Choosing the wrong bricks is one mistake you can never fix

PiP Architects
Dec 8
4 min read

The difference between good architecture and great architecture often lies not in grand gestures, but in fundamental decisions made early in the design process.

Among these critical choices, brick selection stands apart.

Unlike interior finishes that can be refreshed or updated, brickwork becomes permanent the moment it's laid. A poor choice shadows a building for generations.

While we understand budget restrictions sometimes require value engineering, PiP will never recommend compromising on brick selection. There's simply too much at stake.

Barton Road features white linear brick with off-white mortar to create sophisticated contrast with the black timber cladding

Understanding the difference: cheap bricks vs quality bricks

The distinction between cheap and quality bricks extends far beyond initial cost.

Quality bricks are carefully made with strict quality controls, ensuring consistent colour, texture and dimensional accuracy. By contrast, cheaper bricks often suffer from poor firing, making them absorb water unevenly and age unpredictably.

The problems start to show after a few years. Premium bricks resist frost damage better, maintain their appearance under driving rain, and age gracefully. Budget alternatives can develop ‘efflorescence’ – those unsightly white salt stains that mark poor brickwork. Red bricks make these problems particularly noticeable, creating obvious staining that is very difficult to remove.

Sourcing bricks sustainably without compromising quality

Sustainability should matter more than price when choosing bricks, though at PiP we will always put quality first.

English bricks are the ideal choice - they don't need to travel far and use materials that belong to the local landscape. However, there are far fewer brick makers in England now than there used to be, making good locally sourced bricks hard to find.

Denmark has become an excellent European source, with brick makers producing outstanding bricks that balance environmental care with excellent performance. While bringing bricks from Denmark does add to carbon emissions, using quality Danish bricks for a typical project is still just one part of the overall build. You can balance this environmental impact by choosing other materials locally - perhaps timber from British forests instead of importing wood from America or Austria.

At the Y-House, linear slip bricks in earthy red tones work with white mortar to create maximum contrast.

Value engineering brickwork isn't worth it

The economics of value engineering brick choice is a false economy.

Consider a typical £500k build where contractors propose switching from £1,000 per thousand bricks to £500 alternatives. This offers a £4k saving – a very small percentage of the overall project.

And this saving represents only the material cost difference. Labour remains identical (laying cheaper bricks takes no less time), mortar specifications don't change and transportation costs stay the same. In the context of a half-million pound project, this saving amounts to less than one percent of the total build cost.

The true cost of this choice emerges over time. Poor bricks can suffer structural deterioration. Unlike other building elements that can be updated or replaced, rectifying brickwork means demolishing and rebuilding entire elevations – a risk that dwarfs any initial savings.

Brick specification separates a good project from a great one

Thoughtful brickwork begins with understanding design intent.

Are you creating contrast or seeking harmony? Do you want people to notice each individual brick, creating texture and pattern, or should they blend together into one smooth surface? This can be influenced by not only the brick itself, but also mortar colour and pointing techniques.

Bonding patterns add another layer of design possibility. Different ways of laying bricks can create traditional rhythms or contemporary visual effects, transforming functional construction into an architectural feature.

At Portugal Place, different brick-laying patterns give traditional bricks a modern twist.

Three PiP examples:

Barton Road: Monolithic elegance

At Barton Road, we used a white linear brick with off-white mortar to create sophisticated contrast with the black timber cladding. From a distance, the brickwork appears as a single, crisp surface. Then as you approach, the subtle mortar reveals intricate bonding patterns – a traditional ‘stretcher bond’ (bricks laid end-to-end in overlapping rows) complemented by staggered vertical panels around the windows.

This wire-cut brick provides clean lines that emphasise pattern over texture, creating architectural richness through geometry rather than material variation.

The Y-House: Bold texture and pattern

The Y-House demonstrates the opposite approach. Here, linear slip bricks in earthy red tones work with white mortar to create maximum contrast. Each brick stands out individually, producing a dynamic domino effect across the ground floor elevation.

The textured brick surface complements the weathering Corten steel, creating a palette of natural materials that age beautifully over time. The white pointing emphasises the vertical pattern, transforming functional masonry into architectural feature.

Portugal Place: Contextual harmony

Portugal Place required sensitivity to Cambridge's historic context. We selected modern bricks in traditional proportions, matching the honey tones of surrounding college buildings.

Rather than copying the old buildings exactly, we used different brick-laying patterns to give traditional materials a modern twist, such as herringbone in the courtyard garden.

Using the same brick for both walls and garden features shows how the right choice can tie different parts of a building together. It creates a unified design that feels both rooted in place and thoroughly contemporary.

Thoughtful brickwork transforms a building

When costs need cutting, there are many better places to save money than on bricks. Most building elements can be changed or upgraded later, but brickwork stays put for many decades.

Good brick selection matters as much as getting the structure or layout right. It's one of the few decisions that truly shapes how your building will look and perform for years to come.