them. The mortar surrounding the bricks I got from the old school building was the consistency of wet sand that I could dig out with my finger. It was still a pain lugging all those bricks to my car and also having to have my head on a constant swivel looking out for nogoodniks.

**esp1986** · May-13-11, 12:34 PM

Bricks, huh? I hear the Wurlitzer Building has a few extra these days...

**beanietek** · May-13-11, 01:26 PM

try cass tech - they're pulling out the bricks even as i write this....

**Gistok** · May-13-11, 01:49 PM

If you're patient... perhaps you can get some of the rare pearl blue Swedish Granite from Ford Auditorium once they raze it...

**DetroitTeacher** · May-13-11, 04:15 PM

There's a brick place on Greenfield by 96, I believe...might be south of there.

Dr. Emil · May-13-11, 04:53 PM

What do you need these bricks for? There are different bricks for different uses. The bricks that came from a building are not necessarily the right bricks for a walkway and are certainly not the right bricks to use in fire applications.

**gazhekwe** · May-13-11, 05:10 PM

Colonial Bricks, 12844 Greenfield south of I-96, good prices, lots of choices, including reclaimed

**Django** · May-13-11, 05:31 PM

If you have a truck to haul them Ill back you up, chip mortar and load them. St. Aubin, Chene is my backyard. Ill IM you.

**Gistok** · May-13-11, 06:14 PM

Hamtown Mike... whatever you do... do not... I repeat... do not use them as walkway or patio pavers... they'll last you a season or two before they start to disintigrate from the Michigan winters.

Anyone know where they buried all the downtown Hudson's bricks?? Not that I'll be digging... just curious...

**stasu1213** · May-13-11, 07:05 PM

scavenge them from a vacant dilapidated house on Canton and Vernor on Detroit's eastside.

**Richard** · May-13-11, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

they'll last you a season or two before they start to disintigrate from the Michigan winters.

The salt in the air destroys them,if they are pre 1940s bricks and they still have older concrete on them and you use newer concrete to reassemble the chemical difference will react and dissolve the brick.just like in tuck pointing older/historic homes you would need to do a acidic test on existing concrete and custom mix the blend to match.

Also when you are looking at salvaged brick and see the red ones and come across one that has a more of a black look to it,those ones are worth some nice dollars as they are rare and the color was created by a mistake of being left in the kiln to long.they have become very desirable now in new brick facade construction.

Another thing using salvage brick is while you are at the demo site if the remediation for asbestos has not been done before that dust will be on you and your clothes and carried into your house with children so take proper precautions.

Happy bricking.

**Ocean2026** · May-13-11, 09:29 PM

Originally Posted by jackie5275

Don't forget about the packs of dogs around there too.

Jackie I think he just needs bricks for the time being -after his construction is done then perhaps he will want a pet.

**jackie5275** · May-14-11, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by Ocean2026

Jackie I think he just needs bricks for the time being -after his construction is done then perhaps he will want a pet.

He was talking about folks coming up on him while picking up bricks on St. Aubin in terms of personal safety. I also mentioned the dogs in terms of personal safety as there are many, many stray dogs in that area that travel in packs, are dangerous, have the potential to attack you, & don't have their shots. Please don't make a joke or criticism of my statement because it shows you obviously aren't familiar that section of that street if you think I was suggesting he look for a stray dog there as a pet.

**rjk** · May-14-11, 11:14 AM

We went to Eastern Market this morning and drove down Chene to avoid the traffic on 75. I noticed that the brick place has some piles of bricks still there, both inside the wide open building and in the attached yard. Clearly this place has been abandoned. I have no idea what condition the bricks are in, but it might be worth checking out.

**SMRJim** · May-14-11, 11:40 AM

Here's a place, it's on the west side, by Lyndon and Schaefer if I remember right. A friend worked there years ago.
http://www.friendshipmaterials.com/index.html