Burnt-clay bricks have good resistance to moisture, insects and erosion and create a good room environment. They are medium in cost and have medium-to-high compressive strength. Bricks can be made with sophisticated factory methods, simple labour-intensive methods or a range of mechanized technologies in between.

A sun-dried brick is called an adobe brick.

Adobe is essentially a dried mud brick, combining the natural elements of earth, water, and sun. It is an ancient building material usually made with tightly compacted sand, clay, and straw or grass mixed with moisture, formed into bricks, and naturally dried or baked in the sun without an oven or kiln.

Good quality bricks should be well-burnt, as well as having a uniform colour. If bricks are under-burnt or over-burnt, they lose this uniformity. Brick earth – brick earth should be free from physical materials such as stones and pebbles, as well as chemicals like potassium nitrate.

The red, rock hard, Nori brick has been made at the plant in Accrington for more than 100 years. Legend has it the name of the firm, originally the Iron Brick Company, is iron spelt backwards due to an error.

A frog is a depression in one bearing face of a molded or pressed brick. Some experts say that bricks containing frogs should be laid with the frog up so that the frog is completely filled with mortar. If the brick is laid with the frog on the bottom, the frog may not get completely filled with mortar.

One of the primary advantages of using any recycled material, brick included, is that it tends to be less expensive than buying brand new building materials. Which makes sense, given that used bricks don’t have to have the clay mined, transported, molded, fired, and then transported again.

Working at average speeds one good bricklayer might lay 600 bricks in the day. So 1200 bricks between the gang will amount to 20m² of single skin face brickwork (60 bricks per m²).

First, if you have the means, no age is too old to buy or refinance a house. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits lenders from blocking or discouraging anyone from a mortgage based on age. But if you have the cash to make payments, you should be able to qualify for a new home loan or refinance your current home.

Mortgage lenders are more likely to award you a mortgage if your term finishes before your retirement. You can apply for a longer-term mortgage which takes you into retirement age, but you will have to provide sufficient evidence that your income can cover repayments after age 66.

Although some lenders set their own maximum age limits, there is no maximum age for applying for a mortgage – so yes, mortgages for pensioners do exist. The golden rule is simply the same as for any mortgage: you need to prove you can repay the loan, one way or another.

Pushing (age) limits Lenders attach two age limits to their mortgages, one for those taking out a mortgage (normally around age 65-70), and one for paying them off (70-85 years).

While there is no maximum age for applying for a mortgage, each lender has its own age mortgage age limit: When you take out the mortgage: Usually a maximum age of 65 to 80. When the mortgage term ends: Usually a maximum age of 70 to 85.

It may not be possible to get a mortgage at any age, because lenders often impose upper age limits on each mortgage. The reality of this is that if you’re 50 and planning to retire at 60, you may struggle to get a mortgage. And if you do secure a mortgage, you may have to repay it before your 70th birthday.

While it can be more difficult to get traditional mortgages for over 60s, there is no maximum age limit for a lifetime mortgage. An equity release mortgage could be a great way to boost your retirement income and the minimum age required is 55. Each lender is likely to have its own rules on lending.