Building your own home is a dream project for many.

It’s a blank canvas for you to express your creative vision and turn your blueprint into reality. Of course, this is an extensive project that requires a huge undertaking. From building a solid foundation and selecting the perfect flooring, to picking the right exterior and interior fittings, there’s a myriad of decisions to be made.

One detail that you’d need to carefully consider is the choice of construction material. Whether you’re using concrete, stone, wood or brick, it’s important to select a material that’s not only durable but also complements your overall vision and design. If you’re looking to add a little charm and character to your home, why not consider custom made bricks?

Read on to find out why these bricks could be the ideal fit for your home.

Bayside House, featuring custom Krause Emperor Bricks. See more.

What Are Custom Bricks?

Custom bricks are bricks that can be customised according to different shapes, forms, colours, textures and even types of clay. Bricks are essentially made by mixing clay with water to form a semi-solid compound. It’s then moulded into the desired shape, allowed to dry and finally fired in a kiln until it hardens.

Standard bricks are made with a predetermined size and shape. They are often mass-produced on a commercial scale in a factory and leave little room for imagination. Custom bricks on the other hand, allow for significantly greater flexibility and give you the ability to perfect its design for your dream home facade.

Why Custom Bricks?

Bespoke Designs

While standard bricks are priced more affordably because of its sheer volume of production, it also means that you’ll get bricks of the same shape and size, with limited options available. This could translate into a sense of mass uniformity and limited creativity in design.

On the other hand, custom made bricks allow for endless versatility, range and provide a wide array of options for every home. With custom bricks, bespoke designs are now possible. You’ll get the flexibility and freedom to craft bricks with your desired specifications, colours and clay. Giving you full control and the ability to imagine your dream home without limitations.

Attention To Detail

Custom bricks are also known for being meticulously handcrafted and moulded in small batches. Every brick is carefully designed, crafted and inspected. This ensures commitment to quality work and minimal product waste during the manufacturing process.

It’s quite the opposite for mass-produced bricks, where companies often prioritise profit and cost reduction. They are also typically inspected via Acceptance Sampling, meaning only several bricks are checked out of the entire batch. With the large volumes of production and small sampling tests, you might find potential compromises on brick quality and defects that have been missed.

Artisanal Craftsmanship

Brick facades have withstood the test of time and become truly timeless. Spanning across generations, they have become the building blocks of many civilisations, with the practice of making bricks being largely been untouched.

What has changed over time are the design elements and architectural styles. Over the years, brickmakers have honed their skills to craft new types of bricks with a plethora of colour palettes, innovative textures and contemporary finishes. Custom bricks celebrate the craftsmanship and dedication of these artisans.

At Krause Bricks, we believe in exceptional workmanship. Our family has been making handmade bricks since 1945, with each generation adding their own innovations. All of our bricks are manufactured using traditional methods in down-draught batch kilns, which produce a beautiful colour variation between bricks within each batch. We take pride in producing handmade bricks across generations of master brickmakers.

Where to start with custom bricks?

While customising bricks may seem like quite a daunting task (especially if you are doing so for the first time), it actually isn’t. Here’s a quick three-step process to help guide you.

Step One

Identify the overall appearance and characteristics of the layout and design that you desire. This sets the stage and overall tone for your home.

Step Two

Determine the shape and dimensions of the brick. Bricks are usually layered in patterns and stacked side by side. You need to first determine the layers in your wall and pattern of your choice. With this in mind, you can then decide on each layer’s height and the number of bricks there will be in one layer. Remember, you can always choose to include different patterns in each layer.

Step Three

Identify the colour, texture and finish of the overall house appearance. Whether you’re going for a traditional, rustic look or a contemporary modern take, having a style in mind will help you craft the perfect brick.

We offer a wide selection of brick dimensions, colours and finishes at Krause Bricks. For example, our speciality thin bricks (Emperor bricks) can be produced in various colours such as Red Blues, Smoke Grey, Apricot, Autumn and Cream. For a unique finish, consider Clinker Bricks, which have been partially vitrified to produce a shiny dark coating, or Tumbled Bricks, that have a characteristic rounded edge design.

Building a home is the ultimate passion project. We know how much time, effort and resources go into it. That’s why it’s essential that you invest in the right materials to build your dream home.

With custom made bricks, the possibilities are endless. You now have the ability to create bespoke bricks that are unmatched in terms of its depth and textural variety. Instead of following conventions, it’s time to break the mould and create a home that’s truly yours.

If you need help customising your bricks, speak to our experienced professionals at Krause Bricks today.