ᐅ Cost Comparison: Reinforced Concrete with Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS) vs. Brick or Masonry with EIFS

The structural engineer said that due to the window openings in our design, it would be best to construct both floors using reinforced concrete. However, this is reportedly much more expensive than other wall construction methods.

Does anyone have experience regarding the cost comparison of

- reinforced concrete plus plastered ETICS (external thermal insulation composite system)
- solid brick plus plaster
- masonry (e.g., calcium silicate blocks) plus plastered ETICS

Thank you

What kind of windows would require that?
We have very large (frameless) windows, and that has never dictated the wall materials.
Cast-in-place concrete is quite expensive. If insulation and such a large investment are involved, I wouldn’t use ETICS (external thermal insulation composite system) but rather a suspended (ventilated) façade.
Concrete precast elements could also be an option.
But you can achieve the same with a masonry build as well...

Yes, please show the floor plan.
As rick writes, the openings would have to be exceptionally large and numerous.
Reinforced concrete walls are significantly more expensive than masonry walls.

Aside from the fact that there are hardly any solid bricks used in house construction without external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS), a cost comparison makes little sense. If the walls are weakened to the point that standard masonry is no longer sufficient, the area will be so small that in-situ concrete, even with a pump, is likely not an option, while solid bricks hardly involve a significant price difference.

In this case, the technical effort should be weighed more against the labor time.

Strictly speaking, this question doesn’t even arise, because by the time the execution planning is adjusted, the site manager should realize that the exterior wall thickness should remain the same.

You’re clearly trying to troll people here...
Monolithic doesn’t exist? Wow... Someone should tell that to the brick industry. Why should the builder care about the working time? And especially, what should the construction manager notice when there is any adjustment in the execution planning? If they do notice something that needs to be changed to that extent, everything has already gone wrong anyway.

@Lumpi_LE

Don’t worry, representatives of the brick industry are well-informed and are familiar with the energy-saving regulations as well as their own certifications.

I understand that you may not grasp the rest,...

For each trade, the costs consist, among other things, of materials and labor.

A site manager should realize by now that something like bricks (monolithic) plus plaster should not be installed together.