> This is really the result of the massive skills loss in the construction industry

The skills weren't lost, just no one wants to pay for them. If ten people can build ten houses in a year, but to do decorative houses they can only do five, hey suddenly the masonry costs on your house have doubled.

> You basically can't get brick work of a quality comparable to what was done 100 years ago any more.

Bricks were mostly used structurally a century ago. In about the late 1930s, most brickwork started being veneer (non-structural). Combined with dramatically increase labour costs as a proportion of overall building cost, it's pretty clear why.

If you want some decorative brickwork done, order a pallet of brick and some bags of mortar and learn how to do it yourself. Anything else is reserved for those with money to burn.