Guide To Types Of Brick Construction

Archaeologists and architectural historians should really talk to each other more. We’re both in the business of documenting cultural resources — it’s just that architectural historians deal with a building that’s standing and archaeologists deal with it when it falls down.

Of course, all those Palladian windows and Diocletian windows can start to run together after a while. So before tackling architectural styles common in North America, let’s look at one of the easiest things to learn — types of brick bond.

The bond is basically the pattern in which bricks were laid. This pattern can offer valuable information about the building’s usage, construction, and the time period when it was erected.

Now, when we all think of bricks, you probably think of this picture — which is known as a stretcher bond. I mean, how many ways can there be to stack bricks and mortar them together?

If we’re not using metric, I believe the official unit would be a “crap ton.”

It’s probably worth mentioning all the different names for the sides of bricks. The side that is longest is called Fred, and the short side is called Norman. No, wait. Those are the wrong names…

No, the side faces of a brick’s length are called stretchers. Hence why the “regular” brick pattern you see on modern houses is called a stretcher bond.

The smaller end faces are called headers, and as you can see in the photo, there’s also the less common shiner, rowlock, sailor, and soldier faces to a brick. Soldiers are commonly seen with window sills, the top row of brick steps, and other ways to accent an edge.

You may also notice in that photo that the bricks are hollowed out. That’s because they’re not solid bricks, they’re frogged bricks. Seem like a random name? It is. Ribbit, ribbit.

Bricks can be frogged to economize on the clay used for bricks and also provide a reservoir for the mortar. A responsible bricklayer won’t use more than, say, 20 percent of the total number of bricks being frogged, though. Just in case you were wondering.

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