Terracotta blocks V Concrete blocks.

[Ysatis]

My husband is a builder and we are going to build our house ourselves.

We have noticed in our area, south Vienne, that houses are constructed using both terracotta blocks or concrete blocks. With the terracotta, you seem to be able to get terracotta lintels, but we have yet to see any concrete ones. Are they available or do you have to cast them yourself? We were wondering if anybody is knowledgable about these two blocks. What are the advantages/disadvantages, difference in price, insulation values, durability and strength, availabilty etc.

We would be interested in any information anyone might have, good or bad, with the comparison of these two blocks. 

Regards,

[Gyn_Paul]

Most half-built houses I've seen have had lintels, window and door reveals cast on site.

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[Gluestick]

Much if our house was re-built circa 38 years ago (was torshe, previously), using terracotta blocks.

Good for reasonable insulation: very hard to make service holes in, neatly, as they are extremely brittle, although a good diamond core drill should solved this problem.

Also, it is very hard to obtain a really good fixture using most normal wall plugs (chevilles) as any hole drilled, is very irregular.

Perhaps someone else knows of a good, strong fixing method?

Just had new shutters fitted and I now have to change the position of most of the iron clips which are meant to hold the shutters back, as the carpenter fixed them in the joints and not at the end of each shutter!

If you use these briques you fundamentally have to cement most fixings in.

With a new build, I would probably elect for normal blocks and a cavity wall and then the justification for the terracacotta briques evaporates.

Lintels, btw are all cast concrete as are the external cills.

 

[Albert the InfoGipsy]

My personal vote would be for the terracotta, although to do the job properly you need to know how to use the very thin joint (more like glue than mortar) technique, and there are lots of special blocks for corners etc.

This is a link in English that gives a basic summary of the way you use terracotta blocks.

http://www.villas-colnem.fr/briques-monomur.html?new_lang=en

If you are going to go the concrete route have a look around a number of active building sites. They tend to have an on-site mini tower crane so that they can heave the wet concrete up to cast lintels in place.

You'll often see a terracotta house with concrete garage walls, because of the difference in insulation value.

My brother in law is a French architectural draughtsman, of the concrete persuasion. Last week he was in my garage (in UK) and asked what that black thing over the door was. I had to explain about Catnic steel lintels!! They love their beton armé, the frogs.

[Wozza]

I bought two 150cm concrete lintels from my local builders merchants a couple of weeks ago. They don't always have them in stock, but they are available to purchase to whatever length you require.

[Ysatis]

Thanks everyone for your replies so far. They have been useful.