There are three possible ways of using face brick in building a
wall, determined by the backing up material employed, each of which
will be given special attention in the following pages.
[Sidenote: Solid Brick]
First, there is the solid brick wall, consisting of face brick with
a common brick backing. Of the strength, permanence, and structural
value of this construction there can be no question. Objection is
sometimes made to its cost but, in view of the facts we give later,
this objection loses its force and proves to be a claim of actual
economy. The only other objection heard is that of the dampness
of the wall. This comes from one or both of two causes, pervious
mortar joints, or sweating due to condensation of interior moisture
on the cooled wall. Either condition may be completely overcome by
furring the interior wall surface, a method recommended in this
Manual, and provided for in the plans offered. The furring provides
an air space that insulates against dampness and cold. With this
furring, the other methods, sometimes employed, of mixing so-called
waterproofing material with the mortar or of using colorless liquid
waterproofing on the surface of the brickwork are not necessary.
Even the furring, in certain climatic conditions as proved out by
local experience and practice, is not needed. But in any case,
it must always be seen that all the exterior joints of the wall,
especially the head or vertical joints, are solidly filled with
mortar. The possibility of efflorescence, which occasionally
appears on the surface of the brick when the outside of the
wall has been subjected to excessive moisture, may be prevented
to a great extent by avoiding such ledges and projections in
construction as permit the soaking of water into the surface of the
brick work. See Glossary, page 110.
[Sidenote: Hollow Tile Backing]
Secondly, the face brick wall may be built by using hollow tile
in place of common brick for backing. This wall, like that of
solid brick, being all of burnt clay, has the advantage of being
fire-resistive, although insurance rates are not always as
favorable because, in case of fire, the salvage is not as large
as with the solid wall. Some builders prefer this type of wall,
claiming that it is less expensive to build and that the hollow
dead air spaces act as a heat insulation, giving a drier and warmer
wall. On these points we have no means of forming a definite, final
opinion. Your best plan would be to consult both the common brick
and hollow tile people so as to form a judgment of your own on the
subject. Either wall is sound construction and will give you entire
satisfaction.
[Sidenote: Face Brick Veneer]
The third type of wall, known as veneer, is simply the application
of face brick to the wooden framing of a frame house, in place of
the clapboards or shingles. Although, as a substantial or a fire
restrictive wall this type is not equal to solid brick or hollow
tile, it has its friends among builders, largely on the score of
local custom, familiarity, speed of construction, and cost. What
it has to recommend it is the fact that in outer appearance and
value it is a brick house, and in reality a big step in the right
direction. But whichever type of wall you build, it is the face
brick that gives to it character, distinction, class, all of which
means not only deep personal satisfaction to the owner, but real
money in higher rental or sales value, far in excess of the initial
cost of the face brick over poorer and less attractive material.
[Illustration: Face Brick Bungalow, Atlanta, Ga. Leila Ross
Wilburn, Architect]
[Sidenote: Weakness of Frame]
Take the frame wall. Where it is exposed to the weather, it
shrinks, decays, and depreciates, requiring repeated paintings
and repairs. Now substitute, at an added cost of only 4 or 5 per
cent, a fine face brick for the drop siding and at once there
is practically cut out painting, repairs, and depreciation. The
brick veneer has surrounded the house with a solid, monolithic,
permanent, windproof, shell of fireproof material, so that in
consequence the owner has on the exterior, to all intents and
purposes, the strength and beauty of a face brick house. Besides
his own personal satisfaction, he has added many times more than
4 or 5 per cent to the market value of his property. Or, suppose
your client has an old frame house that is built on a good plan,
but outwardly grown dilapidated in appearance and hard to rent or
sell. Induce him to veneer it with an attractive face brick, as we
explain on a later page, and for every dollar he puts in he will
get two out.
[Sidenote: Weakness of Stucco]
Then take hollow tile wall construction and compare the value of
it finished with stucco or with face brick. The face brick will
cost from 2 to 3 per cent more on the cost of the house, but
what will it give the owner in wear, appearance, and solidity of
construction! If you stucco hollow tile the interior face of the
wall in most cases must be furred. If you use face brick, not
only additional solidity and strength are added to the wall but
if, as we recommend throughout this Manual, an air space is left
between brick and tile, the inside furring is not needed. Besides,
stucco is apt to stain, crack, or, in damp climates with freezing
weather, peel off in spots, presenting an unsightly appearance.
You can assure your client, who is debating between stucco and
face brick, that years of usage will prove the brick surface to be
both in artistic appearance and actual economy by far the better
investment. It costs a little more at the start, but is worth much
more in the end.
[Sidenote: Value of Looks]
Or, it may be that your client concludes to build a thoroughly good
solid brick wall, but wants to save 3 to 4 per cent on the total
cost of the house by using common brick throughout. This will be
a good wall, no doubt, but how will it look! Common brick are not
made with an eye to external appearance; their great merit lies
in solid structural value. Occasionally a well-burned selected
common brick, made of a clay that burns to a good color may be
found and used, with proper care of bond and mortar joint, for
facing purposes; but as a rule, the method of manufacturing common
brick, and the structural uses for which they are intended do not
contribute to the attractiveness of the wall surface. Hence, the
natural development of the great face brick industry which adds to
the solid structural merits of brick the invaluable merit of looks.
And how much do looks have to do with both the sentimental and
commercial value of a house! What does the good wife think of the
looks of the house she lives in? What do the neighbors think of
it? And to be purely practical, what does the prospective renter
or buyer think of it? You know that when a man wishes to sell his
house, he cleans up the yard, repairs the fence, patches up the
holes, and paints the house from top to bottom because he knows
the value of looks. He knows that his restoring the house to its
pristine glory attracts the purchaser, helps to persuade him, and
secures a far better price of sale.
Cleanliness, looks, beauty, have a very real value in dollars and
cents. The same principle applies to a face brick finish of the
wall surface. Face brick are made with more care, are handled
and shipped with more care, and laid with more care, just for
the purpose of producing a more attractive wall. When you use
face brick for your clients, you give them the last word in wall
construction, which is at once, as no other material, strong,
enduring, comfortable, fire-safe, economical, and beautiful.
[Illustration: Start of Veneering over Frame Note footing below and
wall ties above]
[Illustration: Veneering above Kitchen Roof Note angle irons and
work at windows]