Your guide to building with brick

When you start out on a self-build or extension journey what you think you know about building materials gets knocked sideways. As you begin to investigate what’s out there your knowledge undoubtedly grows but so too can the confusion. What to pick can become a little overwhelming. And, as building materials go, the world of bricks is more vast than you’d think.

Bricks have been a mainstay building material, staunchly holding up the walls of hundreds of thousands of buildings in the UK for centuries. So surely, a brick’s a brick? Not so. Tone, texture and form all come into play – soft yellow hues or dusky red bricks; reclaimed, machine-made, handmade; metric or imperial – there’s lots to consider.

So where to start?

The local vernacular is a good place to begin. Interestingly, building with brick has a particular stronghold