ABSTRACT
As demonstrated by 137 and 138 in Chapter 9, the external appearance of brickwork can be a guide as to whether the wall is of load-bearing cavity construction or load-bearing solid construction. Stretchers alone indicate cavity work whereas a mixture of headers and stretchers signify solid construction. Snapped headers could, of course, be used in a wall of cavity construction to imitate Flemish bond or some other bond where headers are visible but would be expensive and laborious as the half bricks would have to be cut flush; this is justifiable only rarely, perhaps to match other existing work. Unfortunately, the appearance of other facing materials, as stated previously, provides no ready guide in a similar way as to type of construction. Rendering is just rendering and natural stone could be in any form. Artificial stone, on the other hand, might provide a clue if a difference between real and moulded joints can be detected and the dwelling is of an appropriate age and in a traditional stone building area.
