Free masonry estimate template with unit counts that check out

By Zeke Galland, Staxen. Updated 2026-09-08.

This free masonry estimate template counts the way masons count: brick and block by the each, about 7 modular brick or 1.125 standard block per square foot of wall, mortar by the bag, grout by the cubic yard. Scaffolding, cleaning, and cold weather protection get their own lines. A downloadable PDF version is available on this page.

Block and brick

Reinforcement and grout

Veneer and stone

Chimney

Labor and equipment

Example scope

Build a 40 lf by 4 ft CMU garden wall with a brick veneer face: standard block backup with ladder reinforcement every other course, #4 rebar and grouted cells per the engineer's spec, roughly 1,150 modular brick at 7 per sf with wall ties to the backup, precast sills at the piers, wall cap block, and final cleaning. Footing by others, condition accepted in writing before first course.

What a masonry estimate must include

Unit counts derived from wall area

Show the conversion on the estimate: a modular brick wall runs about 7 brick per sf with 3/8 inch joints, and standard 8x16 block runs 1.125 units per sf. A 600 sf veneer is roughly 4,200 brick before waste. When the counts are visible, the client can check your math, and checkable math wins bids.

Waste on units and the cleaning at the end

Carry about 5 percent waste on brick and block for breakage and cuts, and put wall cleaning, brush and appropriate cleaner, as a real line at the end. A beautiful wall with mortar smear reads as a bad wall, and the cleaning day is labor the lowball bid always omits.

Reinforcement and grout, spec by spec

Ladder reinforcement every other course, 16 inches on center vertically, rebar in the cells the plan calls for, and grout at about $188 per cubic yard for filled CMU cells. Structural walls come with a spec, and the estimate should mirror it line for line so the inspector and the bid agree.

Scaffolding as its own line

Anything past about 4 feet of height means scaffold: setup, planks, moves, and teardown, or a rental bill. Price it visibly per the wall height and length. Masons who bury scaffold in the unit rate underbid every tall wall and overbid every short one.

Cold weather terms

Mortar below about 40 degrees needs heated materials, admixtures, or protection and enclosures, per the masonry code's cold weather provisions. State that work in cold weather carries those measures at a written adder, or that the schedule shifts. Freezing fresh mortar is not a discount anyone enjoys.

Boundaries with the other trades

State whether footings are by others and what tolerance you accept on them, who supplies and sets steel lintels over openings, and on chimney work, whether the flue liner condition is known or priced per foot on inspection. Masonry sits on and around other trades, and the seams belong in writing.

Estimating mistakes that cost masons money

Counting units without waste

Brick chips, block cracks, and cuts at openings consume whole units. Order exactly the math and the wall stops one course short on a Friday. Carry 5 percent on units and a margin on mortar, and note that a matched brick reorder later may not match the dye lot.

Scaffold hiding in the unit rate

A 4 ft garden wall and a 20 ft gable end carry radically different scaffold cost, and a blended rate gets both wrong. Price scaffold from the wall height on this job. It also shows the client why the tall wall costs what it costs.

A flat chimney price with an unknown flue

The liner's condition is invisible until you are on the roof with a light and a camera. Flat-pricing a chimney rebuild around an unknown flue is gambling with $22.50 per foot of liner. Price the inspection, then the liner per foot, and say so up front.

Laying mortar into a freeze

Mortar that freezes before it cures loses its bond and the wall may need to come down. Below about 40 degrees, the code's cold weather provisions apply: heated materials, protection, admixtures. Bid the adder or move the schedule, but never eat the risk silently.

No cleaning line

The last day of a masonry job is brushes, cleaner, and rinse water, and it is the only day the client actually sees. Left out of the bid, it gets skipped or rushed, and the wall photographs badly forever. Put the cleaning on the estimate like the skilled work it is.

Frequently asked questions

How many bricks per square foot of wall?

About 7 modular brick per square foot with standard 3/8 inch mortar joints, so a 600 sf veneer needs roughly 4,200 brick plus about 5 percent waste. Standard 8x16 concrete block runs 1.125 units per square foot. These conversions are how a mason's estimate gets checked.

What happens to masonry in cold weather?

Mortar that freezes before curing loses bond strength, so below roughly 40 degrees the masonry code's cold weather provisions kick in: heated sand and water, admixtures, insulated blankets, or enclosures. Estimates for winter work should carry a stated cold weather adder or a schedule clause.

Should scaffolding be a separate line on a masonry bid?

Yes. Scaffold cost scales with wall height and length, not with the number of units laid, so hiding it in the per-unit rate misprices every job that is taller or shorter than average. A visible scaffold line also explains the price jump between a 4 ft wall and a gable end.

How is grout for block walls estimated?

By the cubic yard, based on which cells the structural spec requires filled, at around $188 per yard for CMU grout. A fully grouted 8 inch wall takes far more than one with cells filled only at rebar, so the estimate should name the grouting schedule rather than assume it.

How do I fill this out fast?

Describe the wall by voice, 40 by 4 CMU with brick veneer, grouted cells, and Eddie, Staxen's estimator, drafts this same structure with unit counts and prices, ready to adjust and text for e-signature. Eddie costs $59 per month, first job free, no card required, no time limit.

Start free with Staxen: your first job is on us, no card required.