exposed brick

[mrgrieves]

I just bought a home in central Toronto built in the 1960s. its a fairly standard build from that time period.

haven't taken possession yet, and will be doing some renos before moving in. I like the look of exposed brick, and was wondering if anyone knows if homes built in that time period would have brick underneath the plaster walls? (the house has brick exterior)

first time homeowner - any helpful responses are appreciated

 

[howl]

My guess is wood frame, with brick on the outside and drywall on the inside. If you're lucky there will be some insulation in there too. Almost all houses have been built this way in Canada since the early 1900's. If you're hoping for exposed brick walls you should have got an old industrial building, which often have double brick walls; or an older semi-detachced or townhouse where the shared wall might be double brick.

 

[ChesterCopperpot]

I've seen a number of homes for sale recently in the Leslieville area that have exposed brick in them in the living rooms

 

[the lemur]

an older semi-detachced or townhouse where the shared wall might be double brick.

This is the case in my home (semi, 100+ years old) and while we initially liked the idea of exposed brick, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Depending on the orientation/exposure of your home and the placement of the windows, exposed brick can make a room feel darker. We ended up painting part of it to lighten things up.

2. Exposed brick sheds brick dust. Not a lot, but you'll notice it when you dust and vacuum.

3. A shared wall of exposed brick can let a fair bit of noise through.

4. Inner walls that were plastered/drywalled over were often (I'm told) done by trainee bricklayers for practice and since the work wasn't mean to be seen it can sometimes be less esthetically pleasing than exterior brick.

 

[TheKingEast]

I've seen a number of homes for sale recently in the Leslieville area that have exposed brick in them in the living rooms

Yep...and minimal soundproofing.

 

[DarnDirtyApe]

It typically works best for semi or row houses, and you obviously can't have structural wood framing behind the plaster

 

[Ahsun]

Almost all houses have been built this way in Canada since the early 1900's. If you're hoping for exposed brick walls you should have got an old industrial building, which often have double brick walls; or an older semi-detachced or townhouse where the shared wall might be double brick.

Typically, you'll get brick inside houses up until 1930, but not in all houses.

2. Exposed brick sheds brick dust. Not a lot, but you'll notice it when you dust and vacuum.

4. Inner walls that were plastered/drywalled over were often (I'm told) done by trainee bricklayers for practice and since the work wasn't mean to be seen it can sometimes be less esthetically pleasing than exterior brick.

You can simply seal the brick with a jug of sealer you can pickup at Home Despot. This will stop any crumbling / dusting of the brick due to its exposure to air. Had crumbly brick in my old loft (1920's factory conversion) which was not sealed. The dust amount can be quite noticeable. I exposed & sealed a brick wall in my 1920's semi - no crumbs or dust at all now, plus it has a nice low-lustre shine to it.

I think lemur may be right about the bricklayer practice thing, the shared wall isn't a perfect brick wall (odd shaped / sized bricks placed in to fit rather than "perfect" brick wall pattern), but it sure adds to the character.

 

[maestro]

There were still developers building brick houses in the 1960s. Most would be wood framed with brick facades though.