Michael: We decided to use a bricks and stone combination to give our country retreat a more rustic old world look. Both require no maintenance and will last this a lifetime. We used Acme Brick for the bulk of our house and limestone from Texas quarries for the front entrance. Using the two products give us some really nice design options. Dennis Knautz has been in the brick industry for over 21 years, he advices on the many advantages of brick home has to offer.
Well Dennis we choose brick for our project house for a lot a different reason but this is the first house built with brick. How long you have been using brick?
Dennis Knautz: Michael they pride been using bricks for more thank 9,000 years, history book say that the brick have been used back to the days of Mesopotamia.
Michael: Wow long, long history and I know that you brought a couple of samples that actually show a little age on them and tell us about your bricks here.
Dennis Knautz: Yes, we have a small collection of all brick in our offices in Forts Brick and this first brick here comes from the Roman form in Rome Italy, the Roman form was built about 400AD so this brick here is about 16000 years old.
Micahel: Wow, and how about behind here.
Dennis Knautz: This brick here comes from a Siamese Temple in Thailand and was built in the 8th century so this brick here is probably 300 years newer than this brick.
Michael: Newer so, this is cost more this.
Dennis Knautz: You think about 100 years guarantee and the different of this two brick is 300 years of being, and nearly 2000 years old themselves.
Michael: You give guarantee for that.
Dennis Knautz: That’s right.
Michael: And now tells about the brick that you put on the project house because it is very similar in color to watch you brought from this other time periods but build totally different. How do you manufacture this brick?
Dennis Knautz: Well, we manufacture brick in a way that is in some way similar to way it was done back in the old days but new technology allows us to change things automatically. With my own clay quarries and bring it in to the plant, the clay is form into a long column and those individual bricks serve and then cut from that column. The brick are set on the kiln car and drive and put into a kiln.
Michael: And how long this it take for on through that kiln and fire it up and become a good brick.
Dennis Knautz: It will typically take anywhere from a 30 to 40 hours.
Michael: To get a good brick.
Dennis Knautz: To get a good brick.
Michael: And I know there is a scientific ways to tell that you got a quality brick. But how about if you’re out in the field and you’re looking in a home, how do know if they are using good brick?
Dennis Knautz: Well, through in the lot of quality test that they are possible but one of ways is just to ring the brick together.
Michael: Can you demonstrate that?
Dennis Knautz: Okay, take this brick here and just ring them and you hear a solid ring.
Michael: Yeah! It sounds like bells going on.
Dennis Knautz: Sound like bells.
Michael: Okay.
Dennis Knautz: We also found on the different job sites on other brick here and we don’t think to use our quite fired to the temperature and the quality standards that go to make a good color of clay brick.
Michael: So, that’s your technique?
Dennis Knautz: That’s right, okay. You will hear the difference that mortar has different sound. Now, because this haven’t been fired to the proper temperature they may be more subject to fail then the brick that you have here on this home.
Michael: Yeah and I see this sort of crack up right there, so both bricks quite to loss your brick. And there was also that you brought a lot of different molder colors there and stuff and I guess molder takes up a lot of the wall itself when you look at this brick wall and you will see a lot of colors in the brick but a lot of that is not brick is it?
Dennis Knautz: You’re right Michael. In fact the more you actually cover about 20% of the wall. So, when you look at the wall selection of the bricks certainly is a primary selection element. But the color of the molder also can change dramatically the appearance of your house. I choose a couple of more colors here and if you can just take a look and see how them more mortar the color of the brick out in much more newer newly fashion. There is darker one here helps for those darker charcoal colors out of the brick.
Michael: So it definitely changes the whole look of the house?
Dennis Knautz: That’s right!
Michael: Now besides trying to get someone driving and driven around of them. You like them putting them there so easy way the check what your houses going to look alike.
Dennis Knautz: We think so if you go to our website www.brik.com we have a program that’s available for anybody to use its called Virtual Mazon. These Virtual Mazon products allow you to choose from 12 different elevations. And once you choose an elevation of the house that you may want to be buying in some point. You can choose the brick, you can choose the multi-color, and you can choose the trim and the roof color, all of which go together to make that appearance from the street of your potential industry
Michael: Good I really know what it looks like before we start and instead of afterward surprise.
Dennis Knautz: That’s right. That’s absolutely right.
Michael: Yeah, now brick is the definitely durable as you said the venues of the thousands of thousands of years. But what are some and the other benefits by choosing brick for our project house?
Dennis Knautz: Well there are probably two or three things that come in mind very quickly Michael. One of which is the Insulating Quality Factor, it takes a long time for heat to go from the outside and like in the summers through a brick to get inside of your house. For a sound standpoint of masonry wall will actually bounce sound off the wall and make your house quieter on inside for you. The third factor is this fire resistance, brick don’t melt.
Michael: Yeah.
Dennis Knautz: Brick don’t burn.
Michael: Okay, that’s right and we’ve got a lot of brick on this house and we got 20% of it being motor but we have also something else got some limestone here. Tell us about that.
Dennis Knautz: Yes, a lot of houses are using some limestone here to accent the brick and really off set the some of the colors that are in the brick as well. This natural limestone comes from one our companies called Texas Quarries.
Michael: Well it looks awesome in just by adding the few pieces here and there it really does changes the whole look of the house once more time. And I know just right up there you have even got a fossil in your limestone.
Dennis Knautz: That’s right Michael, in fact the fossil right there is something is truly unique to somebody stones that we find in the Houston area.
Michael: Dennis what is the home on our need to think about as far as maintenance on the brick home.
Dennis Knautz: It virtually has to do nothing about maintenance, brick and stone are maintenance free. Once there up in the wall you want just go back and not worry about maintaining it whatsoever. The brick don’t peel, they don’t need staining they don’t need painting; they wont rot, termites don’t like to eat them. Brick are just there for a lifetime of the house and give you the time too often and spend time with your family and save a few dollars in your pocket. So you don’t because you don’t have to spend money.
Michael: If you like to see the many design options, Acme Brick has to offer. Visit the Acme Brick website at brick.com.
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