The Complete Handbook of Bricks & Concrete Blocks
Professional Selection, Installation, and Management for Builders, Contractors, and Serious Hobbyists
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
Comprehensive reference for specifying, installing, and troubleshooting bricks and concrete blocks on real projects.
About this book
Bricks and concrete blocks are among the most widely used masonry materials in construction, yet selecting and installing them correctly requires more than tradition or habit. This handbook provides the practical knowledge professionals and serious hobbyists need to evaluate masonry units by actual performance criteria, choose the right product for climate and load conditions, install them to code, maintain them over time, and diagnose problems when they occur.
Whether you're a contractor specifying units for a commercial facade, a mason managing daily material choices, a facilities manager dealing with existing masonry, or a serious hobbyist building an outbuilding, this reference covers the technical and practical dimensions of bricks and concrete blocks: material types and grades, compressive strength and durability ratings, regional availability and cost, installation methods, common failures, maintenance routines, and the business opportunities in masonry supply and services.
Based on manufacturer specifications, building codes, and field experience, this handbook treats masonry units as engineered materials and provides the working knowledge to use them confidently and correctly.
Reader Reviews
Linda Campbell
★★★★★I appreciated the straightforward approach here—no marketing fluff, just technical content I can actually use. Chapter 1 really helped me understand why the cheapest brick isn't always the best choice on our commercial jobs. My only quibble is that some of the specification tables could have included more regional variation, since what's available in the Southwest is different from what we use on the East Coast. Still, this is the reference I'll keep on my desk.
Shirley Young
★★★★★Useful overall, and I liked the focus on real failure modes and troubleshooting. The selection framework in Chapter 3 makes sense. That said, I expected more detail on the actual installation process—Chapter 4 felt a bit rushed, and I didn't get as much hands-on guidance as I hoped. If you're an experienced mason this is fine, but a newer installer might want more step-by-step photos or details. Good reference, but not complete for someone starting out.
Sarah Thompson
★★★★★This is exactly the kind of reference I've been looking for. The opening chapter cut through all the confusion about why brick choice actually matters, and the material composition explanations finally made sense of the technical specs I've been reading on datasheets for years. Having the climate and durability factors all in one place, plus the maintenance section and the glossary, means I'm not hunting through five different sources anymore. Highly recommend this for anyone working with masonry seriously.