Solid Bricks Let us face it; we all aspire to build structures that would last forever. No one builds a structure intending to take it down because of wear and tear soon. This is the reason why people are always looking for ways to make their structures as durable as possible. With durability and strength in mind, only two building materials come into play; cement concrete blocks and the traditional red bricks. Since differentiating between these can sometimes be painstaking, this article will help you with that by analyzing their differences so that you make an informed choice when building your structure.
Impact on Environment
Environmental degradation has been at its highest; the reason governments and environmentalists are against the use of building materials that contribute to environmental degradation.
The making of red bricks involves ridding the earth of its top layer that is mixed with water and hardened with heat. The ripple effect of this is the many landfills that you may have come across in some areas. On the bright side, bricks make the perfect waste for filling empty landfills.
Cement concrete blocks, on the other hand, are friendly to the environment since they rely on cement and coarse aggregates for manufacturing. With concrete blocks, the issue of deep empty landfills should not be experienced.
Cost of Construction
The cost of construction is always on top of the list of every structure owner. Building owners would love to build their structure at the lowest price possible, while still maintaining quality. Cement concrete blocks enjoy much favor over red bricks when the cost of construction is in mind. The raw materials used to make them are readily available and the process is quite blissful. It becomes even cheaper when the concrete blocks are manufactured at the site since this cuts the transportation cost. The manufacture of red bricks is quite a process that involves the excavation of red soil that is not everywhere. Redbrick kilns are also very scarce since the government has closed down most of them. All this raises the cost of construction when using red bricks. Another major drawback with red bricks is breakages during transportation to the site. This is because they are brittle and can easily break if not handled with the utmost care during transportation.
Durability
Although both red bricks and cement concrete blocks are the most durable building materials, one is more durable than the other. Red bricks are more durable since they are denser compared to cement concrete blocks. When properly installed, they require little or no maintenance at all. Cement concrete blocks are less dense and they even sometimes come in hollow designs. Upon installation, they require some maintenance at some point since they are prone to cracking. All this reduces their durability, although maintenance comes after so many years.
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