Alright, let’s talk about them bricks, you know, the things they build houses with. Now, some folks say they keep you warm, some say they don’t. I’m gonna tell you what I know, no fancy talk, just plain sense.
Are bricks good for keepin’ warm? Well, kinda, sorta. See, bricks are thick, real thick. That’s gotta count for somethin’, right? Like, if you got a thick coat on, you’re warmer than if you just got a thin shirt. Same with a house, I reckon. Them brick walls, they stop the wind from cuttin’ right through you. That’s good, specially in the winter when it’s howlin’ outside.
But here’s the thing, bricks ain’t like a fluffy blanket. They ain’t soft and light, they’re hard and heavy. And that matters, ya know? Them smarty-pants fellas, they talk about somethin’ called “R-value.” Don’t ask me what it means exactly, but the higher the number, the better it keeps the heat in, or the cold out, dependin’ on the time of year.
Now, bricks, they don’t got a high R-value. Not on their own, anyway. They’re kinda like a rock, you see? Rocks get cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Bricks do the same. They hold the heat, sure, but they also let it out, and they let the cold in too. It’s like havin’ a big ol’ oven in your house, but the door don’t close tight. Some heat stays, but a lot of it goes right out the window, so to speak.
- Think of it this way: A brick wall is like a big, heavy curtain. It blocks the wind, sure, but it ain’t gonna keep you toasty warm like a quilt.
- Another thing: They build brick houses with two walls, and there’s a little space between ’em. That space is important, they say. Air is better than brick at keepin’ the heat in, or the cold out. But even then, it ain’t enough, most times.
So, what do they do? They put in other stuff, you know, fluffy stuff, inside the walls, or on the outside of the walls, underneath the brick. That fluffy stuff is the real hero when it comes to keepin’ warm, or cool. It’s like puttin’ on a sweater under your coat. The coat stops the wind, but the sweater keeps you warm.
They got all sorts of this fluffy stuff. Some looks like cotton candy, some looks like wool, some looks like foam. I don’t know the names of all of ’em, but they all do the same thing: trap the air. And trapped air is what keeps you comfortable, see?
Now, let’s talk about wood. Some folks build houses out of wood, not brick. Wood’s different. It’s lighter, for one thing. And it’s got more of them little air pockets inside. That makes it better at keepin’ the heat in, or the cold out, than brick, all by itself. But wood needs protectin’ too, from the rain and the bugs and such, so you gotta put stuff on it, like paint or siding.
So, brick versus wood? Well, it ain’t that simple. Brick’s strong, real strong. It lasts a long time, and it don’t burn easy. That’s good. But it needs help with keepin’ you warm or cool. Wood’s easier to work with, and it’s a bit better at keepin’ the heat in, but it needs more lookin’ after.
In the end, it all comes down to what you want and how much money you got. If you want a brick house, you’re gonna need to spend some extra money on that fluffy stuff to keep warm, or cool. If you go with wood, you might not need as much fluffy stuff, but you’ll have to spend money on keepin’ the wood in good shape.
Bottom line: Bricks alone ain’t the best for keepin’ you warm or cool. They need a little help from their friends, like that fluffy stuff they put in the walls. But they’re strong and they last a long time, and that’s worth somethin’, I reckon.
And that’s all I gotta say about bricks. It ain’t rocket science, just common sense, the way I see it.
Tags: [brick, insulation, R-value, home building, warmth, thermal mass, wood, concrete, building materials]
