In shopping online for a better price for homeowner's insurance, I saw
a form which asked if my house was "brick" or "brick veneer". What's
the difference, and how can I tell which my house is? To me it's
always just been a "brick house".

(Ralph) wrote in message . com...
In shopping online for a better price for homeowner's insurance, I saw
a form which asked if my house was "brick" or "brick veneer". What's
the difference, and how can I tell which my house is? To me it's
always just been a "brick house".

"Brick veneer" is a wood framed house that has the brick hanging from
it. The wood is the structure and the brick merely a veneer. That is
most common these days. A "brick" house is likely what I refer to as
double-brick construction. There is no wood frame and the bricks are
structural. There are two "columns" (stacks - I don't know a better
word) of brick side by side and every six rows, the two columns of
bricks are tied together with bricks placed perpendicular to the walls
(joining the two columns of bricks together).

From the outside you would normally be able to see the "ends" of
bricks every six rows (intead of the sides as is normally the case). I
say normally because a house could also be triple-brick construction
where the double-brick that I described has another column of brick
veneer on the outside (hanging from the double-brick as in the wood
frame construction).

I hope this helps.

Kevin MacTavish

On 16 Sep 2003 10:05:13 -0500, someone wrote:


If your house was built anytime in the past sixty years, it is most
likely brick veneer, not brick. If you have drywall on the interior of
your outside walls rather than plaster, it is almost 100% guaranteed
that it is brick veneer, rather than brick..

Actually, it is possible in certain warm wet areas (like Florida) that
a post-war (WWII not Viet Nam) house could be *block* with brick
exterior layer. That would count as a "brick" house (I am supprised
the app calls it "brick" rather than the more general term "masonry"
but perhaps they dumber down the form because too many people had to
ask what "masonry" was).

A masonry house could also have drywall on furring strips; easier to
run wires and could have foam insulation in there; that is more common
in commercial buildings.

Also, is a block house with a "Dryvit" or fake stucco (textured
fiberglass over foam) a "brick" house; the structure is masonry but
the siding is combustible???

Anyways, OP, what are your walls made of? What are the layers from
inside out, and we'll tell you which it is.

-v.