If more than one in two detached houses is a brick house, it is no coincidence. Traditional, resistant, durable, the material appeals to residents and architects alike.
Here are 10 reasons to prefer a brick house over a cinder block house.
The typical brick house of the Southwest
All you have to do is visit Toulouse, the Haute-Garonne, Arcachon bay, Gers or Dordogne to be convinced that brick has a special place in our regions of the South-West. Everywhere, the brick masonry dawns, spreading its beautiful colors, and its architecture inventive. THE brickyards litter the territory, thus recalling the preponderant place of terracotta. Even today, the inhabitants remain attached to this traditional building material. Transmitting their know-how, the artisans of the region always advocate thebrick architecture de terracotta. Especially since this traditional material is particularly suitable for contemporary construction.
Building a Brick House for Longevity
At the time of everything disposable, this element of structure shines with its longevity. A quality that seems essential for a house. His characteristics, Thermal as mechanical do not deteriorate over time, which allows you to consider the resale or transmission of your property with confidence. Another advantage, this material termite resistant, which makes it an ally of choice in our wooded regions. Thanks to this material 100% fireproof, the brick house also resists fires more easily.
Brick, a natural material
Terracotta is a 100% natural material mainly composed of clay. This mineral raw material and renewable is ubiquitous in basements. The manufacture of brick has changed little over the centuries and the processes remain very traditional: extraction, preparation, shaping, drying and firing.
Local material and made in France
It is estimated that in France, more than 95% of the terracotta products used on construction sites have been made in France From local raw materials. Few materials today can boast of such a balance sheet. Interest? Promote local employment, but also limit transport and participate in maintaining this industry on the territory. Brief, build a brick house it's good for the ecology, but also for the economy.
RE 2020: The brick house reduces its carbon footprint
Made from a ecological raw material, however, terracotta has an energy-intensive manufacturing process. To acquire its solidity and performance, the earth is in fact fired at 1200°C. In order to follow the recommendations of the RE 2020 in particular, which encourages the use of low carbon materials, the terracotta manufacturers have undertaken to significantly reduce their CO2 emissions. In barely thirty years, the greenhouse gas emissions for its manufacture have fallen by more than 40%, and CO2 emissions have been halved. Progress is continuing and is particularly focused on the use of biogas to further reduce the carbon footprint.
See the article on this subject: New house RE 2020 in the South-West: what consequences for my project?
A healthy and non-polluting material
100% natural, the brick is a mineral product that does not contain any toxic product. Not derived from petrochemicals, the material does not emit VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and therefore avoids polluting the air inside our homes. They are thus classified A+ by the labeling of indoor air emissions building materials.
See our article: 10 reasons to prefer the new house against allergies
A house that manages humidity better
Brick is a material called breathable, this means that it does not block moisture. With a terracotta house, the walls breathe. As a result, the humidity in the house can be evacuated naturally. It is not blocked like with cement. This characteristic very often avoids certain disorders such as the degradation of materials (insulation, wooden floor, paint, coating, etc.) and the development of mould. This obviously does not prevent installing ventilation to eliminate the bulk of the humidity.
The brick house provides summer comfort
We all have in mind these houses, generally old and made of stone, which remain cool in summer despite very high temperatures. This is due to the very high inertia of the stone material. High inertia walls store energy without increasing their temperature. They sort of play the role of energy tank ". They then restore the stored heat when the temperatures cool down. Like stone, brick which is a mineral material that has a strong inertia. It therefore participates in maintaining mild temperatures inside the house in summer. A definite advantage with the new environmental regulations, the RE 2020 which emphasizes the summer comfort.
The brick house is well insulated in winter
Houses built today consume very little energy for heating. These requirements are defined first by thermal and then environmental regulations. To respect the new provisions of RE 2020, the quality of thethermal insulation and the treatment of thermal bridges are essential. This notably requires a good wall insulation the Terracotta bricks that make it possible to build the houses are elements that are both carriers and insulators. They thus participate in thermal performance of the building. At Maisons Sic, insulating whose thickness will depend on thethermal study will then complete this material to achieve the desired performance and keep the heat in the house.
Freedom in home design
Finally, the brick offers complete freedom to the designer of the house. traditional house ou contemporary villa, roof terrace, large clean room, everything is possible because this material is particularly resistant. Finally, they can receive any type of coating or cladding for real customisation.
