If you’ve ever built anything in Jamaica — from a modest garden wall to a bold new home perched on a hillside — you’ll know that concrete blocks are our quiet workhorses. They’re unglamorous, almost monastic in their simplicity, yet they shape the very architecture of the island. Strong, resilient, weather-worn but dependable. Very Jamaican qualities.
And yet, the real story of blockwork isn’t the blocks themselves. It’s everything around them: the craft, the mortar, the sand hauled in on a truck bed, the mason’s steady hand, and the sheer choreography of placing each unit so that it becomes part of something greater.
This isn’t simply construction. It’s composition.
A Wall of 100 Blocks: A Classic Jamaican Benchmark
Imagine you’re building a straightforward wall — the kind that runs perfectly plumb when the mason knows what he’s doing. One hundred standard 6-inch blocks. Not too big, not too small. Just enough to see if your builder’s eye is true.
What matters here isn’t a price tag.
It’s the balance of materials:
- Blocks that are properly cured and uniform in size
- A mortar mix with enough cement content to bind, but not so stiff that it becomes unworkable
- Sand that’s clean and well-graded
- And most of all, the mason — the craftsperson who makes it all stand upright
This is the point where many projects succeed or fail: in the quality of the hands doing the work, not in the thickness of the wallet funding it.
When You Only Need 37 or 47 Blocks
Perhaps it’s a small dividing wall.
Perhaps a stand for a tank.
Perhaps just tidying up a corner of the property.
Smaller projects tend to play tricks on people. They look simple, but they require nearly the same setup: bags of cement must still be opened, sand must still be delivered, and your mason still must take the time to set out, level, plumb, and strike the joints with care.
In other words: the work doesn’t shrink just because the wall does.
And Kevin would say: “It’s always the modest projects that tempt people into cutting corners — and it’s always the modest projects where those shortcuts show the most.”
Filling Blocks: Where Strength Meets Design
In Jamaica, filling blocks with concrete is essential whenever you’re building something structural: a load-bearing wall, a retaining wall fighting a hillside, or a column supporting a roof. Filled blocks transform from hollow shells into solid, weight-bearing elements.
A single block takes only a small volume of concrete — but multiply that by dozens, and you’re talking about a significant material operation.
To fill a modest run of blocks, you will need:
- Cement
- Sand
- Gravel
- Water
- And a keen awareness of timing, because concrete waits for no one
It’s a job that’s often done as the wall goes up, but if done separately, it requires just as much skill and attention as the laying.
Kevin’s voice again: “Filling blockwork isn’t glamorous, but it’s fundamental. What you’re really doing is binding the structure into something monolithic — something that behaves as one strong, unified piece.”
Kevin-Style Tips for the Thoughtful Jamaican Builder
Buy wisely.
Block quality varies enormously. Choose suppliers who produce consistent blocks that don’t crumble at the edges.
Transport is part of the build.
Sand, gravel, and blocks are heavy. Getting them to your site is a logistical dance.
Never underestimate a good mason.
A straight wall is geometry, physics, craft, and experience. You won’t get that from guesswork.
Mortar is the unseen hero.
Inadequate mortar is a false economy. Mix it properly, or the entire wall will tell on you later.
Even tiny projects need planning.
Running out of materials halfway through is more than an inconvenience — it disrupts workflow, compromises structure, and disappoints the builder’s rhythm.
Final Reflections
Building in Jamaica is more than concrete and sweat. It’s a negotiation between climate, craft, and ambition. Whether you’re constructing a new home or tackling a weekend project, the success of your blockwork depends not on the money spent but on the care, planning, and artisanship poured into it.
A hundred blocks.
Thirty-seven blocks.
Forty-seven blocks.
Filled or unfilled.
They all tell the same story:
Good building is never just about materials — it’s about the thoughtful, deliberate act of making something strong, safe, and enduring.
Disclaimer
The cost figures and estimates in this article are for general guidance only. Prices for blocks, cement, sand, gravel, and labour vary by parish, supplier, and market conditions in Jamaica. Every building project is unique, and actual costs may differ depending on site conditions, transport fees, and contractor rates. Always seek quotes from licensed professionals and suppliers before starting any construction project.