UK architects and contractors have a key decision to make on building projects – whether to achieve a brick finish with traditional brickwork or use a brick cladding system that incorporates brick slips.
Increasing pressure to reduce and control build cost and build faster, safer and more sustainably means that brick cladding is a more viable solution than you first suspected. In this blog, we’ll discuss the cost comparison between brick slips and bricks and why brick cladding is the more cost-effective solution.
The cost of brick slips
Brick slips are thin brick pieces that have been sold commercially for many years and when manufactured as slips they can be an affordable alternative to cut bricks. Brick slip cladding systems can be made from a variety of materials, such as natural clay, concrete, etc.
There is no fixed price for brick slips, with the cost depending on factors such as material, size, and finish, all impacting the final cost.
Natural clay is the most popular brick slip cladding thanks to its ability to achieve a traditional brick façade without compromise and its durability. Currently, around 50% of brick slips are manufactured using similar processes similar to traditional clay bricks, which are fired in a kiln. Natural clay brick can be used and when they are fired in the kiln, the faces of the brick are then cut off, often getting two slips from one traditional brick.
However, it’s the reduction in the cost of the overall project where brick slips save money, not always directly in the cost vs cost comparison but in the total build costs when factoring in all the associated benefits of brick cladding. Some of which you can clearly put a cost saving against but others are not so easy to quantify.
A quicker build
The process of laying bricks by hand is messy and weather dependent so can therefore be slow and unpredictable. Lightweight brick cladding systems using brick slips are easier to use in the construction process and can be installed in almost all-weather conditions and installation is typically much faster than traditional brick, dramatically reducing installation times.
Less labour intensive
By its very nature, using brick slips instead of traditional bricks is less labour-intensive. At about a quarter of the weight of traditional bricks, it can be delivered and applied at speed and is easier to handle. With the rising cost of bricklayers, this could be a substantial saving.
Prelim costs are reduced
Brick slips eliminate the need for masonry supports, and offer a reduction in foundations, structural frame and prelim costs, including replacing scaffolding with mechanical access equipment and fewer storage requirements, greater flexibility of build sequence and earlier project completion ultimately leading to less risk of programme over-run.
A reduction in deliveries
Due to the reduced volume of materials needed for brick cladding with brick slips, savings can be made on the number of deliveries, with deliveries to the site reduced by up to 75%.
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Brick slips will save on build costs
While side-by-side brick cladding can be more expensive than bricks and mortar, yet when weighed up alongside the reduction in the cost of the overall project then the saving, on the whole, can be considerable.
Incorporating all these benefits means the savings that can be made on some projects are what’s setting brick slips and brick cladding apart as a cost-effective solution when compared to traditional bricks.
And when you include the fact that brick slips are less likely to effloresce, lend themselves to a bigger array of design possibilities and colours than bricks, and can also have sustainability benefits, then it’s easy to see why they are becoming so popular.
Do you need the best brick cladding for your project?
Aquarian Cladding Systems,’ specialist suppliers of brick cladding facades, are key UK distributors of Gebrik, MechSlip and NaturAL-X brick cladding systems, which have been used on many award-winning facade and building projects. We work with architects, contractors, developers and installation specialists across a wide range of sectors to help them create a traditional brick finish while saving costs and build time. If you have an enquiry then please get in touch.
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