just looked over the fence at next doors extension and noticed the brickies are laying frogs down is that normal now, as when we have had work done the builder said that laying them that way was not as strong,any builders out there
Most facebricks don't even have a frog these days, Fishy. They probably do it because it makes it quicker to lay an even bed on a flat surface. It makes very little difference to the strength.
My father worked as a carpenter in the 1960s but did a bit of bricklaying too. He always had the frog on the bottom of the brick.
Made sense to me. If the frog was up then the first course would have no frog in the mortar bed at all. Also top top course would have the frog exposed which would be weird.
Most bricks these days seem to have holes right through them rather than a frog anyway.