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Brick houses are good because they can be in any style, and they are also “for centuries” and this is not an exaggeration. Only the facade can be laid out of brick, hiding behind it another, less weather-resistant material. And to decide how exactly the building will look like, photos of brick houses will help. Perhaps you will understand what kind of appearance is closer to you.
Advantages and disadvantages
Like any building material, brick has its pros and cons. Previously, there were no alternatives. It was still possible to build a wooden house, from shell rock (shell rock), limestone and other natural material, from cinder blocks. Everything, there were no other technologies. Against the background of all others, brick houses were a priority: the most durable, requiring no maintenance for decades. And the material is ubiquitous, not like shell rock or limestone.
Today the situation has changed, other materials have appeared. They, too, are not without flaws, but they lie on a different plane. Nevertheless, brick still remains a popular material, new colors and textures appear, which make it possible to make facades more and more diverse. Photos of brick houses to confirm this.
Pros
Let’s start with the pleasant – consider the positive aspects of technology and material:
- Weather resistance: wet, freezing.
- Hygroscopicity: silicate – no higher than 15% (not recommended for areas with high humidity), ceramic – 6-14% (optimally 8-9%).
- Freeze / freeze resistant. Describes the number of cycles a material can withstand without breaking. F35 – the smallest value for the most inexpensive material. F50-60 is considered normal, but there are also 80-90 and above.
- Non-flammable, does not support combustion.
- High degree of sound insulation.
This brick house is almost 150 years old and there are many buildings of this age. - High compressive strength. Depends on the type of brick (solid, hollow, number and size of voids), but the average is M100-M125, which allows you to build multi-storey buildings.
- High variability. You can make both straight and curved walls, arches, pillars, columns.
- Diverse appearance, the ability to use special masonry, bricks of different colors, textures. You can combine brickwork with other finishing materials: tiles, porcelain stoneware, finishing stone, plaster, etc. All this makes it possible to obtain a completely individual appearance with the same project and layout.
- Environmental friendliness. Only natural ingredients are used in the manufacture.
It is these properties that make brick houses one of the most popular. They retain their original appearance for decades and centuries, while requiring almost no maintenance and repair. So such a house can pass from generation to generation without changing outwardly.
Cons
But brick houses also have drawbacks, serious ones. It is because of them that many are thinking about using alternative materials and technologies. Here are the disadvantages of brick buildings:
- The small size of the brick, and this is a lot of labor in the construction of walls and partitions.
- Temperature control during construction. Masonry is carried out on a cement-sand mortar containing water. Therefore, operation at low temperatures (below +5°C) is either impossible or highly undesirable.
- High thermal conductivity. In order for the house to be warm, it is necessary to make a wall of considerable thickness (80 cm or more, depending on the climatic zone). The way out is to use modern technologies: insulation, well masonry.
- Big mass. This disadvantage, firstly, leads to an increase in transport costs, and secondly, to an increase in the cost of the foundation – it needs a powerful one.
The main disadvantages are the high price and the need for insulation or wide walls - High heat capacity and, as a result, high thermal inertia. Brick houses are heated for a long time, which increases heating costs. Therefore, it makes sense to build a brick house only for permanent residence. This is not a good option at all.
- Long period of shrinkage. Due to the significant mass, the foundation shrinks. The amount of shrinkage is small, but it is. And it is desirable to start finishing a year or two after the construction of the box.
- The need for interior decoration.
- High price. Building brick houses is an expensive undertaking. Both the material and the labor are expensive.
The combination of these shortcomings makes us look for an alternative. Moreover, new technologies and materials have appeared that make it possible to obtain a house with similar performance characteristics at lower costs and construction time.
We recommend that you read the following articles:
“Houses from gas silicate blocks: construction features”
“Frame house with your own hands”
Facades of brick houses: architectural styles
One of the main advantages of brick: the ability to get completely different structures from the same material in appearance. Small sizes make it possible to fold almost brick lace. Although, the trend today is more strict lines and styles, which also should not be overlooked. And styles in architecture are not just many, but very many. And everyone has their own currents … In the article we will talk about the most popular today.
European style
One of the most popular styles recently in the construction of private houses is European. The laconic form is a square or a figure close to a square, with possible bay windows. A square is the most convenient form for planning, so houses of this style, with small sizes, can accommodate everything you need. In this style, two-story houses look good, as well as houses with attics.
If you look at a photo of European-style brick houses, a plinth trimmed with tiles or stone, a two- or four-pitched roof catches your eye. The traditional roofing material is natural tiles, which in recent years have been actively replaced by metal tiles. Windows are usually small, rectangular in shape, sometimes with rounded tops. Doors and window frames are made in a tone that contrasts with the color of the walls.
Very often, a brick house in a modern style has two entrances. The front door can be moved forward relative to the main walls, a terrace is made above it. If the entrance is “drowned”, a balcony is made above it. Forged products are often present in the design, but their forms are concise.
Minimalism
The style originated in the second half of the last century, since then it has gradually become more and more popular. The main idea: the absence of unnecessary details, laconic forms, strict lines, if possible, the versatility of details. Since there are no “decorations” at all, the main emphasis is on the material, its appearance, properties, and qualities. Basically, in the construction of houses in the style of minimalism, stone, wood, metal, marble, glass are used. There are also brick houses in this style, because brick is a natural material. Only brick is usually of high quality – clinker, dark or light colors, often with a contrasting finish.
In the photo of brick houses in the style of minimalism, there are common features: more windows – from floor to ceiling or almost. The binding of windows is simple – usually without imposts. The roof is flat or shed with minimal overhangs, but most often without them at all. There may be several multi-level flat or pitched roofs. The facade can be decorated with rectangular columns, with the most characteristic columns in the form of the letter G.
Современный
If you like large panoramic windows, you should pay attention to the photos of brick houses in a modern style. Panoramic or French windows are the hallmark of this trend. The layout implies spacious multifunctional rooms: a dining-living room or a kitchen-dining room. Often at the same time from the premises of “common use” there is an exit to the terrace.
If we talk about the characteristic features, this is the absence of purely decorative details, actual solutions using new materials and technologies. The windows are large, separated by wide imposts. Roofs are predominantly gable, but can also be multi-level or multi-gable. Overhangs are large, often so much so that they become canopies. Roofing material – metal tiles, soft tiles. And pay attention, the color of the roofing material is in a color scheme close to the color of the walls. Bindings of windows and doors, however, too.
Modern
Unlike all those described above, the Art Nouveau brick house can be decorated with decorative elements. Moreover, they are usually rounded, oval in shape, repeating natural lines. The facade of a brick house in the Art Nouveau style can be decorated with various kinds of decorative elements, stucco, etc. Particular attention is paid to the windows and their design – they are mostly arched, with complex bindings, stained-glass windows can be used.
One of the principles of the Art Nouveau style is the optionality of symmetry, so asymmetric bay windows (moreover, in one building there can be several of them and of different sizes / shapes), ledges, extensions – this is one of the hallmarks of the style. In terms of plan, the building spot is square or close to it, as it is violated by all architectural “excesses”.
The roof is complex, multi-gable, as it is necessary to harmoniously arrange the existing magnificence of forms. All this – complex diverse forms – leads to the fact that the cost of implementing projects of such houses is high. Therefore, in the photo there are houses made of bricks, which, apart from being mansions, cannot be called. Roofing material – clay or soft tiles, because of their small size they are ideal for complex roofs, and they look the same.
Photo of beautiful brick houses
Architectural styles and their currents are complex matter. For the uninitiated, understanding all the subtleties and nuances is a very, very difficult task. Often it is not required. You need to find a photo of a brick house that you like. Based on it, you can create your own project or show what you want to the architect. Next – a matter of technology, to agree on the cost of the project. But at the same time, remember that, most likely, you will come out of the budget by 35-50%.