Brick construction pros and cons. Advantages and disadvantages of brick houses

Brick houses- bright, beautiful. Brick is the most solid, durable material, which is not afraid of fire and can be easily finished with plaster. Such a house is little susceptible to atmospheric and biological influences. Brick is environmentally friendly: it is manufactured. from fusible clays and loams in pure form or mixed with sand, ash, sawdust. After firing or steaming, they acquire stone-like properties.

A brick house is well protected from fire, but if a fire does occur, the brickwork loses up to 60–70% of its strength.

However, this material also has disadvantages. First of all, the price is high. It applies both to the high-quality brick itself and to the remuneration of qualified specialists required for high-quality masonry brick walls. Brick walls require a strong and massive foundation. A common soil, loam, swells in winter, that is, due to freezing of water, the volume increases. This swelling is uneven. And brick walls are very sensitive to even minor vibrations. In these conditions, the foundation must be made very strong.

Brick has high thermal conductivity, which means that although it warms up quickly, without additional insulation it will retain heat worse. In addition, building a house from stone is much more expensive than from wood.

If you like this material, think about all the details. It is very important to consider for what purpose the house is being built.

For example, if it is a dacha. In winter it is cold. You come to snowmobile or ski and warm up the house. The wooden one will warm up quickly. Brick requires a minimum of six hours. But even so, it will only warm up inside. If the winter is cold, then the wall will also remain cold. Then moisture will form in the middle of the wall, at the border of heat and cold. Water will get into the cracks of the brick, and before it has time to dry, it will begin to evaporate. After you leave, the house will cool down. Inside brickwork the water will freeze. And when you come back in one or two weeks, light the stove or turn on the heating, the moisture will accumulate even more and harden again. Gradually cracks will appear and the brick will collapse. So brick is more suitable if you will live in the house permanently. But the tree is also suitable for summer residents.

What is a brick? At first, rectangular clay blocks were simply dried in the sun. Later they began to be fired in kilns, thanks to which they became more durable. This technology has reached us almost unchanged.
Brick is used to build multi-storey buildings and small cottages, churches and factories, fences and bridges. But today brick is used less often: an alternative has appeared.

BRICK'S COMPETITORS

Reinforced concrete structures make it possible to build houses of great height, with spans of many meters. Thanks to such technologies, brick began to disappear from industrial construction. As a rule, brick workshops can be seen in factories built before the mid-20th century.

When constructing one-story workshops of modern enterprises, lightweight “sandwiches” of metal and insulation are often used.

In housing construction, a significant market share is occupied by block and monolithic structures; there are quite a few new brick high-rise buildings. It is difficult to build a building taller than 16–20 floors from brick, because... the structures are too heavy.

In the construction of low-rise buildings, competitors became cellular concrete (foam and aerated concrete), wood, frame structures. They are more affordable, weigh less, and therefore do not require such a strong and deep foundation. Concrete blocks larger, which means construction progresses much faster. Their thermal conductivity is lower, therefore the walls can be thinner.
Houses made from calibrated and laminated timber are assembled directly at the factory. They are then disassembled, transported to the construction site and quickly assembled.

Various options for technologies using a frame also allow you to build a house quickly.

The weight of the building is reduced, the amount of work is reduced, workers are needed with a lower level of qualifications, and construction times also become shorter. All this shook the position of the brick.

The construction of brickwork is labor-intensive work that requires appropriate qualifications. The seams should look smooth and beautiful, especially if finishing is not intended.

Normally, for heat conservation, a wall made of solid brick should be about one and a half meters wide. From hollow brick - 770 mm. Made from porous large-format bricks - 510 mm. This is if you do not use insulation. For economic reasons, it is always used today. It is much easier to build walls from other materials and finish them with a layer of facing bricks, decorative tiles or large decorative panels, which look like a masonry area.

Among the advantages of high-quality brick are strength, durability, and environmental friendliness. Over the years, this brick only becomes more attractive. Aging artificial materials or concrete is rarely so noble. Therefore, brick in our time has become a material for wealthy architectural gourmets.

BRICK CHARACTERISTICS

The brand of brick is indicated by the letter “M” and a digital index. The number indicates how much load 1 sq.m. can withstand. such a brick.

Depending on the compressive strength, bricks are divided into grades: 75, 100, 125, 150, 200, 250, 300 and higher.

Bricks of grades M75 and M100 are suitable for the construction of a 2-3 storey building; grades higher than M125 - for walls of multi-storey buildings. Grades from M150 are used in foundations and plinths. It should be borne in mind that the strength of the masonry depends not only on the brick, but also on the brand of mortar and the quality of the masonry. Note that brands of hollow and solid bricks are measured on the same scale: hollow and solid bricks of the same brand have the same strength.

The frost resistance of a brick is measured by the number of freeze-thaw cycles that the product can withstand; in the documentation it is designated by the letter “F”. It largely depends on the degree of moisture absorption by the material. In the Central region of Russia, it is recommended to use building bricks with frost resistance of at least 15–25 cycles.

TYPES OF BRICKS

Ceramic brick. It is made of clay (usually red). It is fired in a kiln at temperatures up to 1000°C. It is used in the foundation, used for load-bearing and interior walls, they line buildings with it and decorate them from the inside; stoves and fireplaces are made from it (with the exception of places in direct contact with fire). This brick is resistant to exposure to factors environment. Ceramic bricks can be hollow, solid, embossed, smooth and cladding bricks. It can be red-brown, yellow, apricot or almost white– it depends on the color of the clay.

Sand-lime brick. It is made from sand and lime. It can be solid, hollow and porous. Its color is most often white. Sometimes pigments are added to it to create a different color.

Sand-lime brick is less durable in compression, less frost-resistant, and absorbs water more easily than ceramic brick. Its advantage is high sound insulation characteristics. Therefore, it is suitable for the construction of internal and load-bearing walls of cottages. It is also used as facing. It is categorically not recommended for foundations.

Clinker bricks are produced almost like ceramic bricks, but with more high temperature(1200°C). In addition, refractory clays are added to it. Due to the high temperature during firing, foreign inclusions and voids are excluded, the brick is different high strength. Such bricks do not come below grade M 400. Clinker bricks also have increased frost resistance, resist moisture and are almost unaffected by alkalis and salts. All this allows them to pave paths, patios, and drainage systems. It is used to solve a variety of problems landscape design. Special facade clinker can be of any color, at the request of the customer.

TYPES OF BRICK (HOLLOW, PORIZED AND SOLID)

Solid bricks - without holes - are used in foundations and plinths, sometimes they are used to line external walls, but to ensure the necessary thermal conductivity, such walls must be thick, about two meters.

Hollow bricks have through holes, which reduces the thermal conductivity of the material - the more voids, the smaller it is. Walls made of hollow bricks can be made much thinner, about 1.2 m, and the house will still be warm. By reducing the weight of the masonry, the load on the foundation is reduced.

Porous brick has the best thermal conductivity properties. Special components are added to the clay from which it is made, which burn out during firing, leaving tiny closed pores. Pores do not affect strength, and the product becomes lighter. The first and second allow you to increase the size of the brick, simplify the masonry, and build walls faster. Ridges and grooves are made on the side faces of porous bricks, which improves the thermal insulation of walls, reduces mortar costs and eliminates the need to make vertical mortar joints. The wall can be plastered or face brick laid. A wall made of porous bricks, which guarantees excellent thermal insulation characteristics of the building, can be 50 cm thick.

BRICK FINISH

Due to the unique properties of brick, it is used in the construction of stoves and fireplaces. This beautiful material. It evokes many associations and creates a mood. All this gives rise to a huge range of facing bricks.

It can be of a regular shape or long and narrow, as thick as a normal brick (solid or hollow) or thin as a tile. Color ranges from soft pastel tones to rich flowers. The surface can be smooth, textured, matte, shiny glazed. From this variety one can compose and lay out the most complex drawings. The classic version is a seemingly chaotic combination of bricks of similar shades: from light orange to brown or from white to yellowish. Such diversity enlivens the most boring wall.

The technology for making finishing bricks is no different from the technology for making regular bricks. In ancient kilns, bricks that were closer to the fire were sintered and melted. The surface of such bricks darkened and streaks appeared on it. The fact was that the temperature in the kiln at that time was impossible to regulate so finely that all the bricks would be in the same conditions. Burnt bricks were written off as a manufacturing defect and thrown away. However, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, architects decided to use it as an unusual and beautiful material for finishing buildings and paving paths.

Those same old, defective, burnt bricks are very popular today among collectors and architects. Just like those bricks that were used, because each manufacturer put a special stamp on the bricks, so the briquettes have their own face. Some companies are engaged in the search and sale of collectible bricks. Sometimes they find such large quantities that they are enough to decorate the entrance to a building, a section of a wall, or even the entire house.

People are accustomed to thinking that brick houses generally have only one advantage. In general, of course, this is true, but in addition to the advantages, there are also disadvantages that you should definitely be aware of. Knowing such disadvantages of brick houses can help people make their choice.

Cons of brick houses

If people need new house V urgently, then brick for construction work It won’t suit them in any way, because brick houses take quite a long time to build, due to the small size of this material. This minus applies to absolutely all types of brick, so there is no need to look for exceptions.

Also, brick houses are usually not built in winter period, because then the house will take even longer to build. So winter construction brick house It’s better not to start and wait until the warm season, for example until spring, or until summer.

In order to warm up the house in winter, you will have to spend a lot of time, but this material perfectly retains heat in the house for a long time.

Weight

Due to the fact that brick weighs quite a lot, it can be inconvenient to lay and transport. Workers will take much more for the construction of a brick house Money, because this process will take them a lot of time. Also, brick houses can be extremely inconvenient to pick up and transport to another place, and it will no longer be possible to build from this material good home, because when disassembling the bricks may be damaged. If people are used to frequently moving from place to place, then it is better for them not to choose brick for building a private house.

Due to the fact that brick houses take a long time to heat, the owners of the living space will spend much more time more money on public utilities, and this is a very significant minus.

In addition to building a house, you will also have to spend money on interior decoration of the walls, and if you build a house from wood, you will not need to spend money on decoration.

Time

Also, when building a brick house you will have to for a long time wait until the foundation settles. Only after this will it be possible to begin the actual construction of the brick house. In addition to this, you will still need to choose right place for building a house with good soil.

Price

If monolithic is chosen for construction brick house, the pros and cons of such a building should definitely be taken into account. It is a building for the construction of which bricks, reinforcement structure and concrete mass are used. As a rule, in such buildings, concrete is used to create the frame part of the entire structure, but bricks are used to create the walls and exterior decoration.

Features of monolithic brick type houses

Almost every person knows what a monolithic brick house is. The principle of its construction is as follows: if the house has several floors, then a reinforced concrete frame is made on a slab or foundation. In this case, removable formwork is used, which will be transported from one floor to another. In addition, permanent formwork can be used for construction. Floor slabs and columns, which are also supports, are poured.

Brick is the oldest material used in construction. Such buildings were erected back in the days Ancient Rome. But monolithic buildings are more new option. It was invented at the beginning of the twentieth century in Germany, and this type of construction almost immediately became one of the most popular. In the early 90s, monolithic brick houses began to appear more and more often in Russia.

For such construction, hollow bricks are usually used. One-and-a-half and double solid-type bricks are used to reduce material costs for cubic meter. In addition, such building construction is carried out much faster. For the frame, reinforcement is used, which has a cross-section of 1-1.2 cm. Formwork can be made using any material.

Monolithic brick houses have the following features:

There is no set layout in such houses, so apartment owners will be able to independently choose how many rooms they need and how they will be located.
The construction of such structures is typical for the central and southern regions of the country. This is explained by the fact that the climate here is favorable for such construction. But in the northern regions, weather conditions make this process difficult.
Most houses of this type have autonomous heating systems, which are already planned in the design of the entire building. Such heating costs owners 3 times less than centralized heating. But in houses where centralized heating is immediately planned, it is quite difficult to switch to an autonomous system.

Since brick walls, as a rule, are made of several layers (that is, there must be an internal layer, insulation and cladding), in order to maintain the reliability and rigidity of the structure, all elements are connected with reinforcement and masonry mesh. If masons do not have sufficient experience, then they do not understand the importance of the fact that the masonry must be strengthened. As a rule, builders consider this an overkill, thinking that the ceilings can be supported on brick walls. The wall will be open if the masonry is laid on monolithic slab without support, and then fix everything with cement. The walls will begin to gradually bend after the support-type structures shrink. As a result, cracks and other defects will appear.

This can subsequently lead to moisture entering the walls through cracks, especially during rains with oblique streams. Then the brick sticks out and gets washed away cement mortar. These defects can cause big problems, so it is necessary to take a set of measures to prevent the destruction of the building. Even if you follow all the technology, the likelihood of cracks appearing in the first years of use of the building still remains, even if the shrinkage is minimal and uniform.

To prevent cracks from appearing, you must do the following:

Use sand concrete High Quality for screed. To make the material plastic, it is necessary to add a plasticizer to the mixture. In addition, reinforcement and the use of expansion joints are also important.
Even if a seamless type of tile is used, it should be glued, leaving small indentations. Use crosses.
It is recommended to use fiberglass when constructing the ceiling and walls. Thanks to it, the likelihood of cracks appearing on the finishing layer is reduced to a minimum.
Parquet-type boards can be laid not on a screed, but on plywood. This option allows you to make the structure floating.

In addition, there are other nuances that must be taken into account.

Advantages and disadvantages of a monolithic brick house

A brick-monolithic house has the following advantages:

The frame, which is made of monolithic reinforced concrete, is distinguished by its ability to withstand seismic vibrations.
The materials used are environmentally friendly.
Saving materials.
You can build a monolithic house, while relying only on individual project, so the layout will be at the residents’ choice.
The building can have any configuration.
The house will last for about 200 years.
No seams.
To build walls outside, you can use bricks with different shades and textures. Thanks to this, you can get beautiful brick houses.
The subsidence rate of the house is minimal, so cracks appear extremely rarely.
The load on the foundation is significantly less than that of other types of buildings.
Construction will not take much time due to its lightness.
Typically, the ceiling height in such apartments is from 3 m.
Thanks to modern technologies, it is possible to reliably protect a building and keep it warm. For example, brick facades are additionally insulated mineral wool. You can also line these walls to protect them from wind and precipitation.
The house, which is made of brick and reinforced concrete, is very durable.
You can build a tall building.
Construction can be carried out all year without interruption. To do this, it is additionally necessary to use additives for frost resistance.

In addition, brick-monolithic construction also has a number of disadvantages, which include the following:

The monolithic frame transmits sounds and vibrations well.
The thermal conductivity index is quite high.
If permanent formwork made of foam blocks is used to build a house, then high temperatures (more than 90°C) are dangerous for such a building. Then it is necessary to carry out additional plastering work or sheathe the building with non-combustible materials. Moreover, such work should be carried out both indoors and outdoors.
Such buildings can be built even in urban conditions, when the area for construction is very small.
Grounding is required for such a house, since the frame is made of reinforced concrete.
To build such a house, you need to use special equipment. For example, these are taps, mortar pumps, concrete mixers, etc.

In addition, there are other features that should always be taken into account.

Construction technology for private and multi-storey buildings

Construction of monolithic brick houses is a fast process. If you need to build a private house, then the instructions will be as follows:

First prepare the site for construction. Mark the territory.
Lay a strip foundation. It must be monolithic.
Install the frame with reinforcement.
Install permanent formwork. It is recommended that the wall thickness be 30-50 cm.
Next, work with concrete. In order to build a house with 1 floor, it will take about a couple of weeks.
To make partitions inside the house, you can use bricks.

For exterior finishing, plaster, brick and other materials are suitable.

Construction technology multi-storey building will be like this:

Draw up a project with all necessary documentation. Be sure to make all calculations and check them.
Then carry out excavation work, that is, dig a hole.
Build a monolithic beam foundation.
Formation of a frame with reinforcement.
Arrangement of formwork.
The frame, which is located in the formwork, is filled with concrete.

When the concrete is completely dry, you need to remove the formwork and move it to the next floor. Now you can begin building the next floor. But the frame needs to be equipped for the entire building at once. When several floors have already been completed, you can begin to build partitions and external walls. To do this, it is recommended to use silicate or ceramic bricks. At the same time as building new levels of the building, it is necessary to connect electricity and deal with other utility networks.

Formwork and redevelopment

Due to the fact that the walls in a monolithic brick house have columns in the form of supports, apartments in such buildings can be redeveloped. Moreover, you can choose any option that you like, make arches, openings in the walls, etc. But you need to remember some rules that must be followed so that the planning in the future will be completely legal. They are as follows:

It is prohibited to dismantle walls, beams, load-bearing supports, and ventilation. It is forbidden to bury wiring in the walls and gas pipes, risers from a centralized heating system.
If you need to change the gasification system or water supply, you need to contact special services. It is prohibited to carry out such work yourself.
It is prohibited to place a bathroom above the neighbors’ living space and kitchen.
Fire-fighting devices must not be removed.
If you need to redesign a kitchen, bathroom or bathroom, then everything should first be agreed upon with the neighbors.
The area of living rooms must be at least 9 square meters. m, and the width of the room must be at least 2 m and 25 cm. Heating system radiators and windows must be present.
It is forbidden to increase the territory of the utility room at the expense of living rooms, but you can make a larger corridor.

For the construction of a monolithic brick house, 2 formwork options are used. First of all, it's removable. It can be used many times. Secondly, it is not removable. It is only disposable. As for the latter, this one is perfect for the construction of one-story buildings. For houses with several floors, this option is allowed, but they are used scaffolding. To create such formwork, walls are made of hollow slabs. For this, a wood-cement composition or polystyrene foam is used. The slabs or composition are attached using metal ties. All that remains is to pour into the space between the plates concrete mortar and wait until it hardens. As a result, the wall will include 3 layers. Thanks to this, it has excellent thermal insulation and sound insulation properties. In addition, facades can be additionally insulated with mineral wool or expanded polystyrene. It is recommended to use screeds that have a coating with anti-corrosion properties.

Conclusion

If the house is monolithic and brick is also used, then such a building is very convenient. It is created from concrete, reinforcement and brick. Like all other types of structures, it has its advantages and disadvantages.

The main task of any owner is to purchase their own home. But some take a more difficult path and build their own house. Brick has been used to build houses for centuries. And this is confirmed by bricks architectural monuments, which are already hundreds of years old. But modern technologies do not stand still and today new building materials are constantly appearing, which in their characteristics can surpass the old proven material for construction - brick.

It is worth noting that brick, despite this, does not give up its position; it is considered a worthy competitor to any modern know-how.

Features of brick houses

Brick buildings retain their attractive appearance long years. Also such houses very warm and fire resistant, and this is an irresistible argument for modern man when choosing materials for construction. After all, everyone wants to live in a house and be confident in its reliability and durability.

Naturally, the final result depends not only on the type of material, but also on its quality. It is best to use ceramic bricks with holes during construction; they are the ones that can provide the necessary degree of heat and sound insulation.

Experts say that another an undeniable advantage is durability of brick buildings. If no technological errors were made during the work, then such buildings will not require overhaul.

Fire resistance- this is not the only operational point when using brick houses. Living in such a house, you should not be afraid that its walls will be damaged by insects, for example, like wood. Also, the brick is not subject to rotting processes, which allows it to withstand any aggressive natural conditions.

It is thanks to these and many other advantages that brick houses have not lost their relevance for many centuries.

True, it is worth remembering that during construction it is very important comply with all process rules. The weather conditions in which the brick laying was carried out can sometimes play an important role. To get a strong and high-quality building, you should not engage in construction on days when there is precipitation or severe frosts outside.

The only thing that stops many users is the high cost of not only the material itself, but also the construction work itself. True, those who decided to invest in the construction of a brick house did not regret their choice, because they now have high-quality, warm housing that will last for many years. Therefore on construction market Brick houses are considered the most attractive options today.

Advantages

Houses made of brick are distinguished by their strength and durability. And these are not empty words. Confirmation of the reliability of such building material Any building that has stood and not lost its qualities for more than one century can become.
Brick buildings quite hardy to any aggressive influences surrounding nature. Builders claim that if you use high quality material and follow all the rules of the technological process, then a brick house will not require major repairs for about 100 years.

The brick is completely environmentally friendly building material, which contains water, sand and clay. Therefore, living in a brick house will not affect the health of its inhabitants in any way.
The peculiarity of the brick is its high frost resistance, because even in Siberia, where there are regularly severe frosts, brick is used to build houses. It is worth noting that in hot summer days The brick house remains pleasantly cool.
The main advantage of brick houses is their high fire safety, because brick is a fire-resistant material.
Another advantage of brick buildings is high sound resistance. A house whose walls are made of bricks can protect its inhabitants from prying minds.
Brick also has an advantage in terms of versatility and aesthetics. After all, the most original and interesting architectural ideas can be realized from such material. Since the bricks are small in size, technological process does not require innovation and remains unchanged since ancient times.

Flaws

High cost of construction work. Building a house made of brick is much more expensive than buildings made of aerated concrete or wood. The cost increases not only due to the high price of the brick itself, but also due to the need to use additional materials.
It takes much longer to build a house made of brick than when working with other building materials.
The technological process for the construction of brick buildings is required big number workers and additional construction materials.
When building a brick house, it is worth considering the weight of the material. The mass of such walls is significant, so it requires special attention to create a foundation. It should be more massive and durable. And this complicates the construction process, requiring additional costs and time. The service life largely depends on the quality of the foundation, since when solid foundation You should not be afraid that as a result of shrinkage, the walls will begin to crack and collapse.

Therefore, when choosing a building material for building a house, you should consider all the points and your capabilities. Of course, building a brick house will require a lot of time, workers and materials, but the result will be worth it, as you will get a cozy, strong and warm home. It is the quality of housing that is important for every owner.

Brick houses are very popular because this building material allows you to get a strong and durable structure. However, brick is different from brick, because there are many varieties of this material. If you decide to choose to build a house from this material, then you should not only understand the types of bricks, but also know the advantages and disadvantages of brick buildings. We hope our article and owner reviews will help you make the right choice.

Material characteristics

To designate the brand of this material, a combination of the letter “M” and a digital designation is used. This marking indicates the load one can withstand. square meter brick surface. Depending on the compressive strength of the brick, there are grades of this product: 75, 100, 125, as well as 150, 200, and so on in increments of every 50 units.
The frost resistance of this building material is determined by the number of cycles of alternating freezing and thawing that the brick can withstand without receiving visible damage and reducing strength by no more than 20 percent. The frost resistance of bricks is indicated by the letter “F” and a number, which indicates the number of cycles.

If you decide to build a two- and three-story brick house, then you will need grade 75 or 100 brick. Products starting from grade 125 and above are used in construction multi-storey buildings. To build the foundation of a house or its base, you will need a material with a higher compressive strength, so here it is worth using products with a grade of at least 150.

Important: it is worth remembering that the strength and durability of the masonry depend not only on the characteristics of the brick used, but also on the brand of mortar, as well as the quality and correctness of the masonry work. In addition, do not forget that the grades of solid and hollow bricks are calculated on the same scale.

As for frost resistance, it largely depends on the water absorption of the material. The lower the water absorption of the brick, the higher its frost resistance. Clinker bricks have the highest frost resistance characteristics and low water absorption rates. That is why it is often used as cladding for buildings.

Advice: for the central regions of our country, building bricks with frost resistance of at least 15-25 successive cycles are suitable.

Types of bricks

When listing the pros and cons of a brick house, one cannot fail to take into account the characteristics of the material from which it is made, because there are several types of bricks, differing in technical and performance characteristics. And sometimes the owner of a brick house, dissatisfied with some qualities of the building, does not understand that the reason for this incorrect choice type of brick for making wall tubs or cladding.

So, there are several types of bricks:

Ceramic brick most often made from red clay. The product is fired in a furnace at temperatures reaching up to 1000°C. This material is used for laying load-bearing walls and interior partitions. It is used when arranging the foundation, in building cladding, interior decoration. Fireplaces and stoves are made from it, but not those parts that come into contact with the fire. This material is quite durable negative impact weather factors. Ceramic products are divided into hollow, solid, smooth and textured elements for external and internal wall cladding. The shade of this material can range from red-brown to light beige. It depends on the type and color of clay used.
Sand-lime brick made from a mixture of lime and sand. Its shade is most often white, but sometimes other colors are obtained by adding pigments. The material can be hollow, solid and porous. If we compare sand-lime brick, its frost resistance is lower than that of ceramic products, and its thermal conductivity is higher, so a house made of such material will be quite cold. In addition, the material absorbs water more easily, but has soundproofing characteristics sand-lime brick much higher than ceramic. This type is best used for laying load-bearing walls under cladding and internal partitions. It is categorically not recommended to be used for laying foundations.
Clinker brick made from refractory clays. The product is fired at a temperature of about 1200°C. Firing at such a high temperature allows us to obtain a homogeneous product without voids, which is highly durable. The grade of clinker bricks cannot be lower than 400. The advantages of this material include increased frost resistance, low water absorption, and resistance to salts and alkalis. That is why clinker is successfully used for cladding facades, paving paths and platforms, arranging gutters and landscaping items. The material is often used in the interior. Facade clinker bricks are distinguished by a wealth of colors and textures.

If you decide to build a house made of brick, the pros and cons of which we are considering, then you should know that brick can be:

full-bodied;
hollow;
porous.

Solid products are distinguished by high compressive strength, therefore the bases and plinths of buildings are often made from this material, and external structures are laid out. load-bearing walls and columns. However, due to its dense, homogeneous structure, the material has a fairly high thermal conductivity, so solid brick walls must be additionally insulated. Masonry without insulation can keep a house warm only if the wall thickness is significant - from 640 mm to 1000 mm.

Hollow bricks have through holes that reduce the thermal conductivity of the material. The more voids filled with air, the higher the thermal insulation qualities of the product. The elements are suitable for laying external and interior walls Houses. At the same time, due to the voids, the thickness of the external walls can be small, while the thermal conductivity of external structures will be low, so you can do without additional insulation of the walls. Also thanks to the voids specific gravity one element is less, which reduces the load on the foundation.

Porous products (gas block and foam block) have the highest thermal insulation qualities, but the strength of the material decreases and its specific gravity will be less. To make such elements, special clay additives are used, which burn out after firing and leave behind isolated voids. Such products have increased dimensions, which simplifies and speeds up the process of masonry work. The end parts of the elements have grooves and ridges, which increases the thermal insulation of the walls and allows you to save mortar on making vertical seams.

Important: the outside of such a house must be protected with cladding (plaster, siding or facing brick), since the porous block quickly absorbs water, which reduces its thermal insulation qualities.

Advantages of brick houses

The strength and durability of brick houses is their main advantage. Confirmation of this is the brick buildings of past centuries, which still stand today and are of historical value.
Brick houses are not exposed to negative environmental factors. They are not afraid of heavy rains, winds, frosts, etc.
A well-built and correctly built brick house can last for more than a century without major repairs.
Since only clay, sand and water are used to make bricks, this material is considered environmentally friendly and harmless to humans and the environment.
Brick walls allow the house to “breathe”, which helps create a microclimate favorable for life inside it. It is not hot in such a house in summer, and not cold in severe winter.
Walls made from these products are not susceptible to rot, damage by insects and rodents.
Since brick is a fire-resistant material, one of the main advantages of such houses is fire safety.
An equally important advantage of brick walls is high level soundproofing.
One cannot fail to mention such a plus of the material as its high aesthetic characteristics. Brick can be used to make any details of facades and bring to life even the most unusual ideas of architects.
The technology for making brickwork is quite simple, so if you wish, you can master it and do the work yourself.

Disadvantages of brick houses

The time spent on erecting a brick building will be much longer than on construction frame structure or a wooden house.
Since the brick itself has a significant specific weight, it is necessary to build a strong, deep foundation under the walls of a building made of this material. Therefore, it will take more time and money to complete such a foundation. In addition, the base must be protected from the forces of frost heaving so that the structure is not subject to deformation and the walls do not crack.
If you are going to turn to specialists to carry out the work, then the cost of paying for their labor will also be rather large.
The thermal conductivity of the product is quite high, therefore, despite the fact that the material warms up quickly in winter, the house must be additionally insulated.

Also, when choosing a brick house, you should consider how long and often you plan to live in it. For example, brick is not very suitable for a summer residence for seasonal residence and weekend visits. The thing is that in winter in an unheated house the walls are completely cooled. When you arrive and heat the house, part of the walls will inside will heat up quickly, but moisture will begin to accumulate at the border of the cold and warm parts inside the structure (the so-called dew point).

After you leave and the walls cool down, this moisture will freeze. During your next visit and warming up the house, even more moisture may accumulate in the wall. Thus, over time, the moisture accumulated in the walls will destroy the material from the inside. That is why it is recommended to build a brick house for year-round living, and not as a summer house.