Building blocks of the house : Brick or Concrete block? Which one is better?

Use Bricks to design and plan our home, this was one of the requirements given by us to our Architect. Why? What was rationale behind this? Bricks or Hollow blocks, which one is better. Read on.

Please note that you should decide to use either bricks or hollow block even before plan is being made. You can't change your mind later once building plan is done and replace one with the other without changing the structural design of the building! Since hollow blocks are weaker compared to bricks they need more structural support than bricks.

About bricks

Bricks are usually prepared using clay by grinding, mixing them with water, moulding, drying and firing process. It is very important that you need to select best quality bricks for your house.
If brick is soft or can be easily scratched with finger nail then it is possible that firing was not done properly. Bricks should be uniform in color and without holes or cracks.

Also bricks should be soaked 2 to 6 hours before using it for masonry works like constructing wall. Otherwise bricks will absorb the moisture from mortar, mortal will become weak and so the bond between the bricks. It will result in weak masonry wall.

About concrete blocks

There are variety of types of concrete blocks exists. It is called with different name in different places. concrete masonry unit, hollow block, cinder block or concrete brick etc. Usually it is made from fly ash or portaland cement etc. Some blocks might be reinforced with steel to add more strength.
Usually it will be hollow inside rather than solid. They are bigger, light weight than bricks.

Following table highlights the major differences between bricks and concrete blocks.

Brick	Concrete Block
Smaller size	Bigger size
Heavy	Light weight
Costly	Cheaper
usually results in thicker 9" wall	usually results in thinner 6" inch wall
Should be soaked in Water before using it for masonry construction	No need to soak in water before use
Brick can take more load, less structural reinforcement is sufficient.	More reinforcement is required in structure.
Since bricks are solid and thick wall will be more stronger	Wall will be less stronger
Lesser carpet space due to thicker wall	More carpet space available due to thinner wall
Time consuming process for construction	Construction will be faster
Not good for environment	Environment friendly.
Uses soil	Fly-ash, Portland cement, lime, steel etc. Some of the raw materials available as industry wastages.
Requires more mortar	Uses less mortar
More bricks are required than blocks	Less number blocks are required than bricks

When to prefer Concrete block

• for high rise building : Since concrete blocks are light weight, they must be used for high rise building to reduce overall weight of the building.
• To reduce cost of construction: It is cheaper, can be constructed faster than bricks, requires less labor than bricks, uses less mortar.
• For more carpet space: With concrete block we can construct thinner walls.
• To construct building quickly: Since concrete blocks are big less number of blocks are required to construct wall than bricks. No need to soak in water before using.

When to prefer Bricks

• Solid bricks will have more thermal mass than hollow blocks. So it can provide better thermal insulation.
• If your building plan does not use concrete columns and beams to provide structure. Then load bearing walls should use solid bricks.
• When you want to have stronger wall than hollow blocks.
• For Aesthetic look

Otherwise using bricks or blocks in building doesn't matter. A well designed concrete block can provide you good thermal insulation, proper structure to take load can compensate the less load bearing capability of the hollow concrete blocks.

If you are buying an pre built apartment then consult a architect with the building plan and an apartment visit, so that he can give you the proper guidance.

Ok let me reveal why I have selected bricks over concrete blocks for my house. Thermal insulation is the major factor to choose bricks than hollow blocks.  Let me know your thoughts in comments.