#brickvblockvrenderedwallvcladding

My Saturday...Bluebird day, hot and very steamy with the humidity a leftover weather pattern from the monster cyclone that wrecked Fiji last week.  Yesterday was spent driving around new subdivisions in 28dg heat looking at different brick colours. The words to the song " Little Boxes " comes to min, naughty naughty. Fun, no, necessary, yes. I will say it out loud now... I hate brick. Sadly for me, here in NZ, brick is the cheapest building option so brick it has to be. I would love to have the smooth, neat, clean finish of a plaster rendered house then I would have the colour option for the outside I want. Not to be. I am currently working between the two main brick / block providers NZ Brick and Firth. NZ Brick offer a variety of clay fired bricks amongst other, which means that the product is less likely to fade over the years. Firth offer a range of blocks that are coloured concrete and they are not colour fast at all. Why is this important... I want a black brick, but a big brick not the standard size.  So NZ Brick have a black brick in their Distinction range, called Phantom. Sadly only measuring 230mmx119mmx70mm but adequate. This brick is designed and manufactured in Spain. Classified with good solar absorbance rating it is a smooth face brick that I can live with, and they tell me I do not need to seal it for colour retention. Bonus.
Have I made the decision? Maybe. Will I change my mind? Maybe.