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Written by Build It magazine, published May 2008.
A masonry build is something that lasts, too - you only have to walk down a street in any city with a Victorian heritage to see that. In fact, brick-and-block construction is the cornerstone of the English and Welsh self-build market, with around 70 per cent of self-builders opting for this method, according to the Traditional Housing Bureau (THB). What is brick-and-block?
How much does it cost? According to Mark Windsor, spokesperson for self-build company Design & Materials, brick-and-block costs are roughly the same as for timber-frame. Of the selection of houses featured in Build It shown here, at the lower end of the cost scale the 1,163 square foot stone and timber-clad house (pictured overleaf) came in at £65 per square foot, while the wedge-shape house (opposite page, left) cost £93 a square foot. And the 3,000 square foot house that took just eight months to build (opposite page, bottom right) came in at £140 per square foot.
The advantages In terms of construction, brick-and-block is a tried-and -tested technique well known to all trades, so finding skilled labour should not prove a problem. It is also a fairly forgiving medium, with discrepancies in foundations, levels and measurements easily rectified on-site. This flexibility extends to structural changes which can continue to be modified throughout the build, unlike kit or frame homes. Design & Materials, for example, offers bespoke houses rather than 'pattern book' designs, which are then cut to shape, as is often the case with a timber-frame house. All the company's designs are a combination of what the planners will allow, the local vernacular and what the clients require. However, for those keen on open-plan living, brick-and-block proved problematic in the past because of the need for internal supporting walls; this issue was often solved using steel joists. Nowadays, the solution is more likely to be concrete upper floors, which spread the load to external walls and allow for differing layouts between floors. But to find the real facts on the different build methods don't rely on salesmen undertake your own research from independent sources. How long will it take?
Brick-and-block construction times are getting faster, too, thanks to aircrete blocks, such as Thermalite. Lighter to handle than conventional blocks, they can also easily be sawn, drilled and cut, thus speeding up wall construction times by around a half. These figures can be further reduced using jumbo blocks, such as Tarmac, and innovative thin joint systems (try Celcon). Already firmly established on the continent, oversized aerated blocks work on the theory that the larger the block, the less there is to lay, and therefore the quicker the build. When combined with new thin joint glue mortars (rather than thick cement) to make up the latest thin joint systems, the results are the fastest build and drying times to date. What about finance? When it comes to mortgages, the structure of a standard loan can work in favour of self-builders who opt for a brick-and-block build. Unlike conventional mortgages, where the loan is released as a lump sum, standard self-build mortgages release funds in instalments on the completion of each stage. Recognised stages include, for example, purchase of land, foundations, wall plate, making the house weathertight, first-fix and render, plus of course, completion. This system tends to suit brick-and-block construction where materials can be bought as and when required, rather than timber-frame where the bulk of the build cost (the frame) must be paid in full before delivery. It is, however, now possible to arrange advanced rather than arrears funding, in the form of BuildStore's accelerator mortgage from the National Self-Build & Renovation Centre in Swindon. How well does it perform?
If you want to make the most of your thermal mass then, as the experts at BuildStore point out: "The benefits are best exploited when using directly plastered walls and a well insulated cavity." It is also worth mentioning that temperature and air tightness can also be enhanced by using the new thin joint systems. Brick-and-block also provides a high level of sound proofing, as it is widely accepted that mass stops noise. In fact, reduced noise transmission between rooms is one of the reasons many self-builders give for opting for a brick-and-block build, with plastered blockwork providing around 50 per cent greater sound insulation than many partition walls. And if you invest in concrete floors, you can expect a comparative sound reduction between levels of around 47-52dB compared with 30-38dB for a timber floor. Finally, on a green note, there are now a vast array of green energy sources being offered by many brick-and-block companies. Design & Materials, for example, offers solar power, photovoltaic panels, geothermal heating, rainwater harvesting, wind turbines, heat recovery and passive ventilation as options for its bespoke masonry builds.
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Bricks and mortar is a phrase that readily springs to mind when it comes to house building - and with it connotations of a solid, secure structure. From the wooden building blocks and Lego of childhood to talk of 'investing in bricks and mortar', or 'the building blocks of life', there's something very safe and familiar about bricks. 
Brick-and-block involves working entirely on site - unlike build techniques such as timber-frame. The build starts with concrete foundations and finishes with the roof. Walls consist of a block-built inner skin, a cavity, and a brick-built outer skin. The two skins are held together with wall ties to add strength, while the cavity is filled with insulation. Internal load-bearing walls are built in block. All walls are built to first-floor level at which point timber floor joists or pre-cast concrete floors are added before the build is completed to roof height. Once watertight, internal block walls are finished using board or wet plaster.
When comparing timber-frame and brick-and-block builds, brick-and-block is generally thought of as the slower of the two. But if you factor in the time it takes to get a timber-frame onto site from the date you ordered it - which can be anything from 12 to 16 weeks - the difference evens out. Once on site, timber-frame builds take a matter of days to erect. But a brick-and-block build can start the day plans are approved, and with products readily available, the superstructure can be completed in weeks. What's more, the finishing of any superstructure will be around the same time. So with companies such as CB Homes quoting a timescale of just 22 weeks for an average four-bed home (2,000 square feet), it can be argued that, in many cases, actual completion times for brick-and-block are fairly similar to other forms of construction.
All builds, whatever their construction method, must now meet strict levels of energy efficiency. These targets are already surpassed by brick-and-block companies, but most agree that the future lies in using ever-more advanced insulation materials to give even lower U-values (which measure how well a building retains heat - the lower the U-value, the better).
Perhaps more significantly, brick-and-block offers the self-builder a far higher thermal mass than lighter forms of construction. As the THB explains: "Brick-and-block absorbs internal heat, then radiates it back into the house when the temperature falls. This helps maintain an even temperature, thus saving energy." In fact, some tests claim that brick-and-block construction can maintain temperatures around five to eight degrees higher than other lighter builds. Furthermore, during the summer months this absorption will also allow for a reduction of peak temperatures by around five degrees.