Choosing bricks

[Sjk]

Any tips?

 

Dont want to cheap out on the bricks, it’s almost impossible to tell from looking at a computer screen. 

 

I will have a look look at the builders merchants in a few days but really struggle to scale it up and imagine how it would look. 

[Declan52]

Drive round your local area and see what colour you like and then take a few pics and bring them round the merchants and take it from there.

[Sjk]

Thats actually a good idea, will go for a walk around. 

[Onoff]

Once you've found a brick you like, nip back under the cover of darkness, with a sharp bolster and chip off a sample!

[joe90]

I looked at a brick suppliers website and we decided on a few to look at, company sent sample boards for nothing (brick slips really) and this enabled us to make the right choice. We are soooo pleased with them.

[CC45]

Try asking on a few sites.  Try a few recent self builds - chance are they will know what the bricks were.

 

You will agonise about this decision (well we did) but in the end you just grow to accept whatever you buy I suspect. 

 

Good luck

 

[epsilonGreedy]

7 hours ago, Declan52 said:

Drive round your local area and see what colour you like and then take a few pics and bring them round the merchants and take it from there.

 

 

We did that over the weekend and it was a rewarding experience. Experts listening to my brick selection dilemma told me I need Langworth Yellow reclaim bricks. A Google search led to Air B&B rental photos showing exactly what we wanted. So we drove to a village near Langworth, walked around and chatted to a few house owners following a "yoohoo" from the roadside.

 

Had a great chat with the owner of a late Georgian house, took photos, gave him tips on buying sash windows and he gave me a brick from his own pile of Langworth yellow reclaims. Another lady hanging out washing noticed us loitering and then spent 20 mins telling us about her cottage restoration and her new build garage. In the end she went inside and spent 10 minutes searching her builders documents before emerging telling us we wanted Hathersage Blend from Wienerberger.

[Temp]

Before a final decision check frost ratings. Also check possibility of salt/efflorescence (white staining) as some types of brick are more prone than others.