5 ms·

Agreed. Bricks aren’t great for construction. Not structural, poor R-value, a ton of labor. Just have concrete poured or stick frame and a fake brick facade. W

Agreed. Bricks aren’t great for construction. Not structural, poor R-value, a ton of labor. Just have concrete poured or stick frame and a fake brick facade. Will probably last longer as well. Seems like the wrong problem to solve.

com2kid 5y ago
Bricks can last a long time. Brick houses also hold their value well. No one cares about a brick facade. Also why do you say bricks aren't structural? I assumed those 100 year old brick houses used bricks for structural support.
- turtlebits 5y ago
  Bricks are for decorative purposes nowadays (pretty siding). They aren't practical as you won't meet code for insulation. You will also need to frame another interior wall for vapor control. A single layer brick wall isn't structural.
  - uCantCauseUCant 5y ago
    There are foam bricks which meet the insulation codes in europe - in one wall with no additions. Will all be special waste though one day.
  - MagnumOpus 5y ago
    > A single layer brick wall isn't structural My 92-year old house with single layer brick walls says otherwise. (And yes, it insulates badly, but it kept standing through a lot of storms.)
    - danans 5y ago
      > My 92-year old house with single layer brick walls says otherwise. ( Not structural by current building standards. No doubt it is carrying a load today, bit you can't build a house that way anymore.
- robocat 5y ago
  Structural bricks absolutely suck if you are in a high earthquake risk zone. Earthquakes or slumping really screw up brick buildings (and brick façades).
- mypalmike 5y ago
  Even in 100 year old brick houses (like the 1920s craftsman I once owned), the brick is almost always non-structural. Only in old urban commercial buildings do you typically find structural bricks.
fy20 5y ago
What you are talking about are facing bricks, which are used on the facade. In Europe almost all new residential construction is made from masonry blocks, which are basically just bigger bricks. They are structural (in terms of compression, but have low tensile strength which is probably why they aren't popular in North America) They have a good R-value They are easy to work with We are building a house right now, and the cheapest, quickest and easiest part so far has been building the walls. We are using clay blocks[0] which are R-10. Compared to other tasks no specialised equipment is needed, it's literally just manual labour. When you get to a corner or window, they can easily be cut with an angle grinder or even by hand (for a rougher finish). The house is two floors and the exterior walls for each floor took less than a week to build. It's quicker (building forms takes a long time), cheaper, better insulating and better for the environment than monolithic concrete. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__T8PWnntkU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__T8PWnntkU - Not this exact product, but this was the best explanation I could find in English.
- 123pie123 5y ago
  > but have low tensile strength which is probably why they aren't popular in North America) out of curiosity, why do the blocks need to be different in North America?
  - throwaway0a5e 5y ago
    The person appears to be from Europe. If HN is the bulk of their exposure to mundane topics regarding the US I can see why they'd be unaware that California building codes are not representative of the rest of the nation.
    - DaiPlusPlus 5y ago
      But not your Texan school textbook regulations…
      - throwaway0a5e 5y ago
        Meh, every state has crap curriculum. They all just skip different chapters of history or science depending on the way the local political winds blow.

com2kid 5y ago

Bricks can last a long time. Brick houses also hold their value well. No one cares about a brick facade. Also why do you say bricks aren't structural? I assumed those 100 year old brick houses used bricks for structural support.

turtlebits 5y ago
Bricks are for decorative purposes nowadays (pretty siding). They aren't practical as you won't meet code for insulation. You will also need to frame another interior wall for vapor control. A single layer brick wall isn't structural.
- uCantCauseUCant 5y ago
  There are foam bricks which meet the insulation codes in europe - in one wall with no additions. Will all be special waste though one day.
- MagnumOpus 5y ago
  > A single layer brick wall isn't structural My 92-year old house with single layer brick walls says otherwise. (And yes, it insulates badly, but it kept standing through a lot of storms.)
  - danans 5y ago
    > My 92-year old house with single layer brick walls says otherwise. ( Not structural by current building standards. No doubt it is carrying a load today, bit you can't build a house that way anymore.
robocat 5y ago
Structural bricks absolutely suck if you are in a high earthquake risk zone. Earthquakes or slumping really screw up brick buildings (and brick façades).
mypalmike 5y ago
Even in 100 year old brick houses (like the 1920s craftsman I once owned), the brick is almost always non-structural. Only in old urban commercial buildings do you typically find structural bricks.

fy20 5y ago

What you are talking about are facing bricks, which are used on the facade. In Europe almost all new residential construction is made from masonry blocks, which are basically just bigger bricks. They are structural (in terms of compression, but have low tensile strength which is probably why they aren't popular in North America) They have a good R-value They are easy to work with We are building a house right now, and the cheapest, quickest and easiest part so far has been building the walls. We are using clay blocks[0] which are R-10. Compared to other tasks no specialised equipment is needed, it's literally just manual labour. When you get to a corner or window, they can easily be cut with an angle grinder or even by hand (for a rougher finish). The house is two floors and the exterior walls for each floor took less than a week to build. It's quicker (building forms takes a long time), cheaper, better insulating and better for the environment than monolithic concrete. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__T8PWnntkU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__T8PWnntkU - Not this exact product, but this was the best explanation I could find in English.

123pie123 5y ago
> but have low tensile strength which is probably why they aren't popular in North America) out of curiosity, why do the blocks need to be different in North America?
- throwaway0a5e 5y ago
  The person appears to be from Europe. If HN is the bulk of their exposure to mundane topics regarding the US I can see why they'd be unaware that California building codes are not representative of the rest of the nation.
  - DaiPlusPlus 5y ago
    But not your Texan school textbook regulations…
    - throwaway0a5e 5y ago
      Meh, every state has crap curriculum. They all just skip different chapters of history or science depending on the way the local political winds blow.