The Walls Hold A Surprise
April 10th, 2007
We have just begun work on a complete renovation of a 2-story farmhouse in Southern Illinois. The home was built by a great-grandfather approximately 140 years ago and has served 5 generations of family.
The house was built with balloon framing, which is not unusual for a house of this vintage. But finding the wells between the studs lined with non-structural bricks was quite the surprise. Interior plaster was applied directly to the bricks, while wood clapboards nailed into the wood studs covered the exterior brick. This curious find led to a collective, “Why?”
One of our carpenters, recalling old building practices of his native Ireland, said they used to fill framing with bricks to keep out rodents and insects. The most logical guess was that the bricks were a crude form of insulation. A little research into this phenomenon offers up several answers.
This practice of brick wall lining is known as “brick nogging,” and can be found in wood frame buildings built from 1810 – 1900. Bricks were found to be a better material for thwarting pest infestation than the straw and corncob insulation used in earlier days, and that solid wall helped block wind.
Brick nogging also served as a form of fire blocking, and provided a bit of soundproofing. A fascinating detail on all aspects of brick nogging can be read here.
It’s said that brick nogging was done only on exterior walls, and that highlights another curious aspect of our client’s farmhouse: even the interior walls are “nogged.” Seeing as how this home is (still) in a sparsely-populated rural area, the fire protection aspects of brick lining could have been an incentive for the 19th century builder.
In the 21st century, a brick lined wall provides an R-value of only R1 while modern homes strive for R11 – 20. Bricks retain moisture, so applying any new materials on or near it increases the risk of damp and mold issues. So, in adherence to responsible remodeling practices, we are carefully removing the brick lining, and proper insulation will then go into the spaces between the still-sturdy wood framing.
As we move through the old house, we’re learning how best building practices both change and remain the same over the centuries, and that great grandfather and Mosby have something important in common: We build it to last.
You can now see the completed project.
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May 2nd, 2007 at 9:37 am
Brick nogging was also non-flammable, which was a big concern in the late 1800s, especially in the Midwest, after so much of Chicago burned to the ground in 1871. Of course, plaster is also non-flammable, so if the house caught fire, the only loss would be the interior trim.
Great house.
Rose Thornton
author, The Houses That Sears Built
November 14th, 2007 at 9:43 am
[...] Our renovation of a family farmhouse in Freeburg, Illinois continues, with each new milestone adding to the excitement. Here is back story on the house and its first surprise. [...]
August 8th, 2008 at 8:13 am
[...] Here’s the story of our carpenters finding brick nogging in the walls. This required a quick education on what it was, why it was there and what to do about it. Because the interior and exterior were being re-built, the brick should go in order to properly insulate, but it was such a great historical find – how can we just chuck these antiques? As you can see from the photos above, an ingenious design solution was born. Plans for the hearth room wall were changed so that the old brick nogging hugs the new brick fireplace. The starting point of the home – long buried under plaster and paneling – is now fully exposed, serving as an architectural scrapbook of how it began and how it remains. The 4th generation of the farmhouse as a toddler, in Freeburg, Illinois. [...]
May 28th, 2010 at 9:12 am
[...] To prepare this home for a 2-story addition and updated, energy efficient systems, Mosby designers and carpenters got a thorough education in building techniques of the 1850s. For instance, as the original clapboard siding was removed, they discovered the interior walls were lined with brick! Here’s what we learned about brick nogging. [...]