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“The core must be strong”, is what they say. For a house, the core is the bricks. Bricks are the basis of any house. Today bricks come in different types, with an array of different colors, textures, and sizes and each type has its own unique characteristic. The type of bricks for your house has a huge impact on the other aspects of your house like the overall aesthetic appearance, the construction ease, quality, etc.

Choosing brick is an important call in constructing a house. It must complement the style and the décor. Here are the different options of bricks you can choose from: -

Red Bricks or burnt clay bricks – The most traditional as well as the most versatile bricks. These hand mold bricks are manufactured by pressing wet clay into molds, then drying and firing them in kilns. These bricks generally possess good thermal insulation properties (ability to reduce the heat transfer between objects in thermal contact) thereby keeping the house cool during the day and warm during the night. However, the major disadvantage of these bricks is their heavy weight, which means more layers of mortar and extra layers of plaster to cover the walls.

Concrete Bricks – Made of cement, sand, and lightweight aggregates, concrete bricks are also called concrete blocks. Concrete bricks are cheaper than clay bricks, yet stronger than them. Concrete bricks derive their strength from the crushed stone used in their manufacturing. These bricks come in various colors and patterns and usually have a coating of iron oxide pigment on their surface. The main drawback of using these bricks is the concrete shrinkage after installation. This shrinkage creates gaps between the bricks.

Sand Lime Bricks – Sand lime bricks are made by mixing sand, fly ash, and lime. The higher compressive strength of these bricks makes them a good option for multistoried houses. These bricks have excellent acoustic insulation, good heat, and humidity accumulation besides good fire resistance properties. However, these bricks shouldn’t be used for laying foundations, building chimneys, and for pavement purposes because of their ineffective water, fire, and abrasion resistance properties.

Fly Ash Bricks – Fly ash bricks are made with clay and fly ash, which is a by-product of coal burning. These are self-cementing bricks since fly ash contains a high volume of calcium oxide, which expands when exposed to moisture. These bricks are particularly used in masonry units. Because of their lightweight, these bricks are typically used in structural walls, pillars, and foundations. These bricks are good for warm places because they don’t absorb heat. On the other hand, it can make the room temperature considerably lower in cold areas because of the absence of heat retention.

Interlocking bricks – These bricks, as the name suggests, are designed to fit into each other. These bricks are the enhanced form of traditional clay bricks. The self-locking in these bricks is achieved through the shear key and lock mechanism. The shape of the shear key will vary basis the design and a complimentary lock is provided on the opposite end of the brick. Load transfer is achieved by shear transfer and gravity. These are earthquake-resistant bricks and do not require plaster work, hence a neat finish is achievable with these bricks.

Characteristics of good quality bricks

Now that you know about what are the different types of bricks available at your dispense, here are the properties of good quality bricks, that you should know before making a selection of bricks for your home-

They should be fine, dense, uniform, and bright in color

They should be sound and compact

They should be fire resistant and soundproof

They should not break into pieces when dropped on the ground from a height of about 1 meter

The brick should be sufficiently hard and no impression should be left on the surface when it is scratched with a fingernail

So, how do you finally make the choice as to which brick is the right choice for your house? Here are some points that you can keep in mind before selecting the building blocks for your house –

Strength – Strength is an important parameter for quality control in construction and the most essential selection criteria for the selection of bricks. It is the ability of the bricks to withstand the stress caused by factors such as compression, heat, etc.

Life span – House is what most people make once in their lifetime. Hence for the long life of the house, choose the bricks that have a longer lifespan and lesser maintenance requirements.

Handling and storage – To minimize the damage, it is necessary to take into consideration their handling and storage requirements. This also affects the construction time, labor requirements, and of course the budget, hence an important factor to consider.

Local availability – While selecting the bricks for the construction of your home, do take into account the local availability. This will ensure that your transportation cost is minimised. It is also a time saver and confirms that there is no unnecessary delay in your construction.

Climate –Factors like the average range of temperature throughout the year, rain or snowfall, seasons, wind, amount of sunlight, and ventilation requirements, all should be considered before finalising the brick types for your house.

Aesthetics – Aesthetics is a very subjective choice. Everyone has different tastes and requirements and only you know what kind of home you would like to live in. Hence select the bricks which complement your sense of aesthetics.

Maintenance -Maintenance is also an important selection criterion for the bricks because good bricks are those which are easy and economical to maintain. Maintenance will help to retain the look of your house for a long time period and will increase the life of the house.

In conclusion, the construction industry is witnessing a lot of experiments and there are various types of materials and technologies coming up every day. Thus, the selection of construction materials, especially bricks, and their application in the home is of great importance.

We, at JSW One Homes, help you select the material of your choice and budget. A team of dedicated professionals is here to help you build the house of your dreams and save you from the hassle of the tedious and time-consuming process of material selection. Meet them at a place of your convenience or even virtually to share your expectations, and budget

Good luck!