Unreinforced brick construction is actually illegal in many parts of California, possibly all. It's pretty easy to reinforce, though; if you sink rebar through

Unreinforced brick construction is actually illegal in many parts of California, possibly all. It's pretty easy to reinforce, though; if you sink rebar through the brickwork every now & again, it's as resilient as concrete and arguably prettier. Admittedly this is much easier in new construction...