Great Ideas for Leftover Bricks

It’s not unusual to have leftover materials when you take on a DIY building project, and it can seem like a waste if you just have to throw those materials away.

If you have been working with bricks and found yourself with some leftovers now that the job is complete, you’ll be glad to know there’s plenty you can do with them. Here are some great ideas for leftover bricks.

1. Make a brick path or walkway

One simple idea for leftover bricks that anyone can achieve is to make a brick path or walkway. You’ll need to dig out your desired area first and build a firm base, but brick paths look fantastic, and if you have different coloured bricks, you can even create unique patterns within the path. As well as being a great visual feature, a path or walkway in the garden also ensures the long-term health of your grass by directing the foot traffic elsewhere.

2. Create brick edging for garden beds or walkways

Even if you don’t have enough leftover bricks to create a new path, they make for great decorative edging on existing walkways or flowerbeds. Brick edging adds a real rustic charm to your garden and it allows you to get creative in terms of how you lay the bricks. If you have multiple flower beds around the garden, then lining them all with bricks will bring some unity to the entire aesthetic.

3. Make a garden bench

If you need another place to sit and admire your garden, then how about making a garden bench or seat? You’ll need to make use of outdoor-ready cushions to make it comfortable, but the bricks make for a sturdy structure that you can paint any colour or leave unpainted for a rustic look. Making a brick bench may seem challenging if you’re not that DIY-savvy, but it’s actually much easier than you might think.

4. Use them for planters

Another idea for leftover bricks is to use them as planters. If you want to make a larger feature, then you can use the bricks to create the structure of a raised planter which you can then fill with soil. Your planter doesn’t have to be square either - with bricks, you can make it curved, circular or any other shape! Alternatively, if you only have a few bricks, you can use the holes in them to make smaller planters for succulents.

5. Make a water feature or birdbath

A water feature or birdbath are both great uses for leftover bricks. As with the other ideas on this list, bricks can be laid out to make a water feature in almost any shape, from a beautiful, rounded fountain or raised pond to a classic and charming pedestal-style bird bath. What you are able to achieve will depend on the number of bricks you have. Just be sure to line the basin of whatever you create with a waterproof covering!

6. Build a fire pit

The best part of this idea is that you don’t need anything other than the bricks to make it, and a simple fire pit is very easy to build, although it is possible to create some more unique designs! A beautiful, rustic fire pit made from your leftover bricks creates a wonderful area to gather around in the evening, providing heat and light that effectively extend the period of the year where you can comfortably sit outside and enjoy your garden!

Your leftover DIY materials don’t always have to go to waste! As you can see, there are plenty of uses for leftover bricks, and hopefully these ideas have given you some inspiration to help you start your own project.