ᐅ What type of bricks or blocks should be used for building a house?

Thank you for your answers.
In the house where I currently live, the cracks have continued to increase even after 20 years.
They are especially noticeable at temperatures of -20°C (−4°F) and below (so less in the last 2 years).
According to the landlord, there is a concrete basement underneath with sufficient foundation reinforced with steel.
I have now heard of a company that builds all slab-on-grade foundations, both with and without basements, using 75 cm (30 inches) of compacted gravel and 25 cm (10 inches) of concrete with steel reinforcement mesh.
PS: The neighboring houses in my area do not develop cracks as severe.
I am planning to buy a building plot 5 km (3 miles) away from the municipality. Is the ground always tested for load-bearing capacity there?

Peanuts74 schrieb:
With calcium silicate blocks, which we had installed, multiple sources say there is less risk of settling and, therefore, crack formation. Also, since expanded polystyrene insulation is applied on the outside, which has some flexibility, it may help absorb minor stresses.

However, calcium silicate blocks are extremely heavy and difficult to cut or later groove for installations.

In our case, the blocks came from the factory in a kind of “Lego system,” meaning all the blocks were pre-planned and pre-cut. Using the large blocks (100 x 50 cm (39 x 20 inches), weighing 300 kg (660 lbs) each), a crew with a crane and 2–3 people was able to complete a floor in 2–3 days.

How do the costs compare to Poroton aerated concrete blocks?

altmeister24 schrieb:
Thank you very much for your answers.
In the house I currently live in, the cracks have increased even after 20 years.
This is especially noticeable at temperatures of -20°C (−4°F) and below (so less in the last 2 years).
There is a concrete basement underneath, according to the landlord there is also enough foundation with rebar.
I have now heard from a company that they build all floor slabs without foundations, with or without basements—75 cm (30 inches) of compacted gravel and 25 cm (10 inches) of concrete with steel reinforcement mats.
PS: The neighboring houses here are not cracking as severely.
I’m about to buy a building plot 5 km (3 miles) away from the community; is the soil there always tested for load-bearing capacity?

You should definitely have a geotechnical soil report prepared in advance, which includes foundation recommendations. How other companies do it on different sites is absolutely irrelevant.
🙂

altmeister24 schrieb:
How do the costs compare to Poroton aerated concrete ??????

Supposedly, there isn’t much difference whether you use sand-lime brick with insulation or a thermal insulating block. Of course, there are variations depending on specific values, but with the same thermal insulation performance, this shouldn’t really be a deciding factor. At least with our company, the costs were nearly the same.