Brick Arriving Before the Mason? Agree on Storage Before the Truck Comes
Before brick arrives ahead of a masonry project, agree on an unloading location, a person to receive the shipment, and responsibility for protecting and checking the stored material until installation. Ask the mason and supplier to approve the arrangement. A delivery date alone does not establish who looks after the brick during a gap in the construction schedule.
Treat the waiting period as part of the project
An early delivery can be convenient when the material is available but the installation crew is still finishing another phase. It also creates an interval that deserves its own plan. The delivery company may leave after unloading, while the masonry contractor may not yet have anyone working at the property. Decide who is responsible during that interval rather than assuming the next person on site will handle it.
For a Middle Tennessee homeowner, the contact might be the project manager rather than the homeowner who happens to be home. At an occupied commercial property, it might be a designated facilities contact working with the contractor. Write down a primary contact, a backup, and the person authorized to change the delivery arrangement. These are suggested coordination steps, not a substitute for the supplier's handling instructions.
Approve a location, not just an address
Send an annotated site photograph showing the proposed storage area and the route to it. Ask the supplier and mason to confirm whether the unloading equipment can use that route and whether the receiving surface is suitable. Do not treat an empty parking space, patio, or lawn as automatic approval to place a concentrated material load there. Have the responsible project professional resolve any uncertainty about support or access.
Include the property's daily activities in that review. Which doors need to remain usable? Where do deliveries, trash collection, and tenant arrivals occur? Will another trade need the same area next week? The best location on delivery day may be the wrong location when equipment arrives for the next phase. Ask whether staged deliveries would fit the site better than receiving the whole order at once.
Record an alternate arrangement before dispatch. If the agreed area is occupied or unavailable, the driver should have a number to call rather than instructions to leave the load anywhere convenient. Decide who can approve a changed location and who will arrange any later relocation. Keep handling and stacking decisions with the supplier and contractor, not with untrained property staff.
Make material protection a named responsibility
The Brick Industry Association's Technical Note 23 recommends keeping brick off the ground beneath a waterproof covering that will not stain it. Technical Note 20 also emphasizes protection from mud during storage. Ask the mason how those recommendations and the brick manufacturer's instructions will be met at your particular storage location. Do not assume the shipping wrap by itself answers every site-protection question.
Translate that discussion into assignments: who provides the protection, who installs it, and who checks it while the site is inactive? Ask for a simple reporting routine if a covering is displaced or material appears exposed. An owner can report what is visible from a safe location without climbing stacks, opening bundles, or attempting to rearrange the load.
Keep the storage plan separate from the masonry installation plan. Protecting a delivered shipment does not establish that the weather or site conditions are suitable for laying brick. If installation moves to a later date, ask the project manager to reconfirm both the storage arrangement and the revised start plan. Avoid allowing a schedule change to leave the material without an assigned contact.
Receive the shipment with a useful record
Before delivery, ask what documents the receiver should expect and what the supplier wants reported immediately. Keep the order reference, delivery ticket, product identification, and photographs together. Record the delivery date, the actual unloading location, and any visible packaging damage or other concern. Describe observations accurately without deciding on the spot whether a product is defective.
Photograph identification labels while they are available and readable. BIA's cleaning guidance points to the manufacturer's identification card on the brick cube as a source of product-specific cleaning information. Preserving that information now gives the contractor a better starting point if a question arises later. It is more useful than trying to reconstruct the product name from a finished-wall photograph.
Ask the supplier what signing the delivery document acknowledges and how discrepancies should be noted. Keep receipt of the shipment distinct from approval to install it. If the label differs from the approved order, or the receiver cannot confirm the shipment, route the question to the authorized project contact before the material is used. Do not improvise a substitution simply to keep the crew moving.
Plan for a delay or a concern before it happens
A useful delay message states the revised installation date, whether the storage location remains available, who will continue checking the material, and when the next update is due. If another contractor needs the area, arrange a coordinated relocation decision rather than asking that crew to move the brick as an informal favor. Confirm any added handling responsibility and cost before authorizing the change.
If discoloration or deposits appear, keep a dated photograph and ask the mason or supplier to review the condition. Technical Note 23 cautions that similar-looking stains can have different causes and that an inappropriate cleaning method can cause further damage. Do not have someone wash or chemically treat the shipment just to make it look ready for inspection. Preserve the opportunity for a product-specific review.
Close the gap between delivery and installation
Before the crew starts using the brick, review unresolved delivery notes together. Confirm that the material being released is the approved product, that any questioned portion has a documented decision, and that the crew knows where the records are stored. If only part of the shipment has been cleared for use, ask the contractor how that distinction will be maintained on site.
A compact handoff should answer five questions: Where is the material? Who received it? Where are its labels and delivery records? Is anything awaiting review? Who now controls handling and protection? Those answers connect the purchasing decision to the actual installation without requiring the owner to manage masonry techniques.
Milliken Corporation's masonry page lists work with brick and stone. When discussing a masonry project in Gallatin, Nashville, or elsewhere in its service area, share your proposed delivery timing and storage constraints with the team. Ask it to confirm the project scope and coordination responsibilities before arranging an early shipment.
Frequently asked questions
Should I refuse every brick delivery that arrives before installation day?
Not automatically. Ask the contractor and supplier whether the site has an approved receiving and storage arrangement for the waiting period. If that arrangement is missing, resolve it before dispatch rather than leaving the decision to the driver.
Can my landscaping crew move the brick if it is in the way?
Do not assume relocation is part of another crew's scope. Contact the project manager to arrange appropriate handling, a suitable new location, and clear responsibility before anything is moved.
Does signing a delivery ticket mean the brick is approved for installation?
Ask the supplier what its document acknowledges. Establish a separate project decision for product verification and any reported concerns so that receipt of a shipment is not confused with authorization to use questioned material.