Building with Reclaimed Brick & Green Advantages

Sustainable building materials can be just as beautiful and functional as they are eco-friendly. As more and more homeowners and builders go green, brick masonry construction is becoming an important player in green building and sustainable home design. This is because bricks are inherently green and result in gorgeous structures that last for generations to come.

Here at TMS Architects, one of our favorite sustainable materials for green home designs is reclaimed brick. The benefits of using reclaimed brick in home building go far beyond aesthetics. In addition to bringing long-lasting durability to homes and requiring little to no maintenance, bricks bring a host of environmentally-friendly characteristics.

Natural, renewable, and reusable bricks have several attributes to help you go green. Bricks do not contain any ozone-depleting substances and are actually composed of the four most readily available elements found in nature: Oxygen, alumina, iron, and silica. They can also contain recycled content that can add to the aesthetic appeal by coloring without compromising durability. Because brick does not typically need to be painted and does not promote mold growth, it additionally lends itself to great indoor air quality.

Reclaimed brick can provide incredible tones and textures for achieving stunning home designs. They are found in a range of earthy colors from beige to brown and terra cotta to burnt auburn. Depending on the type of bricks and their arrangement, this sustainable material can be used to achieve a wide variety of home styles including Georgian Colonial, Federal Revival, Tuscan, Tudor, Spanish, Greek, Mediterranean and more. Multiple brick variations can even be employed to produce patterns and other accents and details for visual interest and personalization.

Reclaimed materials are just one method that our team here at TMS Architects uses to custom design and build green homes as well as restore and preserve historic homes and buildings for our clients. We turn to reclaimed materials not only for their eco-friendliness but for their historical significance and authentic beauty. Reclaimed materials allow us to significantly reduce our carbon footprint by cutting energy and resource consumption. Not to mention we are able to greatly cut costs for our clients, too!

Our team is experienced and passionate about beautiful and functional green home design. In one of our favorite green home design projects, we revived and renovated a New Hampshire farmhouse to feature modern efficiencies and technologies while restoring and highlighting the original farmhouse vernacular. As you can see, locally reclaimed brick was used throughout the design from the accent wall in the kitchen to the exterior walkways and driveways.

See more samples of our sustainable home designs in the TMS Architects portfolio. To begin discussing a home remodel or historic restoration using sustainable methods and materials that suit your aesthetic and lifestyle, contact TMS Architects online or by calling 603-436-4274.