Looking for clinker in red, brown, orange - should not be too dark

I would even be willing to do the bricklaying myself, but I am an absolute amateur.. basically skilled and precise though. Would it make sense to do it myself, e.g. with a skilled worker by my side..? It just seems like a fixed idea to me.

That feeling is justified. Better go with Achmed the screed guy :-)

O.K., then I will limit my own work to painting, since at least I have some experience there :)

However, there are many self-builders who do the work themselves (or am I mistaken?). Are these mostly professionals?

Back to the clinker bricks.
I played around a bit and constructed a model; this is what our desired clinker brick would look like:


As described, Vischering without the very dark bricks (about 9% rejects).
Maybe someone will come up with an idea where we could find such a brick.

I would even like to do the masonry myself, I am just an absolute novice.. but basically skilled and precise. Would it make sense to do it yourself, e.g. with a skilled worker by my side..? It seems like a crazy idea to me.

From my point of view, that is not a crazy idea but a brilliant one. If you feel like it, that is the best prerequisite and you will be happy for decades that you did the brickwork yourself. I really think that's great.

Maybe someone might indeed come up with where we could find such a brick.

A perhaps somewhat impractical suggestion: drive around the Leipzig region, look for old clinker brick factories or demolition houses (there are many of them here) and reuse already used clinker bricks, whose appearance appeals to you, with the consent of the house/property owner, for a second time? If there is nothing against it for quality reasons. The perfect clinker brick seems to be your passion, otherwise I wouldn't have suggested this. (Besides, two days ago I saw wonderful clinker brick buildings here, which are unfortunately uninhabitable, but the clinker brick is really, really nice.)

However, there are many self-builders who do the work themselves (or am I mistaken?). Are those mostly professionals?

Pretty certainly not. So you are neither mistaken, nor are those mostly professionals. Don’t underestimate that! – When laying clinker bricks, you need a feeling for quickly deciding which brick should come next (and for that, you need a trained imagination of the entire visible surface that you will have reached several days of work later). I would never “practice” that as a beginner in prominent spots. Furthermore, clinker bricks are not standard bricks, they are also heavier, and often require a success check before continuing. So you have to expect to spend as much time per clinker brick as with "ordinary self-masonry" per standard block. Measured in square meters of wall surface, you therefore need six times as long in the NF format. And while you’re still puzzling around, the roofer can’t put up his scaffolding yet! – in other words: do you want to be able to move in two months later because you are laying clinker bricks yourself?

look for old clinker brick factories-demolition houses (there are many of those here) and reuse already used clinker bricks whose appearance you like, with the consent of the house-land property owner? Provided there is nothing against it for quality reasons.

I already explained in post #11 the problems that arise from integrating Reich format clinker bricks in front of a wall built in the Octameter era. Moreover, the appearance would only be pleasing again if you number the bricks and find lookalikes for loss exemplars. That is not as trivial as Hansel and Gretel imagine in their sandbox. Masonry is already a serious vocational training, and facing brickwork requires skill and experience. Alphabet knowledge alone does not make you a master poet.

... The perfect clinker seems to be your passion ...

Yes and no. It is more often my problem that I have precise ideas about something. When I then can't find anything suitable, I either have to give up the plan or do it myself...

Do you want to be able to move in two months later because you do the clinkerwork yourself?

That would be the least of the problems; we have already been waiting almost 3 years for the plot :rolleyes:
Thanks 11ant for your suggestions. We now tend to spend more time looking for a suitable bricklayer than to keep endlessly searching for the ultimate clinker or botching it ourselves.