It’s a Brick. House.

I learned something interesting today during a home inspection, so I thought I would pass it along.

Take a look at the photo below. Is this house solely brick exterior construction or is it brick and stud construction (essentially the brick is only a veneer)? How can you tell?



This home, built in 1884 according to town records, is solely brick exterior construction. That means there are several layers of brick which make up the exterior/interior walls of the shell of the home. You can tell this because every few courses of brick there are bricks turned perpendicular to the other bricks. The brick is all structural in function and the method of laying the bricks provided stability and strength.

If the brick is all laid running the same direction, it’s a veneer and is only for aesthetics, the brick does not have a structural function.

Here’s an interesting website that talks more about older brick construction and how it works. There are also some helpful tips on how it should be properly maintained and repaired, if needed.

The more you know…

One thought on “It’s a Brick. House.

  1. A couple of years ago, I pointed out structural damage to a brick building at the scene of an accident where a vehicle had plowed into a corner store. An engineer from the City of Hartford told me that it was just the facade that was cracked. I responded that it was a solid brick wall, pointing out the presence of stringer courses as evidence. He didn’t know what I was talking about and insisted he was right. It bothered me then (and now) that a city official in a decision-making position knew so little about the construction of so many of Hartford’s buildings.

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