Building private houses from brick has many advantages. No wonder this material never leaves construction market for several centuries now, although new building materials appear and disappear from it regularly. What are the advantages of brick houses and whether they have any disadvantages - in our article.
Advantages of brick houses
Most people continue to choose brick as their main building material for the home, despite the availability of cheaper and easier-to-use building materials. To what does brick owe its enormous popularity?
- Strength. And this is his main characteristic. It produces strong and durable structures that last for centuries. Strength is expressed by branding and is designated by the letter M, followed by numbers indicating the degree of strength. For private construction, M100 grade brick is sufficient.
- Durability, which follows from the previous characteristic. Since the bricks are very durable, they can therefore boast a long service life. This means that your home can still serve your grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A brick house can withstand any weather conditions; it is not afraid of frost, heat, wind or rain. And the expression “my home is my fortress” is precisely about this case.
- Environmental friendliness. Since the brick is made from sand, clay and water, this means it is completely natural and safe in part. harmful substances– they simply aren’t in it. In addition, the brick “breathes”, that is, it allows air into the house. Rotting processes are impossible in it and pests will never breed in it. This - important advantage bricks in front of a tree, which is also environmentally friendly pure material, but in order to preserve it from mold and rot, it is covered with chemical solutions.
- Frost resistance. When living in less than mild climates with cold and snowy winters, frost resistance of a building material is by no means the last requirement. It consists in the fact that the walls of the house must withstand freezing and thawing in a state of water saturation. This parameter is designated by the letter F followed by the number of freeze and thaw cycles. For residents of the central regions, an indicator of F35/F50 is sufficient.
- Fire safety. One of important features brick - its ability to withstand high temperatures. It perfectly meets all fire safety standards. Fire in a brick house is kept to a minimum, which cannot be said about wooden buildings.
- Aesthetics. made of bricks are already beautiful and do not require additional ones. It is not without reason that houses made from other materials are faced with decorative red and white brick so that they look presentable and luxurious. In general, brick is a favorite material for architects because you can experiment with it and create unique projects.
A little about the disadvantages
The main disadvantage is the low heat-saving characteristics. When building houses, it is necessary to use additional insulation, make air gaps and walls, or use hollow brick in two layers.
Another drawback is the slow pace of construction. It will take a long time to build a brick house, because the dimensions of this building material are small. However, here it is worth remembering the durability and strength of houses - you are building it for centuries.
A brick house requires a particularly strong and deep foundation due to its huge weight. Sometimes the cost of the foundation for such a house is a third of total cost construction. And there is no way to bypass this stage of construction.
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The advantages of a brick house are visible to the naked eye and are undeniable. The thing is that brick buildings in the vast majority of cases significantly exceed the operational capabilities that were included in the design of the building. Durability and reliability stand out brick houses among all other building options, which is why at present, when a large number of additional materials and technologies for the construction of residential and non-residential premises, brick buildings have not lost their popularity.
Brick houses are one of the most popular buildings. They cope perfectly with all the functions assigned to them.
The modern popularity of brick as a building material for the construction of both residential and non-residential premises arose from the fact that this building material is literally tested by time. Many ancient buildings that were built of brick have been preserved in excellent condition precisely because this building material has a significant margin of safety.
The main advantages of brick houses
Brick houses are simply great amount positive qualities, thanks to which this material has been popular for many centuries. The most obvious advantages of houses made of brick include:
- structural strength;
- durability;
- frost resistance;
- environmental friendliness;
- maintaining natural regulation of humidity in the house;
- versatility;
- fire safety.
This is far from full list benefits brick houses. It is worth understanding in more detail all the advantages that building a house made of brick brings. First of all, the durability and strength of brick structures should be emphasized. The thing is that in many countries, for many centuries, buildings made from this material have been and are still in great demand precisely because such a building can even stand for more than 100 years without visible damage even without repairing the facade. There are many examples of not only architectural monuments that were built more than 300 years ago, but also many residential buildings made of brick, which were built several centuries ago, but still remain suitable for use. Brick houses are not susceptible to the destructive influence of various insects and pathogenic fungi. In addition, the brick does not collapse under straight lines. sun rays and does not even lose its appearance.
Frost resistance and environmental friendliness
Among other things, brick buildings are distinguished by their ability to withstand a wide variety of disasters, including significant earthquakes, floods and others. natural disasters. Separately, it is necessary to note the extremely high frost resistance of bricks. The term “frost resistance” refers to the ability of a material to retain its properties even after a certain number of freezing and thawing cycles. In fact, there are different brands of this building material, each of which has its own frost resistance characteristics.
Besides, modern people pay attention to such a parameter of the building material as environmental friendliness.
In this regard, brick and buildings built from it are beyond any praise.Brick consists of sand, clay and water, which makes it an environmentally friendly material. The thing is that this material is made from sand, clay and water. It may also include additional components
, but this does not negatively affect the quality of the brick. The fire safety of brick also stands out, because, unlike wood, which has gained significant popularity since it is a 100% environmentally friendly material; brick houses cannot burn to the ground during a fire.
Brick does not burn, therefore it is unable to support the process of fire propagation, which significantly increases the chances of preservation material assets. At the same time, when exposed to high temperatures, brick loses its strength margin by approximately 60%, which leads to the fact that the service life of the brick walls of the house box will be significantly reduced.
What could be the disadvantages of brick houses?
Considering that modern people choose to build houses from brick, it is also necessary to consider all the existing disadvantages of this material. Like any other building material, brick is not perfect, and there are certain points that must be taken into account before starting construction.
First of all, it should be taken into account that brick houses require additional, quite costly interior decoration. The whole point is that cement mortar, which serves as a fastening element when laying bricks, has a fairly high heat transfer capacity, so the house will be cold if the finishing was not carried out efficiently.
Among other things, it is necessary to take into account that a brick house is an extremely heavy structure, for which it is necessary to equip a reliable, powerful foundation, since otherwise the house will sag, and as a result, significant cracks will appear in the brickwork.
The cost of pouring the foundation required to build brick walls can become an unbearable financial burden, so this point must be taken into account before construction begins.
Among other things, it should be borne in mind that the design of a brick house should be carried out by a professional, since errors in the calculation of the foundation and load-bearing walls in this case they can be simply fatal.
Considering the disadvantages of brick, another unpleasant aspect of using this material for building houses is noted. This is due to the increased hygroscopicity of this material. The brick is saturated with water, so etching the room requires much more time and energy resources.
At the same time, after a brick house is completely warmed up, it retains heat well. Often, to improve the thermal insulation properties of brick houses, special pies are made from mineral wool, which prevent heat loss and reduce heating costs.
What is the concept of “elite” associated with? country cottage"? If we talk about comfort, this is, of course, spacious home with a full set of all imaginable amenities and something more in the form of the same swimming pool, gym, winter garden etc. There is no doubt about the aesthetic side of the issue: beautiful, elegant, solid. When it comes to technologies and materials, wooden or wooden-aluminum double-glazed windows, a roof made of ceramic tiles and, of course... that same brick.
With good geometry
Naturally, when a brick is praised by the one who produces it. The praises for brick are quite understandable from the lips of the homeowner, who was satisfied with the chosen material. However, much more valuable and objective is the assessment professional builders, who know a lot about brick and first-hand. On the one hand, brick is undoubtedly a complex and labor-intensive material. On the other hand, it is surprisingly beneficial, because it allows you to build almost any shape, draw the most intricate lines of facades, and create unique reliefs. As a material, brick opens up enormous possibilities for the architect in creating the individual appearance of a house, as well as organizing it internal space. Looking at certain objects, one gets the impression that there really are no restrictions for this material. And even more so today, when the range of brick products, in general, includes more than 5,000 combinations of shapes, sizes, textures and colors. Needless to say, along with the same standard brick We offer a huge selection of shaped bricks unusual shape– beveled, rounded, oval, with recesses, etc. – which allows you to create the most original solutions window openings, masonry cornices, arches, vaults, columns and other elements with complex outlines.
Experts call one of the obvious advantages of brick its geometry: the better it is, the more perfect it will be in the end. appearance construction, not to mention the ease of working with such material. So, for example, according to GOST requirements for face brick, permissible deviations should not exceed 3–4 mm. High-quality raw materials, modern technologies and qualified personnel are all the key to the products of the most high level. However, even such a triumvirate is not a panacea in achieving the ideal, because clay is the main component for the production of bricks - the material is alive and can behave differently when dried and fired, changing size and shape. Therefore, even the highest quality brick products “work” well in tandem with professional and experienced masons: only high-level specialists will be able to clearly maintain the seam width recommended by the manufacturer, hide permissible deviations and level out errors, ultimately significantly improving the appearance of the wall.
Benefits are a plus
A brick house has a number of advantages that are recognized by all experts, regardless of whether they build from brick or from other materials. This includes freedom of architectural and planning solutions, environmental characteristics, and ample opportunities for color design facades and, of course, lower energy consumption for operating the house and its long term services. Serious development companies give at least a 100-year guarantee to a brick house without any doubt. Among the minuses brick construction First of all, they call the high labor intensity of the process, as well as the timing; Thanks to modern technologies, today's specialists build brick houses with really high quality and quickly - with proper compliance with all technical standards construction, on average, can take from 7–8 months to a year. The timing is influenced by many factors, ranging from the weather and climatic conditions in which builders have to work, and ending with the parameters of the material itself; It is clear that construction from large-format brick blocks will take less time than from standard single bricks.
As is known, ordinary clay brick does not retain heat well, and in order to meet thermal engineering standards, a brick wall would have to be made almost a meter thick. Therefore, modern manufacturers produce various hollow modifications of bricks; thanks to the voids filled with air, it thermal insulation properties increase sharply. Builders, in turn, take into account such important characteristics, such as density and porosity. Perhaps one more important parameter– frost resistance of the material; to a large extent, it is this that determines the reliability and durability of bricks. Products with a lower freeze-thaw test cycle are cheaper, but their performance properties are much lower. Therefore, in the luxury construction segment, imported or domestic bricks are most often used, the frost resistance of which is 50 cycles or more.
Walls brick cottage, as a rule, are made in the form of continuous masonry. In the future, depending on the style of the house, it can be supplemented with natural natural stone, stained wood or brick of various textures and shades. In any case, several types of bricks are used when building a house. So, for example, for the base they take solid brick, porous ceramic bricks are used for load-bearing and self-supporting external and internal walls; building hollow – ideal for internal partitions, and the front one, as the name suggests, is necessary for cladding facades. In addition, you will also need paving bricks to pave the entrances, paths and areas near the house...
Probably, in the minds of most people, a brick building is associated with such concepts as prestige and durability. Like familiar look on stone house failed to shake the emerging last years numerous construction technologies. The brick cottage is still on its pedestal; he gained individuality, expanded his decorative possibilities and in such a modernized form continues the old glorious traditions - it remains a reliable fortress for several generations of the family.
Expert opinion
How to distinguish good brick from the bad, said Sergei Klinshov, head of the supply department of the Montos-Dom company:
– Manufacturers consider burnt or unburnt bricks to be defective. Unburnt has a characteristic mustard color and makes a dull sound when struck; it has low frost resistance and is “afraid” of moisture. Burnt brick is formed from very high temperatures; it turns black, melts, loses its clear dimensions, and is “bursting” from the inside. The main indicator of quality for the buyer is the sound and color of the brick. It should ring when struck. Its core should be a richer color than the edges. If you are guided by GOST, then on the surface of a high-quality brick there should be no cracks, chips, stains, discolorations, broken or blunted corners. Clay raw material contains limestone. During the preparation of raw materials, limestone is crushed. But if at least half a millimeter grains remain, problems are inevitable - the limestone picks up moisture and “swells,” breaking off pieces of brick. If the spall depth is more than 6 mm, such a brick is rejected by the quality control department; if it is less, it is put on sale. The facades of houses made of such bricks are pockmarked. The most common and insidious marriage is efflorescence. They already appear on brick walls in the form of white spots and streaks. Efflorescence is formed as a result of the migration of salts from masonry mortar, bricks, groundwater and even air. Experts say about Moscow region brick that the amount of salts in it is, as a rule, small. It is recommended to use cement with a low content of efflorescence-forming impurities. To avoid this phenomenon, bricks should not be laid during rain. The house should be roofed as quickly as possible and the façade should be covered with a protective compound. When buying a brick, ask accompanying documents: certificate or passport for the product. In the absence of these documents, it is better to refuse such a brick. Despite more low price, you should not buy a brick in winter and leave it in an unguarded area: it will definitely be stolen. It is best to buy bricks before the start of the construction season, in March-April, when prices have not yet begun to rise.
The versatility of brick products. The strength of brick and its frost resistance contribute to the durability of brick buildings.
● Environmental friendliness and fire safety of bricks. is one of its main characteristics. It is for this reason that for several centuries brick buildings have been considered the most popular and desirable among a significant part of the planet's population. The strength of a brick product is indicated by the letter M, and the subsequent numbers indicate how much load in kg/cm² the product can withstand. A variety of brick products provides for the availability of bricks various brands in terms of strength - from M75 to M400. It is not always necessary to use bricks with a high strength grade - for example, hyper-pressed or clinker type bricks. It is possible that this type of brick is not produced in your region, and its delivery will “break” family budget. You need to start from real opportunities and the principles of reasonable sufficiency. It is quite possible that when building a private residential building, it will be enough to use ordinary ceramic bricks M100 or M125. When constructing buildings of three or more floors, you will have to use bricks with a strength grade of at least M150. Due to its strength, you can easily place some on brick walls. Appliances
● without fear that these devices will suddenly disappear due to the destruction of the structural integrity of the brick. Durability of brick buildings . Brick buildings are rightfully considered one of the most durable buildings. If all the nuances of brick construction are observed, such a house can last up to 100 years or more without repairing the facade - such durability calculations are confirmed by GOSTs. IN various countries There are numerous brick buildings in the world, which include not only architectural monuments, but also purely utilitarian and residential buildings that are used for their intended purpose to this day. The characteristics of the brick allow the building to be resistant to almost all natural conditions , and modern brick construction technologies even help to withstand natural disasters such as earthquakes! Brick buildings withstand hot temperatures perfectly climatic conditions , frost, rain and snowfall. All these qualities, along with the expression "as for stone wall " allow you to combine the word "brick" with words such as .
● durability, reliability, safety and comfort is one of the main characteristics of brick. What is frost resistance is the ability of a material in a water-saturated state to withstand a certain number of freezing/thawing cycles. The frost resistance of a brick is designated F followed by numbers that indicate the number of cycles that a certain type of brick can withstand without losing its basic qualities. In the central regions of the Russian Federation, it is considered optimal to use bricks marked F 35-F 50. Bricks of these types have good frost resistance and this is not only the conclusion of preliminary tests, but also confirmed many years of experience its application. The high frost resistance of brick products increases the durability of the structure itself.
● Environmental friendliness of bricks. Main components ceramic bricks(or ceramic porous block) is clay, sand and water. This building material, which does not contain substances harmful to humans, is natural and environmentally friendly. The structure of a brick product allows air to pass through - that’s why brick is called a “breathable” building material. If we compare it with wood, which is also a widely used building material, brick has the advantage of not being susceptible to rotting or attacks by insect pests. But wooden buildings will have to be treated with chemicals. solutions, which can lead to the loss of the original ecological “purity” of the tree. In defense wood construction we can say that wooden buildings will differ favorably in price, and thanks to the variety of modern wooden construction technologies, the construction of a private house can take much less time.
Brick walls help regulate humidity levels in the house, which contributes to the creation of indoor comfortable conditions both for life and for work. The “breathing structure” of brick walls has advantages over purely concrete buildings - concrete is a moisture-retaining building material. For the same reason, brick is not discounted even during the construction of multi-storey residential buildings if there is modern technologies concrete construction, increasing the speed of construction. The characteristics of brick create a favorable microclimate in the house at almost any time of the year and at any time. weather conditions. At strong wind, in the summer heat or winter cold, in snowfall or rain in brick house it will be warm and dry - of course, all this is subject to competent construction work.
● The versatility of brick. Brick has not only its pure functional features- strength, durability, environmental friendliness, but also versatility and aesthetics. These properties allow you to create unique construction projects and provide the opportunity to experiment. The relatively small size of the brick and several options for brickwork make it possible to use different solutions when designing brick houses and cottages and dachas. When building a private house from brick, this building material allows you to build a box of several floors, choose almost any arrangement of rooms and premises, and design any shape of the facade. A brick building can be built in any architectural style, even standard projects private houses allow you to give an original appearance that will stand out among the “same type” residential buildings. Brick walls provide for the use of any types finishing works. Brick also goes well with other building materials - it is not uncommon for the first floor of a private residential building to be built of brick, and the second floor to be made of wood. Thus, brick construction technology provides for the implementation of various design solutions, emphasizing the uniqueness and originality of a private building. Also wide application The use of bricks is facilitated by the fact that the technology of brick construction itself has been used for quite a long time and it is not difficult to find good performers.
● Fire safety of brick. The ability of brick to withstand high temperatures sets it apart from many other building materials. Brick products themselves are fire-resistant, although there is a separate group of fire-resistant bricks used in the construction of chimneys, stoves and similar structures. Any type of brick does not support combustion - thus minimizing the possibility of fire in a brick building and this is a very significant difference between brick houses and structures made of wood or frame buildings . In case of fire brick walls able to withstand quite high temperatures