Getting the brick wrong on an extension is one of the few building mistakes you cannot easily reverse. Choose well and the extension reads as a seamless part of the house. Choose badly and it will shout “extension” every time you pull on the drive. Here is how we at CK Construction help clients across Redditch, Birmingham and Solihull get it right.
Start with the host building
The best match for an existing brick house is not always a “modern replica” of its original brick. A late-Victorian terrace in Moseley will almost always have hand-made or stock bricks that are now weathered to a soft, mottled finish. A pristine modern reproduction will look wrong next to it. In those cases we specify genuine reclaimed stock bricks and often win on budget as well.
Reclaimed stock bricks
Available from reclamation yards across the Midlands at £0.80-£2.00 per brick depending on type. For older properties they almost always give the best visual match.
Hand-made facing bricks
New hand-made clay bricks from manufacturers such as HG Matthews or Michelmersh cost £1.20-£3.00 per brick. For 1920s and 1930s houses with distinctive brick colours (Accrington red, mottled buff) a hand-made match is often the best route.
Machine-made facing bricks
Standard Ibstock, Wienerberger or Forterra bricks at £0.50-£1.20 each. Fine for modern homes built after 1980. For an older house, use with care.
Mortar matters as much as brick
The single biggest reason a well-chosen brick still looks wrong is mortar colour and joint profile. Mortar can be tinted to match the existing walls (yellow for lime mortars, grey or warm red for older red brick areas) and the joint profile (bucket handle, weatherstruck, flush) must match too.
Bond patterns to consider
- Stretcher bond: Standard for cavity walls on modern extensions.
- Flemish bond: Traditional and attractive for a solid-wall look on a Georgian or early Victorian property, usually created with half-bats on a modern extension.
- English bond: Alternating courses of headers and stretchers, strong and distinctive for garden walls and feature plinths.
Our process
On every CK Construction extension we take three or four brick samples from your existing walls, obtain brick samples from suppliers and lay a sample panel on site before placing the main order. It takes an extra week but it removes the risk of a wrong colour showing up on 1,800 bricks.
Thinking about an extension and want advice on the brick? Call 01527 521835 or use the contact form.