Say "double brick" to a Perth homeowner and you'll likely hear "solid", "durable", "good thermal mass". These associations are not entirely wrong — double brick does have genuine advantages. But they come packaged with a set of serious performance and practical limitations that Perth's building industry has been slow to acknowledge, and that are costing homeowners real money, real comfort and real time.
Perth is one of the last places in Australia where double brick dominates residential construction. In every other capital city — Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide — lightweight timber framing or steel framing is the standard. Perth persists with double brick partly out of genuine preference, partly out of habit, partly because of a skilled trades base built around it, and partly because the alternatives haven't been clearly explained.
That is what this post is for.
The real problems
with double brick in Perth
Thermal bridges everywhere
Double brick construction creates continuous thermal bridges at every wall tie, window frame, slab edge and roof connection. Brick is a reasonably good insulator — but these bridges bypass the insulation entirely, conducting heat directly from outside to inside. In a high-performance home, eliminating thermal bridges is non-negotiable. In double brick, it is extremely difficult to achieve.
Insulation is an afterthought
In a double brick wall, insulation is squeezed into the cavity between the two leaves of brick — typically 50–70mm. This is significantly less than what a high-performance home requires. Adding more insulation inside a double brick wall means losing internal floor space, adding cost, or both. In timber frame construction, insulation depth is a design variable — not a constraint.
Airtightness is almost impossible
Achieving the airtightness required for a high-performance home in double brick construction is extremely challenging. Brick is porous. Mortar joints crack. The connections between the brick envelope and the roof, windows, doors and services create air leakage pathways that are very difficult to seal and maintain. Perth homes — built overwhelmingly in double brick — average 25.5 air changes per hour. The leakiest in Australia.
It takes longer to build
Double brick construction is slow. Bricklayers work sequentially — one course at a time. On a typical Perth home, bricklaying alone can take 8–12 weeks. Brick and bricklayer shortages in 2024–2026 have pushed that timeline out further. A timber-framed home can be structurally erected in days. This difference compounds across the entire construction programme — costing money and disrupting lives.
Cost is rising fast
Brick prices and bricklaying costs have increased significantly in Perth over the past three years. Labour shortages mean bricklayers are harder to book and more expensive when you find them. The cost premium of double brick over a well-specified timber frame is real and growing — and the performance outcome does not justify it.
Renovation and modification is harder
Double brick walls are load-bearing and very difficult to modify once built. Adding a window, changing a door opening or extending an existing home requires structural engineering, cutting through two leaves of brick and rebuilding. The same modification in a timber-framed home is a fraction of the cost and time.
"Perth is one of the last places in Australia building new homes in double brick. Every other capital city moved on — and the performance data shows why. Timber frame with proper insulation and airtightness simply outperforms double brick on every measure that affects how comfortable your home is to live in."
But what about thermal mass?
The most common objection
The most frequent defence of double brick is its thermal mass — the ability to absorb heat during the day and release it at night, smoothing out temperature swings. This is a genuine advantage of masonry construction, and it is real. A double brick home does perform better on this measure than a poorly insulated lightweight home.
But here is the critical qualification: thermal mass only works inside the insulation envelope. Double brick construction puts the thermal mass on the outside of any insulation layer — which means much of the heat it absorbs goes to the outside, not the inside. For thermal mass to actually stabilise indoor temperatures, it needs to be inside the building, protected from the outdoor temperature by the insulation layer.
A concrete slab floor inside a well-insulated, well-sealed timber-framed home provides more effective thermal mass than double brick walls — because the slab is inside the insulation envelope, absorbing and releasing heat into the indoor space where it is useful. The brick is outside, doing most of its work for the outdoors.
Timber frame vs double brick —
the honest comparison
Timber framing is the dominant construction method in every other Australian capital city, across Europe and throughout North America. It has been dismissed in Perth as lightweight, less durable or less suitable for our climate — perceptions that are worth examining honestly against the actual performance data.
Double Brick
- Two structural leaves of brick — high mass but on the outside of insulation
- Limited insulation depth in cavity — typically 50–70mm
- Significant thermal bridging at wall ties, window frames and slab edges
- Airtightness very difficult to achieve — Perth averages 25.5 ACH@50Pa
- Slow construction — bricklaying takes 8–12 weeks on a typical home
- Rising labour and material costs — bricklayer shortages hitting Perth hard
- Modifications expensive and disruptive — structural implications throughout
- Heavy — requires larger footings and structural elements
Timber Frame
- Full insulation depth — 140mm+ batts plus external rigid board possible
- Continuous insulation layer — thermal bridging manageable by design
- Airtight membrane achievable — Passive House certification possible
- Frame erected in days — significantly faster construction programme
- Flexible specification — insulation depth is a design variable, not a constraint
- Lighter — smaller footings, faster groundworks
- Modifications easier and less costly — walls can be moved without structural drama
- Internal timber expression possible — exposed beams, posts, ceiling structure
The performance argument for timber framing is clear — and it is the construction system Studio Origami specifies as standard on our projects. Internal walls are typically plasterboard on timber frame, delivering clean, practical, easily modified spaces. The external envelope is where insulation, airtightness and cladding decisions are made, and timber frame gives us complete control over all three.
But many Perth homeowners have a genuine attachment to the look and feel of brick on the outside of their home. That is entirely understandable — brick is durable, low maintenance and deeply embedded in Perth's residential character. For those clients, there are two approaches worth knowing about.
The cost comparison —
what the numbers actually say in 2026
For years, double brick's cost premium over timber frame was accepted as the price of quality. In 2026, that assumption is harder to justify. Construction labour shortages — bricklayers in particular — have pushed double brick costs significantly higher, while prefabricated timber framing has become more efficient. The cost gap has narrowed significantly, and for many Perth projects it has reversed entirely.
Here is what the 2026 Perth market looks like for a typical 250m² single-storey home:
| Factor | Double Brick | Timber Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Wall construction cost | Higher — two brick courses, labour intensive | Lower — frame erected in days, not weeks |
| Construction timeline | 8–14 weeks bricklaying alone — builder-dependent | Frame erected in 3–5 days; trades begin sooner |
| Insulation to NCC compliance | Constrained to 50mm cavity — often needs additional internal lining | 90mm batts within frame as standard — easily upgraded with external rigid board for higher performance |
| Airtight construction upgrade | Very difficult — brick is porous, jointing complex | Airtight membrane straightforward to specify and install |
| Annual energy running costs | Higher — requires more cooling in summer, more heating in winter | Up to 48% lower operational energy than Perth average when well specified |
| Future modification cost | High — structural implications, cutting two brick courses | Lower — non-load-bearing walls easily moved or modified |
The financial picture is not just about construction cost — it is about total cost of ownership. A timber-framed home with proper insulation and airtightness will cost less to run every year for its entire life. Over 20–30 years, the cumulative energy saving can dwarf any construction premium difference. And when bricklayer availability tightens your programme and delays occupancy, the carrying cost of that delay adds further to the double brick equation.
Perth's NatHERS 7-star requirement —
and why timber frame handles it better
Under the National Construction Code 2022, all new homes in Western Australia must now meet a minimum 7-star NatHERS energy rating. This is a meaningful improvement — and achieving it in double brick typically requires significant additional insulation on top of the standard cavity, often applied as an internal foam board layer that reduces floor area and adds cost.
In timber frame, reaching 7-star is straightforward. The insulation depth required sits comfortably within the standard wall cavity without any additional layers. Moving beyond 7-star to genuinely high-performance or Passive House levels — which is increasingly what clients want — is a linear specification upgrade in timber, and a significant structural challenge in double brick.
Perth's building industry is moving toward higher performance standards. The construction system that gets you there most efficiently is timber frame.
The common objections —
answered honestly
"Timber frame is less durable"
This objection is based on an outdated understanding of timber frame construction. Modern structural timber used in Perth residential construction is treated, engineered and designed to the same structural standards as masonry. Timber-framed homes in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney have been standing for 60–100 years without structural issues. The frame is protected within the wall cavity, shielded from the elements, and is not exposed to the conditions that cause decay. With correct detailing and a quality build, there is no meaningful difference in building lifespan between double brick and timber frame.
"Double brick is better for sound"
Double brick does perform better for airborne sound transmission through external walls — the mass of two brick courses does reduce external noise. However, in a well-designed timber frame home with quality insulation and correct detailing, the acoustic performance is typically adequate for most Perth residential contexts. And critically, a timber frame home with airtight construction — where all gaps and penetrations are properly sealed — reduces the uncontrolled sound infiltration that accounts for much of the noise in standard construction. In a Passive House, the acoustic improvement from airtightness alone is dramatic.
"Bricklayers are easy to find in Perth"
In 2024–2026, this has simply not been true. The construction boom following COVID combined with significant skilled trades migration interstate has created genuine bricklayer shortages in Perth. Projects have been delayed by months waiting for bricklayers. Programme certainty — the ability to plan and deliver a construction timeline reliably — is a genuine advantage of timber frame in the current Perth market.
"Double brick holds its value better"
Perth's property market is evolving. High-performance homes — regardless of construction method — are beginning to command measurable premiums at resale. A well-built, well-insulated timber frame home with low running costs is increasingly valued by buyers who understand what they are getting. The assumption that double brick commands a structural resale premium is becoming harder to sustain as buyers become more performance-literate.
The honest summary: Double brick is not a bad material — it is a material used in the wrong way for the performance demands we now place on homes. Timber frame is Studio Origami's standard construction system for a straightforward reason: it gives us complete control over insulation depth, airtightness and building performance. For clients who want the external brick look, brick veneer over timber frame delivers that — without the performance limitations of double brick. The comfort difference is felt every day.
If you are planning a new home in Perth and your builder has defaulted to double brick, it is worth asking whether that decision is based on genuine analysis of the options — or just habit. That is exactly the kind of question our strategy session is designed to help you answer.