Browse Forums Windows & Doors 1 Apr 03, 2008 2:43 pm Has anyone had 1/2 bricks installed directly UNDER their windows?? It looks absolutely awful - ruins the total look.
My brother built a face brick house instead of having it rendered ( as was the display home) He was horrified to find that the builder had used 1/2 bricks instead of whole bricks under each of the windows. Obviously the 1/2 bricks wouldn't have been seen, if he'd gone with a rendered finish. However, the builder didn't say anything about the use of 1/2 bricks. So my brother had hell demanding that they be removed & replaced with fulls. Has anyone had the same problem? What worries me is that we will be building in face brick & not as the display home in render & the same happen to us. Any thoughts as to how to avoid this ? Re: Half bricks under windows 2Apr 03, 2008 3:03 pm radds,
When you say half brick, I assume the bricks were cut in half (actually closer to one-third (or two-thirds for two brick courses)) and then placed vertically beneath the window. I think they call it a soldier course. If we're talking about the same thing then I too like the idea of nice horizontal straight bricks. However, I don't think I've seen this. I've seen specialty 45 degree bricks, bricks that are angled and stick out and a soldier course. Why not a nice normal horizontal run of bricks, just like you commonly get above a window. Some would say it's to let water run off, but the soldier course does not allow this. OK, it just occured to me. Most bricks are extruded and have those holes in the middle. If you lay them horizontally, the holes would be exposed. One more reason to get pressed bricks. So, why don't we see nice clean horizontal (pressed) bricks beneath windows? Cheers, Casa Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Half bricks under windows 3Apr 03, 2008 3:53 pm No Casa2 , not the soldier bricks - I know what you mean by those.
These 1/2 bricks were cut horizontally across the longest length & laid just like all the other bricks in the wall ie horizontally, directly under the sill bricks. It looked shocking. The builder said it was normal practice - baloney !! He refused to change any of them except for those on the front of the house. To do this, the front window had to be changed to fit the now smaller opening. What a stuff up. How to avoid the builder doing this ? Can i add a special condition to the contract to state that no horizontal 1/2 bricks are to be used on the external brick walls ? Re: Half bricks under windows 4Apr 03, 2008 4:10 pm radds,
Are you telling me that the bricks were laid horizontally, but sliced in half. That is, instead of being 76 mm high, they were approximately 38 mm high? That is disgusting. Just goes to show, what builders call normal practice, is in fact not normal practice! Maybe "normal practice" is code for "we stuffed up, but please let us get away with it". Were the "half bricks" tilted to aid water runoff? Sounds like windows were done wrong and that they tried to compensate in the brickwork. Talk about cutting the foot to fit the shoe! Cheers, Casa Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Half bricks under windows 5Apr 03, 2008 4:37 pm Yep !! to your 1st sentence -sliced in 1/2 & laid horizontally.
How do you like that ? And they were/are a prestige Sydney builder with homes starting $400,000 !!! Nope - they weren't tilted to aid run-off ! Re: Half bricks under windows 7Apr 03, 2008 8:05 pm I know exactly what you mean, Radds, It's the first coarse of bricks directly under the tilted sill bricks. I have seen it numerous times before. It actually looks much better having the 'half' bricks rather than the painted infills above the windows...but that's my opinion . Looks to be the norm for some of the larger project builders, and as I'm going with one and not having a rendered house, looks like I'll most likely have the same.
Is this what you mean?? Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Henley - Wilshire Mk 3 ... I love my house!! Site start: 4th Feb 09 Handover: 10th Sep 09 Blog: http://stormygirlscastle.blogspot.com/ Build Thread: viewtopic.php?t=7166 Re: Half bricks under windows 8Apr 03, 2008 9:39 pm Casa 2 : don't know if I can get you a photo. We've moved away & rarely get to that area.
Stormy : Yes, looks almost like his bricks, except his were exactly 1/2 the height of the rest of the bricks. Honestly, I think the builder has stuffed up somewhere. Don't know whether the windows are the wrong size or they've been postitioned in the wrong place, but I would be livid. radds Re: Half bricks under windows 9Apr 04, 2008 8:20 am well if it's standard, our bricklayers didn't do it. here's some pics of our window sills, they used whole bricks but on their sides and well tilted to allow water flow.
Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Half bricks under windows 10Apr 11, 2008 11:27 am Its correct & normal procedure.
What would you envisage as an alternative ? Peter Clarkson - AusDesign Australia www.ausdesign.com.au This information is intended to provide general information only. It does not purport to be a comprehensive advice. Re: Half bricks under windows 11Apr 11, 2008 11:41 am ausdesign Its correct & normal procedure. What would you envisage as an alternative ? Couldn't you just tilt the sill bricks more and then you wouldn't need the less than half bricks. mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Half bricks under windows 12Apr 11, 2008 12:40 pm The sill bricks are laid throughout the home at a uniform angle [otherwise it would look like a 'uf up'.]
The window heads are usually set at the same height [otherwise it would look like a 'uf up'.] The brick course directly under the sill is cut to the relevant height to work with the widow height. Peter Clarkson - AusDesign Australia www.ausdesign.com.au This information is intended to provide general information only. It does not purport to be a comprehensive advice. Re: Half bricks under windows 13Apr 11, 2008 3:59 pm ausdesign,
Is it possible to just lay a normal brick course both below and above a window to give a nice clean look? Some say you need to have an angle to let water run off, but then a soldier course is allowed and these are not angled. I think it would look great to just have normal brick courses througout with the window an exact multiple of 86 mm (+10 mm) high. Cheers, Casa Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Half bricks under windows 14Apr 12, 2008 9:31 pm I would say so Casa.
There would still be the requirement of leaving a minimum 5mm gap [varies with construction type] between the brick & window sill. This also assumes that the window height is sized exactly to work brick courses. Peter Clarkson - AusDesign Australia www.ausdesign.com.au This information is intended to provide general information only. It does not purport to be a comprehensive advice. Re: Half bricks under windows 15Apr 12, 2008 9:46 pm ausdesign This also assumes that the window height is sized exactly to work brick courses. Is it just me, or does this seem to be an issue that has arisen in recent years?? To me, a good design is one that allows for brick courses & window sizing, so that it DOES match up without having to do half & 1/4 height bricks. It was never an issue in "the old days" but it seems the 2000s have brought with it the 'near enough is acceptable' attitude, and no-one wants to plan these things properly anymore. Re: Half bricks under windows 16Apr 12, 2008 10:04 pm commodorenut To me, a good design is one that allows for brick courses & window sizing, so that it DOES match up without having to do half & 1/4 height bricks. Our house is exactly the same as Marylands Manor's....I find it extremely strange that window sizes can't be matched to standard coarse heights. It's not as if brick sizes have changed??? mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Half bricks under windows 17Apr 13, 2008 1:18 am ausdesign I would say so Casa. There would still be the requirement of leaving a minimum 5mm gap [varies with construction type] between the brick & window sill. This also assumes that the window height is sized exactly to work brick courses. Thanks ausdesign. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Interesting. You have great clearance to damp proof course all the way around which is rare with so many cowboy landscapers and concreters. Is there sufficient fall… 2 2434 Thanks for the insights, that makes perfect sense, and yeah, I will be leaning on the experience of the excavator operator entirely. 6 16156 I want to build a bigger driveway (without a nature strip) than has been approved under my CDC. I’ve also had a DA approved to build a deck. It looks like I can do this… 0 4812 |