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Best Practices: Do's & Don'ts for Brick Selection

Most brick construction projects are completed with the building owner, architect, contractor and brick supplier completely satisfied with the final product. To prevent misunderstandings which might result from improper ordering, sampling procedures, or ill-timed examination of field work, these "do's and don'ts" can help identify potential trouble spots and minimize their effects:

Don't Use Only Dollar Value Allowances: The practice of using only dollar value allowances for brick in construction specifications and/or contracts is not recommended. This method does not provide sufficient information to make an informed bid. If an allowance is used in a construction contract, the appropriate ASTM standard, grade and size should be stated. In the initial establishment of an allowance, the parties should take into consideration the extra cost of special shapes or units required by the project.

Do Use a Field Panel for Selection and Sampling: Since brick is subject to variations in color between production runs, and occasionally within the same run, small samples used for the preliminary selection may not exactly represent the complete range of colors and textures encountered in production runs.

When large quantities of brick are to be erected, the prudent owner, contractor, distributor or manufacturer should direct or request that the final selection be made from a field panel. A field panel is typically constructed as a freestanding sample, which will later be torn down when the project is complete. Usually, a quantity of brick equal to 100 standard-size brick will be used for building the field panel.

If an owner or the owner's representative requires the field panel, the distributor or manufacturer may not have control over the actual erection, which is frequently performed by a separate mason contractor. The party or parties who have control over the work of the mason contractor (either by direct contract or by other powers) will usually take appropriate action during the erection of the field panel to assure that no additions or deletions are made to the brick supplied by the distributor and manufacturer, unless written approval has been received from the manufacturer for such a change.

Field panels should be constructed from the production run that is intended for shipment to the project. In the event that the field panel has to be built for inspection and final selection before the production run for that project, the owner and the manufacturer should agree in writing upon such a use. The manufacturer may reserve the right to resample from the actual run before shipment commences. The owner or the owner's representative should inspect and approve the field panel.

When the field panel has been formally approved, it is the manufacturer's responsibility to provide brick as represented in that field panel. A strap or control sample is normally retained at the plant.

Typically, the general contractor and mason contractor are responsible for preserving and maintaining the integrity of the field panel which is considered the project standard for bond, mortar, workmanship and appearance, and as the standard for comparison until the masonry has been completed and accepted by the owner or the owner's representative. If the owner or his representative elects not to have a field panel erected, the parties may choose to use the first 100 square feet of actual construction as the field panel.

Acceptance and Inspection of Brick: The general contractor or mason contractor normally receives the brick when it is delivered to the job site. The general contractor or mason contractor should properly protect the brick from the weather and damage. It is critical that the contractor inspect the brick before it is placed in the wall. If there are any discrepancies, the manufacturer or distributor should be notified immediately.

The owner or a designated representative is responsible for acceptance of the work and, therefore, should inspect, as necessary, while the work progresses. This is especially critical at the start of the project to ensure that the color, texture and workmanship are representative of the sample field panel and is acceptable.

The selling party, whether the manufacturer, distributor or dealer, should visit the jobsite, and should be available for meetings and consultation in the event the owner or the owner's representative discovers a problem.

In the event the work does not meet with the approval of the owner or the owner's representative, the owner should immediately notify the contractor in writing, and appropriate action should be taken to correct the problem. If necessary, this may require that the work be stopped and that all interested parties meet to resolve the problem.

Do Include All Necessary Information When Ordering: All brick orders should be submitted by the purchaser, in writing, to the distributor or manufacturer, whichever is appropriate. The order should include and clearly identify the following: job name and type; location; owner; architect; general contractor; material quantities (types and quantities of special or non-standard items should be accurately determined so that the order may be shipped in its entirety); brick should be described by actual dimensions rather than by generic or trade name; unit prices (including conditions such as escalation of prices); freight rates and terms; delivery schedules, including anticipated start date and rate of shipments; and other information pertinent to the order, such as a copy of that portion of the specifications which applies to the brickwork.

Do Use Detailed, Large-Scale Drawings if Special Shapes are Required: Detailed large-scale drawings should be supplied to the manufacturer through appropriate channels. Most orders are processed in a "chain of purchasing" that begins with the signing of the owner-contractor agreement and ends with the receipt of an order by the brick manufacturer. Other parties may be involved in this process as intermediaries or secondary parties, including, among others, the owner's representative, the contractor, the mason contractor and the distributor.

Each party in the chain should endeavor to promptly process the order and give approvals as necessary so as to cause minimal delays in the schedule of the project. Upon receipt of the order, the manufacturer typically acknowledges the order and should promptly advise the parties about any unacceptable or impractical terms.

It should also be understood by all parties that by placing a written order, the purchaser incurs the specific payment responsibility for all special and non-standard items.