Thinking of building a house for your family and can’t decide if you want a brick house or not? You’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we’ll tell you all about brick houses, their benefits, cost, and much more so stay tuned!
Some people build houses just to live in them for some years and then eventually rent or sell them and move. These kinds of people should opt for wood houses as they’re convenient, easy to build, and most importantly, cheaper.
But, if you’re someone who intends to live in a house for a long, long time, a brick house is for you.
Both wooden and brick houses have their pros and cons, so we’ll talk deep into what these houses are, who they are for, and which option might be the best for your needs.
Introduction
We know for a fact that brick houses have been the way to go for a long time. While some advocate their advantages such as longer lifespan and eco-friendliness, others argue that brick houses are costly and can cause some serious problems when it comes to maintaining the overall appearance and structure of the building.
Now that we know brick houses have advantages and disadvantages, let’s address them below.
Brick Houses: Pros
- Durable
- Low-Maintenance required
- Eco-Friendly
- Less Vulnerable to Weather Transitions
Brick Houses: Cons
- High building cost
- Structural Concerns
- Tougher to paint
To see the Advantages and Disadvantages of brick houses, read on.
Brick Houses: Advantages Explained
Mostly, bricks come in red, brown, and white. Some think that brick houses are a thing of the past but all across the world, especially in the US, you’ll see some of the best-looking houses are made of good old bricks. The reason why most people prefer brick houses over others, even today, is because of their durability and tough nature. They are built to fight the harsh weather changes. From rainstorms to blazing winds, a brick house can withstand all.
Durability
Brick houses are durable. Period. Okay, let us explain. If we were to compare brick houses’ durability with the likes of wood, we’d know that brick houses hold up way better. Other than that, they stand well against high impacts, unlike wood houses.
Impacts are rare but not impossible, if someone accidentally smashes your house with great force, a brick house will most likely absorb that impact, unlike wooden houses.
Other than impacts, brick houses can withstand higher temperatures as well. Most of the ovens you see are made of bricks or clay. The reason why they choose this material is because of its durability against higher temperatures.
If you’re planning to live in a windy area, a brick house would be a good choice for you as brick houses withstand higher winds as well.
Eco Friendly
Brick houses are eco-friendly because they’re made of clay. Clay is a natural substance that just exists in nature. You don’t have to process clay through extreme and toxic chemical reactions to make bricks.
Other than that, bricks are reusable. If you decide to demolish your house, you can use the bricks to build another house making this an eco-friendly option.
Bricks have other uses too, even if you don’t intend to use them for building another house. For example, you can use these bricks to make a mini-garden for your next house.
Surprisingly, bricks can still be used even when they’re at their worst – broken. You can use the broken bricks as sub-base matter.
Bricks can last a long time. When they do start losing their holding power (after a lot of years), they don’t start emitting toxic chemicals into the environment. Since they’re made of natural material – clay, they just degrade back where they started – the environment.
Require Little to No Maintenance
If you’ve built yourself a brick house, forget about maintenance for a while. Bricks are durable and don’t rot and dent like wooden structures.
When it comes to painting your house, some people choose to leave the bricks as they are. The natural brownish-red color can last up to 20 years. After that time span, the colors shift and give a whole new look to the house. It does require some pressure wash every now and then.
Although, it is always recommended to keep an eye on any unusual cracks in bricks (which rarely happen) and check the brick sidings from time to time.
Other than painting and maintenance, let’s talk about ants. Ants can’t eat or rot bricks so that problem is solved, too. Unlike wooden houses, ants have nothing to feed on so they stay away from the house.
Good Isolation (means the balanced temperature inside the house)
Just like water, bricks can store heat in them and when needed, they release the heat stabilizing the internal temperature of the house. When there are harsh temperatures, a brick house can save you from an excessive electricity bill thanks to its heat storing capacity.
This brings us to our next point, which is:
Bricks can store energy – heat (just like water)
When it comes to building houses, bricks are one of the most energy-efficient natural resources to build with. With their high value of storing heat (Specific heat capacity of 0.83 J/K), they can store heat throughout the day, and release the heat at night, maintaining the temperature.
You can put the cherry on top by insulating your brick houses to produce even greater results.
Diversity in Design with Brick Houses
A lot of people think of boring and the same style when they imagine bricks. Well, that’s not the case. Modern bricks come in all shapes and sizes, and guess what? Colors, too. From yellow to brown, and gray to red, they come in all.
House designers today can choose from a wide range of brick styles and colors increasing the design possibilities to a whole new level. When it comes to the exterior, we already explained that bricks can be used without paint as well. Other than giving your house exterior a mesmerizing look, bricks can make the house exterior resistant to water which brings us to our next point.
Brick Houses Block Sound
A solid brick wall can dampen sound levels up to 54dB. Since brick walls are dense and thick, they don’t let any sound pass through them.
Unlike wooden walls where noise is always a problem, consider building a brick house if you have noisy neighbors.
High Resale Value
Since brick walls are thick and dense, they’re less likely to be damaged or lose their value. A brick house can last a lifetime, and beyond which makes it maintain its structure, and hence, value.
Unlike wood houses, brick houses require little to no maintenance and can last for decades. If you go to any European country, you’ll see old town halls made of brick and they’re still standing strong, even after hundreds of years.
FYI: Brick Houses insurance is around 8 percent cheaper than other houses.
Less Prone to Water Damage
Bricks are one of the toughest and most durable materials against harsh weather conditions such as rain, snow cycles, and extremely humid weather.
Other materials such as wood, on the other hand, are more prone to water damage. When you build a brick house, stop worrying about rotting, heat, frost, or any kind of harsh weather.
Fire Resistant Exterior
If you want to burn bricks, you’d have to burn them to a high temperature of 1093 degrees Celsius (2000 degrees Fahrenheit). This temperature is often not achieved in house fires.
Clay bricks are fire resistant to up to 1-4 hours of the continuing fire. Woodhouses, on the other hand, cannot withstand just a little fire as wood is highly combustible while brick is not.
(when it comes to the interior, try not to put too much wooden furniture to avoid the unnecessary spread of fire.
Brick Houses: Disadvantages Explained
There’s no doubt that bricks are always superior to wood when it comes to durability but is it the ideal material and the best of the best choice to build a house? Well, not quite. Below, we’ve explained some of the disadvantages of bricks and brick houses so that you can decide whether it’s the right choice for you or not.
It’s Expensive to Paint a Brick House
Yes, brick houses are usually expensive to paint. Not only expensive but also extremely difficult to paint because bricks are different from wood. Wood has a flat surface making it easier to paint while bricks have a crusty surface.
Additionally, bricks have small holes on their surface which absorb most of the paint, this takes more material to paint.
While it costs only $3000 to paint an average wood house, the cost of painting brick can go up to 7-8000 USD (for an average 2500 sq ft house).
High Repairing Cost
Every once in a while, some things need to be repaired in any house. If there’s some damage done to any of the walls, the repairing cost will always be higher than vinyl or wood.
The material needed for repair is expensive, and since brick walls are tougher to repair, the person who’s repairing will charge you more.
FYI: A brick wall can cost from 1000 to 1500 dollars to repair (on average)
Once Built, Brick Houses are Expensive to Redesign
Brick houses are built via extremely tough and firm materials such as cement. Once you build a brick house, don’t even think about remodeling it without breaking your wallet.
As we stated earlier, bricks come in a variety of shapes and sizes. When you think of remodeling the house, you need to match the new bricks with older bricks to keep up with the size.
Last but not least, brick houses are more labor-intensive to repair. So, be sure to pay the construction company some good money for remodeling the brick house.
Sudden Temperature Fluctuations Cannot Be Handled By Brick Houses
Yes, we did say that brick houses stand well against extreme temperatures and weather conditions but when it comes to the sudden changes in the atmospheric conditions, brick houses can’t withstand that.
With sudden temperature changes and fluctuations, brick walls can expand damaging the house structure. So, if you’re planning to build a house where there’s frequent fluctuation in temperature, we suggest you avoid this option.
Now that we’ve explained the upsides and downsides of building a brick house, the ball is in your court.
Considering all the advantages and disadvantages, decide for yourself what kind of house you want to build that fits your needs.
Still can’t decide if you should build a brick house? See this table. Yes, we’ve compiled a table for your convenience so that you can decide based on your preferences.
You Should Build a Brick House: IF you want
- An eco-friendly option
- A durable exterior
- Don’t want to worry about maintenance for a while
- A fire-resistant home
- A water-resistant option
- To live in harsh conditions
- A noise-blocking house (definitely if the neighborhood is noisy)
- You’re considering reselling in the future
- A Stylish overall exterior look
You Shouldn’t Build a Brick House: IF
- The high repairing cost is your concern
- You want to paint the brick walls (tough and expensive)
- Live in a muddy neighborhood as the brick structures will shift over time
- Live in a climate where sudden temperature changes and fluctuations are frequent
- You want to build the house and remodel it (pretty expensive)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Brick Houses
What are the cons of a brick house?
- Brick structure i.e., walls can shift over time
- Limited choices if you want a colorful exterior
- Brick houses can’t withstand sudden fluctuations in temperature
- Remodeling is hard and expensive
What are the benefits of a brick house?
The benefits of a brick houses include:
- They block most of the outside noise
- Brick is fire resistant
- Less prone to water damage
- Require little to no maintenance
- Brick is more durable than wood
- Provides good insulation
- Brick houses are eco-friendly.
Is a brick house good?
Certainly. Brick houses are the best choices for building your next house. But, if your next house is going to be built in a harsh environment, you might want to consider reading this article where we explain if you should consider building a brick house or not.
What is the lifespan of a brick house?
A brick house, when maintained properly, can last up to 500 years. On average, brick houses are known to last AT LEAST 100 years.
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