What Is a Brick House?

A well-maintained brick home can last a hundred years or more.

Brick homes -- those homes that implement brick as the primary building material or a prominent siding material -- account for a significant percentage of American houses. Brick resists termites and does not require as much maintenance as other materials. A properly maintained well-built brick home can last for more than a century.

Structural

Brick homes that have walls that support the structural integrity of the house, also called double-brick homes, usually have two layers of brick, an outer layer and an inner layer, adjoining each other. These layers, called wythes, give the house the stability it needs to remain structurally sound. In some cases, the inner wythe consists of concrete block rather than brick. Brick walls constructed with this double layer of brick, or brick and concrete block, have exceptional durability.

Header

One masonry technique that helps give brick homes added strength and durability involves placing a row of bricks with the shorter side facing outward every sixth course. Called headers, these bricks connect the inner and the outer wythes, increasing the wall's cohesion and stability. In some cases, you will find a header course has every brick showing the short side outward, while in others, two long-side facing bricks, called stretchers, follow two headers throughout the course. You can also connect the two wythes with metal ties, dispensing with the headers.

Veneer

The most common method of constructing a brick home today involves using brick veneer with wood-frame construction, rather than double-brick layers. Veneering places a cosmetic single-layer of brick siding over the wooden framing. Using this single-layer method makes it easier to insulate the home, reducing energy costs for the homeowner. Single-layer brick courses typically do not have headers, and most masons leave a 1-inch space between the bricks and the wood framing.

Advantages

Double-brick homes typically have a greater fire resistance than wood-frame homes and also provide more stability when a natural disaster, such as an earthquake, strikes. Double-brick homes resist damage from high winds as well. Single-brick homes, however, have an advantage over double-brick houses in both cost and ease of installation; also, they do not need a heavy foundation to support their exterior walls, unlike double-brick homes.

References

• InterNachi; Solid Brick vs. Brick Veneer; Nick Gromicko et al.
• CarsonDunlop: Carson Dunlop Reports