Knowing your home is going to be able to withstand the cold is one of the most important things before buying. Brick is often the most common material in an area that houses are built from, but are brick houses colder in winter?
Brick houses can be warmer than most houses during winter. Brick houses have good thermal mass, meaning it warms over the day and slowly releases this warmth at night. Because of this, brick homes can be more energy efficient than lighter house materials, keeping you warm across the day and night.
Read on to find out more.
Do brick houses get colder in winter?
Brick houses are warmer in winter, especially when some form of internal heating is used. A brick house might be colder in winter if there isn’t any warmth provided by the weather or sunlight and heating inside isn’t used. But most houses will be using heating in winter, whether that be a fireplace or central heating.
Bricks release heat slower than other building materials because of their thermal mass. You’ll notice the bricks around a fireplace will stay warm for a while after a fire is put out. This is because the bricks retain the heat from the fire for a longer time. The heat will gradually release from the brick pores throughout the day, but at least it keeps the inside of the house warmer for longer.
Added insulation is recommended for brick houses to ensure good heating throughout the whole house. But even just brick with internal heating don’t get colder in winter than a lot of houses.
Are brick houses good for colder weather?
When we compare it with other materials, it’s clear that brick is one of the best materials for cold weather. Bricks, especially when layered, do a great job of keeping the good bulk of the harshest weather conditions at bay. This is a big part of why brick houses aren’t colder in winter. It takes a lot of wind to infiltrate brick pores and affect the warmth of a brick house.
How good your brick house is for colder weather will also be influenced by whether you have a cavity or solid wall. Cavity walls lose significantly less heat than solid walls do because insulation is slipped between the wall and brick easily. Combine this insulation with the heat retention from brick, and the house will be good for colder weather. You can also consider double brick houses for insulation because they have better insulation than single-brick homes. Again, this can make a brick house good for colder weather.
Do brick homes stay warm in winter?
Compared to other materials, brick homes can indeed stay warmer during winter. As a strong building material, they stop lots of wind from slipping into the house. This alone will keep the house warmer. With the right insulation, brick houses will stay warm for as long as you need. This is because the insulation is placed between the interior wall and exterior brick to trap the air, keeping the house warmer.
There are lots of different kinds of insulation that work well with brick. The most popular are various forms of foam. You can use rigid foam boards, or spray-on foam, or something else entirely. There are plenty of options for your brick house insulation that will help your brick home stay warm in winter.
Are there other houses that are better in winter than brick?
There aren’t other houses that are better than a brick one in winter. There are some materials that could be as good as brick, like houses made from stone. They have the same sort of strength against colder weather but don’t have as high of a thermal mass as brick. Stone is better at trapping heat inside, but not so great at using external warmth to provide internal heat.
Thinner building materials like weatherboard can’t compete with brick houses when it comes to winter. The lightweight materials release heat very quickly and will hike up your heating bills because of this. They also don’t block out the wind very well compared to brick houses. Of course, you can use certain lightweight sidings and rendering over brick to help with insulation. But ultimately brick is considered one of the best cold-weather materials with and without these extras.
Is a brick house good in summer?
Brick houses are also good in summer because they will retain cooling in the same way they retain heat. The bricks will also slowly absorb the heat from the outside weather and only gradually release this inside the house. This means your house will stay cooler for longer. Plus, the temperature outside can drop lots at nighttime, so you’ll have the heat of the day being dispersed throughout your home during the night. This way you can be cooler during the days and warmer at night thanks to brick houses in summer.
Ultimately, brick houses are a great option for weather year-round. They are warmer in winter and cooler during summer. Plus, with the quality of house designs and aspects like insulation, you can get your brick house to the perfect temperature.
Brick is a great building option with its strength and availability. Recently, brick veneer has become a popular option for houses too. So, what do you need to know about brick veneer? We have the answers for you! We can also give you an insight into the lifespan of a house. Paragon Masonry Tools is here to help with your bricklaying and masonry needs.
