A Wonderful Tradition

Among all the building materials used both in ancient times and today, perhaps none more than brick exudes the sort of quaintness that makes people stop and take notice. It is for this reason that brick veneer has been such a popular choice for everything from law offices to city halls — when one sees the brick, it makes them think that the work being done in that building is important, that it has an established heritage going back centuries, maybe even to the state’s founding.

Whenever we restore this type of historic masonry, we become reacquainted all over again with the unique beauty and incredible versatility of brick. For those of you who are interested in the restoration of your own building and its brick, you’ve come to the right place. 

Restoring Salt Lake City with Brick

When Utah was first founded, the pioneer style of construction was known for its use of brick. In the years since, the material has fallen out of favor for other, more contemporary ones like glass and steel. Now, we are starting to see a movement to bring brick back to Salt Lake City in meaningful ways, restoring vintage homes to their original facade.

Perhaps your home was originally done in brick but has since been renovated to showcase other materials. At Abstract Masonry, we can help the original exterior take back its position in the sun. 

Or perhaps you have brick details inside the house that you want looked at? There are a number of ways to incorporate the material back into your home. We’ve had opportunities to restore brick at all sorts of places in a person’s home or office:

  • Vintage fireplaces
  • Around wood-burning stoves or pizza ovens
  • Brick flooring
  • Exposed walls in living rooms and studio apartments
  • Garden pathways and property walls

Each of these different uses adds character and a timeless quality to your home, as well as makes you feel in touch with those who came before you.

Why Use Brick?

One might be tempted to ask why we should bother with this type of building restoration in the first place if it’s so clear that tastes had at one time moved away from brick. The truth is that brick has some very distinct benefits that can’t be found in any other building material. We’ve written about a few of these before, but let’s do a quick review:

  • Thermal Mass: Because bricks conserve heat so well, they are great at keeping your home warm during the winter as they heat up in the sun. This will help you conserve energy and ultimately save money. You can learn more about the properties of thermal mass here.
  • Versatility: We mentioned above a few ways in which you can incorporate bricks into your home, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In truth, you can find all sorts of ways to make brick look good, whether you’re building a house, building a wall, or simply building a path. You can also reuse old bricks if you’d like.

To learn more about our restoration work in Salt Lake City, visit our portfolio today and see what we’ve been up to lately.