Designing Your Home: Picking the right residential building bricks
Brick is a timeless material that adds character to modern and classic homes. It’s not only aesthetically pleasing, but it also serves as protection against natural elements, requiring minimal maintenance to age beautifully.
But designing the perfect brick home can be a daunting task. With the myriad of sizes, colours and textures available, it can be overwhelming to pick the right residential building brick. Envisioning an entirely new house exterior will require a lot more than 3x3 brick samples.
To support you in this exciting endeavour, we’ve created a simple guide to help you build your dream home with bricks:
Step 1: Seek Inspiration
If you’re struggling to start and you’re not familiar with different brick exteriors, hues and finishes, try looking around for inspiration.
Create a mood board on Pinterest or better yet, take a stroll down your neighbourhood. Look out for architectural styles, trim and decorative effects, mortar selections and building settings. Once you’ve gathered sufficient design inspiration, you’ll find yourself leaning towards an aesthetic that suits your lifestyle.
It’s also important to consider the local vernacular when picking brick. Some neighbourhoods have set guidelines on brick, colours and materials, so it’s best to consult your planner before making a decision.
Looking for more inspiration? Explore some of our favourite residential brick projects here.
Step 2: Pick Your Brick
Consider whether you would like the consistent look of a machine-made brick from a large manufacturer, or a handmade brick offering authentic charm and has an unmatched depth of colour and texture (no prizes for guessing which we prefer at Krause Bricks!).
At Krause Bricks, we offer a range of wire-cut and pressed bricks that are manufactured using traditional methods such as down-draught kilns. Made with rich Australian clay from the Victorian Goldfields, each brick is uniquely coloured and textured. No two bricks are the same.
If you’re looking for custom thin brick, check out the Krause Bricks product range here.
Step 3: Select The Stack
A brick bond is a pattern in which bricks are laid. Its first function is to ensure the stability and strength of the structure but it also serves a secondary decorative function.
The finished look and style of your home greatly depends on the bond. Flemish, Stacked and Stretcher bonds are three of the most popular ways to lay brick. If you are looking for something more unique, consider angled brickwork designs or protruding units to create a stunning eye-catching effect.
To ensure greater consistency and colour, be sure to order residential building bricks from the same batch.
Step 4: Choose Your Mortar
Did you know that mortar can make up one-fifth of a brick surface? That’s why it’s incredibly important to consider your selection carefully.
Decide how you want the mortar to look — messy, thin, thick or smeared, and pick a hue that suits your home. Common colours include white, cream, natural or grey. A lighter mortar can create a more blended “washed out” effect, while a darker mortar provides interesting contrast but will often darken the exterior of your home.
The mortar you choose can completely transform the look and feel of your home, so it’s best practice to test out some options. Build sample panels to test mortar mixes and mortar joints before you commit to the full project.
Step 5: Piece It All Together
Before finalising your decisions, take a look at your home rendering and use it as a base to imagine the different elements together. It’s important to assess your house from every angle and leave no brick unturned.
Use the rendering to review your selection of brick and other fixtures (window frame, gutters and doors) to see if they work in harmony. Carefully assess if each finish helps to lighten or weigh down the appearance of the home. Step back, look at your house as a whole and ensure that the brick exterior also complements other elements like your pavers.
Brick makes for stunning accent buildings that are durable and extremely lasting. With a little inspiration and imagination, you’ll find countless ways to build homes that break the mould. Picking the right residential building brick may seem intimidating at first but with these simple steps, you’ll be building your ideal brick home in no time.
If you’re looking for bespoke handmade bricks that boast beautiful texture, rich colours and exceptional quality, Krause Bricks has you covered. We’re also on hand to help you decide which brick is right for your home, so feel free to ask away - we love talking bricks!