Brick slips the contractors choice amidst brick shortage say Wetherby

The major brick shortage issue nationwide means contractors have a persistent battle to complete projects on time and budget, resulting in a massive increase in the use of brick slips on construction sites, say Wetherby Building Systems.

The struggle to obtain bricks does not look likely to cease soon, with a recent Federation of Master Builders (FMB) report showing firms are waiting over a year for bricks, while these supply issues are also causing costs to rise sharply in certain cases.

Another big problem is the lack of bricklayers, which has forced specifiers, contractors and end clients to look at alternative solutions, with Wetherby Building Systems seeing sales of its brick slip systems increase by 35% in the first five months of this year.

With industry bodies and government parties all trying to tackle the housing shortage, house builders are under pressure to complete new housing projects on time, with unwanted delays occurring as a result of the lengthy waits for bricks.

However, the traditional, familiar feel of brick is still the preferred finish for many house builders, while many refurbishment projects have planning constraints which dictate a brick finish must feature.

This has forced all partners in the supply chain to seek alternative building materials and construction techniques to speed up build projects and combat the brick and labour shortage issue.

The versatility of brick slips mean they can be applied to a wide range of modern off-site construction methods, including steel and timber frame structures, ICF and SIPS.

With modular construction projects becoming increasingly popular for new build housing projects, brick slips are the obvious choice to aid the speed of construction and enquiries for Wetherby’s brick slip systems have increased dramatically this year.

As the benefits of brick slips are becoming more known, their use is quickly increasing and with current orders and partnership deals, Wetherby is predicting an increase of over 75% for the remainder of the year.

Unlike alternative brick slip systems available, which often comprise an acrylic brick finish, Wetherby Real Brick Slip Systems are manufactured and fired in exactly the same way as traditional clay bricks, providing a genuine brick finish.

Offering design flexibility, Wetherby Real Brick Slips come in an extensive range of different colour finishes to guarantee there is a product option to meet virtually any design criteria and effectively complement surrounding properties.

Wetherby Sales Director, Paul Kirby, talked about the sales increases, saying that sales of its brick slip systems are increasing month by month and that the company is being inundated with enquiries for both new build and refurbishment housing projects.

“The brick shortage has forced people to look at alternatives, but once contractors and housing developers see for themselves that a genuine clay brick finish is achieved with our range of slips and complementary pointing mortars they are returning to us time and again with new projects,” he said.

Contact:

Wetherby Building Systems,
1 Kid Glove Road,
Golborne Enterprise Park,
Golborne,
Greater Manchester,
Cheshire,
United Kingdom
WA3 3GS

Phone: 01942 717100
Fax: 01942 717101

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