How do I know - brick or brick veneer? (foundation, heating, living room)

[EastCoast_1]

When I see a home (inside and out) how do I know whether it is brick or brick veneer? The listing says brick. Is it so? What is the difference on a practical side? Energy efficiency?

[texdav]

Most brick homes have a backing of cider blocks behind the brick. Veneer has many types of sheathing with metal tabs that ties it to the board.Cider backed brick is stronger especailly when filled right.Insulation can make either efficent and there are alot of other things that add even more like tech shield decking on the roof;windows and heating system itself.

[Noahma]

Brick has a horrible R rating to it, along with cement. Brick veneer is going to have a brick ledge in the foundation to carry the weight, but have a normal wood framed wall behind the brick, usually with a 1/2-1" airgap to allow for moisture that may get in there to weep out.


When was the house built? Most homes these days that have a brick exterior are going to be brick veneer.

[emailvasally]

this may not work for every house, but it is the difference of the 2 houses I have had.

when the kids hit the outside wall with a ball at our old house (brick) there was just a thud on the outside and you could barely here it on the inside. Here at the new house (brick veneer) they threw a ball and there was a hollow sound. it also shook the inside wall.
I personally would much rather have a real brick home.

[Noahma]

Brick veneer is real brick, its just one wythe of brick instead of two or three. Real full brick walls are soo flippin expensive to build these days most builders go with a brick veneer instead for that full brick look.

[desertsun41]

Realtors listings are not accurate. It says brick because the listing Realtor has no idea unless the seller tells them. Even then no one can believe the seller who knows even less then the Realtor in most cases.

Dont go throwing balls at the house or digging holes as suggesed. Who ever lives there will either shoot you or call the oinkers.

Look at the ends, the edges where long runs die and so on. Real brick will always go into the ground where it sits on it's own footing just like some one said. But veneer brick will almost always start above your foundation right where the sill plate begins. When the bricks begin above the ground like this you will be able to get down on your knees and look up. You will see the veneer bricks being only 3/8th" thick.

Look around the windows. Real brick will have whole sized bricks laying flat and front to back and pitched downward towards the outside at the bottom of the window. Veneer brick just simply gets cemented to whatever structure is already there. The edges will be exposed and you will see where they are only 3/8th" thick.

And finally, there is nothing wrong with brick veneer. Nothing. A real brick home does add value while a veneer brick home does not. But the veneer will make the house look just as nice and just as attractive. Dont be afraid to buy a brick veneer house. Nothing at all wrong with it.

[emailvasally]

"Dont go throwing balls at the house or digging holes as suggesed. Who ever lives there will either shoot you or call the oinkers."

LOL I guess I wasnt really suggesting to do that, but as I reread my post I did not complete my thought. that was kind of a funny moment for me because I didnt even realize the kids threw balls at our old home. I'm cleaning the living room and all of a sudden the wall shakes and I start hearing funny things, shortly after moving into the new home. My DH picked out the house and said it was brick and I hadnt given it a second thought. So that was the first time I figured it wasnt totally brick. Then shortly after we had a contractor over for an estimate and he banged on the brick and said this is brick veneer. anyway.. stupid story I guess, but I thought it was funny.

[K'ledgeBldr]

Originally Posted by EastCoast_1

When I see a home (inside and out) how do I know whether it is brick or brick veneer? The listing says brick. Is it so? What is the difference on a practical side? Energy efficiency?

I can see where your confusion is- Since you came across the pond you're used to seeing a different type of construction.
In Europe most residential housing is built of concrete(concrete block).
Here in the states most housing is timber 'framed" with different materials for the exterior. For instance, brick. Technically, they're all veneer- to verify differences I'd call one real brick ( modular, or queen size- the kind of brick that has 3 or more holes in it), the other I'd call a faux brick ( it's the face of a brick but only 1/4"-1/2" thick).
When a house is marketed here in the states as brick- 95% of the time it's what I call real brick.
As codes change through the years- so do the material requirements for building. A lot of homes being built in FL are of block and/or poured concrete walls- because of hurricanes. But they may still be finished on the exterior with brick. And since brick is a decorative element it would still technically be a veneer.

[windtimber]

Originally Posted by K'ledgeBldr

I can see where your confusion is- Since you came across the pond you're used to seeing a different type of construction...Here in the states most housing is timber 'framed" with different materials for the exterior. For instance, brick...When a house is marketed here in the states as brick- 95% of the time it's what I call real brick.

Well put. My turn of the 20th Century "brick house" is exactly that. Exterior brick layer bonded to clay tile with interior plaster resulting in an exterior wall about 9" or 10" thick. Most "modern" brick residences are stud and plate framing with brick exterior - either full sized bricks or the thin "veneers."

[wankel7]

I just learned my first home is brick veneer. I had no idea how all of that worked.

Until I drilled a big hole through my brick for a dryer vent. I got throughj the rim joist. Then through some weird fiber board/black stuff, about 1.5" of air space, and then brick.