ᐅ Expansion joint in brickwork: yes or no?

Dear fellow builders and experts,

I would like to ask for your advice, opinion, or experience.
Tomorrow, our brick veneer is going to be installed, and now we have to decide whether to include an expansion joint or not.
Our builder, whom I respect greatly and consider very experienced, says we don't need one but is leaving the decision up to us. As laypersons, we are now faced with this choice. What do you think?

For your information, the house measures 10.20 x 9 meters (33.5 x 29.5 feet), and our bricks are ABC Hamburg coal-fired bricks. There were previously other buildings and trees on the construction site!

I look forward to constructive responses.
Best regards, symen

symen1971 schrieb:

what do you say?

You should continue to trust your building contractor because he is right.

Regards, Bauexperte

Hi Bauexperte, thank you for your quick response!
As I mentioned, I do trust our structural engineer, but since I have received so many different opinions from people around me, we are a bit uncertain.

symen1971 schrieb:

.... but I have received so many different opinions from my circle that we are a bit uncertain.

Free yourself from expecting that answers from family or friends will help you; most of the time, they only cause confusion. Moreover, few well-meaning pieces of advice are based on expert knowledge. Ask them if they can guarantee their suggestions will work in practice. They will quickly backtrack.

And – ultimately, you chose your builder for good reasons, so continue to leave the execution to them! For your instincts – and to evaluate good advice – you can always consult an independent expert at any time.

Regards, Bauexperte

Expansion joints are considered essential by the brick manufacturer Olfry and are even required according to DIN 1053-1. The house needs to be able to settle, and without joints, there is a risk that the bricks will crack...

Häusle77 schrieb:
Expansion joints are, according to the brick manufacturer Olfry, absolutely necessary and even required by DIN 1053-1.
The house needs to be able to settle, and without joints there is a risk that the bricks will crack...

Then your supplier should review their information more carefully.

Quickly:

"Brick veneer walls on smaller single- and two-family houses with floor plan dimensions of approximately 10 to 12 meters (33 to 39 feet) have for many decades generally been constructed without vertical expansion joints. This is therefore a proven construction method that also complies with the requirements of masonry standard DIN 1053-1. A commentary on DIN 1053-1 points out the following:

'Experience shows that for smaller building footprints of single-family houses with brick veneer walls and gable widths or lengths of 10 to 12 meters (33 to 39 feet), it is not necessary to provide special expansion joints.'"

Source: Fachverband der Ziegelindustrie Nord e.V.

Best regards, Bauexperte