Brick walls - any good? - Brick wall system, any good?

[kiwidave]

Hi everyone,
Has anyone heard of a brick wall system like this before: http://www.brickit.com/why.asp ?

I laughed when I first saw it, then got intrigued ..maybe it's an easy way to replace the crappy aluminum siding on my house?!

Thanks for any comments.
David

[lutonlagerlout]

hi david
all those brick systems can look great if installed by someone competent,its much more of a USA thing i would guess as here in blighty we just use full bricks
btw i got some relatives in roswell GA, loren schmerler maybe you know him?its a beautiful place,real america.
regards LLL

[Ted]

It is cladding essentially. Most attempts at cladding in this country ensure you detract value from the property that you clad. But it is much more common in hotter countries and the USA as LLL says.

There are many ways if doing it.

You can alternatively use stencils and spray the wall. Some PIC contractors use stencils for drives/patios but vertical surfaces can be done too.

www.stencil-tech.co.uk

You can also render a wall and carve out bricks and then mould texture using moulds.

http://www.cemcrete.co.za/index5.htm
(see Decocrete)

Both techniques are specialist. The latter is more artistry than a trade.

Generally you don't want to go near either unless your house is perhaps pebble-dashed or made of really horrible bricks or is a wacky new-build more suited to Las Vegas or Texas or somewhere. Cladding an existing house is also often a good way of upsetting your neighbours.

This technique looks good though as if every brick is different you should be able to build a facade that looks like a traditional brickwork wall. Texturing concrete either on-site or pre-cast usually results in a pattern repeating itself at some point unless you have lots of different moulds which costs. Textured concrete often looks too artificial as a result.

[MatthewWakeman]

All mcdonalds restraunts use this system. We used to have a contract with a groundworks co that built Mc donalds, 5 weeks from breaking ground they were serving burgers every thing is modular all the units are craned into place most are pre tiled in side wall and floors.

regards

Matthew
drivewaycompany.co.uk

[lutonlagerlout]

i built the mcdonalds next to edgeware tube station in 1990 and i can confirm it was in real bricks on front anyway
the drivethrus round here look like stick ons,just high speed installation i guess
LLL

[kiwidave]

Thanks for all the replies, it sounds like it's best to avoid a system like that and get the job done properly with real bricks. I guess real bricks would provide better insulation for the house as well as they're thicker than the other system?

Sorry LLL, I haven't met loren yet, I may do one day though, Roswell isn't a very big place. Strange thing around here is it's impossible to buy small quantities of bricks, no one stocks them! I have to drive 35 miles to get to a large building supplier, I don't remember it being that difficult to get bricks when I lived England.

thanks again,
David

[lutonlagerlout]

i guess you have to go to downtown atlanta,for bricks?
i saw recently that roswell was one of the highest quality of life places in the USA but my peeps live in a gated community,bit sterile if you are from a rough part of the world like me, i know when i had 2 beers at lunchtime, eyebrows were raised as to whether i had a drink problem!!! i was on my holidays for chrissakes
lol yes brick is better but the USa is geared up for timber and cladding
cheers LLL