May

10

2024

Building Tips, Tips & Tricks

Benefits of Building with Bricks

New home trends come as easy as they go, but bricks have gained popularity since the early 1900s and they are not going anywhere. We could talk about bricks all day (you should see the display at our Selections Centre) so we have reigned it in for your reading enjoyment. Here are the benefits of building with bricks and why we think you should love them too:

1. Bricks are low maintenance
2. They’re stylish
3. Suitable to mix with other materials 
4. They’re energy efficient
5. Safe and sustainable for years to come
6. Bricks are a good investment

1. Bricks are low maintenance 

We are all time poor, so learning that bricks don’t require maintenance is the best news. Exactly why we added this benefit first.

Bricks don’t rust, decay, rot or fade. Which means that they don’t require painting, coating or varnishing to maintain their aesthetics and durability. Given they are produced in a kiln (temperatures up to 1200°C), it is no surprise that they are completely weather-proof. This includes extreme conditions – extreme hot and cold climates, bushfires, floods, severe storms and draughts. Because they don’t contain any plant material, they are resistant to pests and withstand heat and humid conditions.

Sure, they might need a brush over every once in a while to get rid of any cobwebs, but that sounds like a perfect job for the kids.

2. They’re stylish

From classic red bricks to off-white, charcoals or the reclaimed look. There is an option to suit your home style. In recent years, there is a wider range of textures and finishes to choose from. Just like these beautiful Brickworks Building Products San Selmo Reclaimed bricks our customers chose.

3. Suitable to mix with other materials 

Bricks are the perfect material choice due to the ease of blending with other buildings and multiple materials. We commonly see new house designs feature a mix of materials on their facades including cladding – fibre cement or steel, render, timber, cultured stone, tiles and/or steel.

This stunning home below mixes steel cladding, render and stackstone for their front façade. You wouldn’t even know it was a brick home until you look around the side. These Blush bricks from Littlehampton Clay Bricks and Pavers are such a stunning choice too. Thankfully this view isn’t lost with this corner block.

4. They’re energy efficient 

As we become more conscious of our carbon footprint, along with the cost of our gas and electricity bills, the energy efficiency of bricks is increasingly preferred.

A home that is cooler in summer and warmer in winter is the ideal arrangement. With a high thermal mass, bricks absorb heat at a slower rate than other materials. Meaning less heat is coming into your home in summer and less escaping out in winter.

5. Safe and sustainable for years to come 

Bricks are made from naturally abundant materials – shale and clay. This makes them an environmentally sensitive option. Given that they also don’t contain any chemicals, artificial compounds or plastics, they provide you with a healthy home to live in.

Both our brick suppliers, Littlehampton Clay Bricks and Pavers and Austral Bricks, have commitments to carbon offsetting their operations. This is innovative manufacturing processes, delivery processes and resource sourcing.

And we can’t look past the good old brick repurposing. If you struggle to think of something that you’ve used a spare brick for, I would think you didn’t grow up in a brick house. There has always been a spare brick around in the houses I have lived in, yes all brick homes too. The spares were always great for holding open a gate, stopping you from reversing too far into the garage (before reversing camera days) or creating a matching letterbox.

If reusing them isn’t your style, they can be recycled. Or there is surely someone on Marketplace that is willing to take them off your hands. It all keep the sustainable wheel turning.

6. Bricks are a good investment

We are going to hit you with the facts and figures here. Through a survey conducted by Think Brick Australia, they discovered that 88 percent of us grew up with the impression that brick is best. And 84 percent of us think you can build a modern-looking home with bricks. Not only does this work well for your build budget, it also works well if you plan to sell your home in the future.

To keep adding to our list of facts, bricks are guaranteed for 100 years from the date of purchase. Unless you have the elixir of life, this is a date you or I won’t see. Meaning that you have a guarantee that your dream home will be built to last.

The perfect investment in Lightsview, South Australia

Whether you are driven by maintenance, style, energy efficiency, sustainability or the long term benefits, these tips and facts have given you the tools to make the choice between building with bricks or other materials.

Looking for more inspiration? Check out preferred brick suppliers, Littlehampton Clay Bricks and Pavers and Austral Bricks.

By Amy Rosendale