Col's Construction Blog
About Me
Col's Construction Blog

Hello! Welcome to my blog. My name is Col. I live in Perth and I have a passion for construction. I am pretty useless when it comes to construction work so I tend to leave it to the experts. However, I find that there is nothing more pleasing than seeing a team of construction workers complete a job. Over the years, I have hired many different types of construction worker and they have all taken the time to chat with me. During these conversations, I have learnt so pretty interesting things which I will be exploring on this blog. Enjoy!

Col's Construction Blog

One Simple Design Feature That Could Help The Environment While Still Looking Great

Ethan Burton

Trying to weigh up the pro's and con's of all the different environmentally friendly products can be quite difficult in today's day and age. While some features are obvious and easy to install, like solar panels, others take a lot more effort which makes them simply not worth it. Everyone wants to do their part, but no one wants to have a worse outcome because of it. Luckily, if you are in the market for some interior or exterior design inspiration, one idea that is growing in popularity is blending style with environmental conservation: recycled bricks.

What Are Recycled Bricks?

Australia has some very old buildings, with many of its biggest cities inhabited for hundreds of years. For a long time, brick was the easiest and cheapest building material available, and so most buildings used it in some fashion or another. When these buildings get torn down for new developments, the bricks are kept for future use. These bricks have a lovely aged texture while still retaining their internal strength and structural qualities. That makes them perfect for feature walls and cladding and stops the resource-intensive process that goes into creating new bricks or building materials. 

Are There Different Options?

There are recycled bricks that come in every shape, size and colour imaginable. Red recycled bricks are by far the most popular, because of their traditional colour that most people associate with bricks, but that is not to say that is the only type. Yellow, brown, grey and orange are all popular variants, and sometimes, you can come across even more obscure colour palettes than that. Recycled bricks also come at different stages of their lifecycle. Some recycled bricks are much older and have a more rustic look, while newer recycled bricks could almost be passed off as unused. It all depends on what aesthetic you are going for.

Are They Safe To Use?

It can seem counterintuitive to use pre-owned building materials, but all the recycled bricks that are up for sale should have been tested for their internal structural integrity to make sure they won't break on you. The bricks that do break or are weak are simply never put into circulation and are disposed of during demolition. When it comes to cladding, these bricks are reinforced by the hidden structure that clips them into the cladding and subsequently are very strong. Even for non-cladding use, recycled bricks are perfectly safe and, if problems do ever arise, there is an easy process to get more bricks or a refund.


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