Internal walls & partitions

Is dry construction a more cost-effective solution than building with bricks?

Last updated: 14 October 2026

Dry construction or brick? The proper comparison: a wall ready for painting, labour costs, time, rubble, loads, insulation and usable space — and where brick co

The system at a glance

Solutions & Applications · Dry Construction

The comparison is almost always made incorrectly: the price of a brick is compared with the price of plasterboard. But a brick wall is not a wall — it is the first stage of a wall. Plasterboard, once skim-coated, is already ready for painting, with the insulation inside it.

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What really needs to be compared

Cost line	Brickwork	Dry construction
Materials	Bricks, mortar, three-layer render	Slabs, profiles, screws, jointing materials
Labour	Bricklayer + plasterer, successive contractor crews	One contractor crew, one project
Time	Weeks, allowing for drying time	Days, no waiting
Transport & lifting	Weight requiring a crane or materials hoist	Manual transport to most floors
Electrical and mechanical installations	Offcuts, rubble, patchwork, second coat of render	They pass through the framework
Rubble & clearance	Significant volume, disposal costs	Very few, mainly clippings
Static load	High — may affect the design	Low
Insulation	Not included — added separately	Already within the framework

It is the last line that makes the comparison unfair when omitted. A rendered brick wall has neither thermal insulation nor sound insulation. A dry construction partition filled with mineral wool has both — at the same time and within the same thickness.

The space you gain

It is the item that does not appear in any quotation and has the greatest value in a residential property. A typical example:

	Rendered brickwork	CW 50 partition, single panel
Final thickness	~13 cm (9 cm brick + 2 × 2 cm render)	7.5 cm
Difference per running metre	~5.5 cm
Flat with 30 m of internal partitions	~1.6 m² of usable floor area — multiplied by the value per square metre for the area

In an area where land is highly valued, these square metres often exceed the entire cost difference between the two systems. And this is not an accounting trick: it is space that exists, is used and is sold.

The five reasons, with their technical background

Speed. Construction is completed many times faster. The benefit is not just the daily wages — it is the time saved: a shop opening two weeks earlier, an office handed over on time.
Elimination of wet works. Render introduces large quantities of construction moisture into the building, which must be allowed to dissipate before flooring and joinery are fitted — otherwise, warping and odours will occur months later.
Load reduction. This is crucial when adding a storey or renovating an old building, where every tonne translates into a structural analysis and potential reinforcement.
Integrated insulation. The space for the insulation is already provided within the framework. There is no need to ‘find’ the required thickness retrospectively.
Cleanliness. Less building rubble — and the ability to work in an occupied space. In a renovation where the owner is living on site, this is not a luxury; it is a prerequisite.

ARGYNET Note

Where dry construction is not cheaper — and where it is not even the right choice. This is rarely mentioned, and it is precisely what the specifier needs to know before committing.

Heavy-duty supports. Wall-hung washbasins, kitchen cupboards, railings, screens and load-bearing shelves require reinforcements within the framework, which must be provided for before the wall is finished. Areas subject to impact — schools, hospitals, corridors — require high-strength plasterboard, and comparisons with brick must be made at this level. Damp areas require moisture-resistant slabs and, in the shower area, cement board.

And acoustics: a poorly constructed dry construction partition performs worse than brick. At ARGYNET, we specify the system according to each space and requirement, and calculate materials per m².

The objection you’ll hear: ‘it sounds hollow’

It is the most common objection in Greek housing and cannot be countered with arguments — it is countered with specifications.

	‘Hollow’ wall	A wall that sounds solid
Cladding	Single slab	Double slab on each side
Spacing	Empty	Filled with stone wool
Perimeter	No tape	Track membrane and sealing

Double cladding with infill increases the mass and dampens cavity resonance. It is also precisely the layering required for effective sound insulation — the solution to both the aesthetic concern and the technical requirement is one and the same.

Four factors that determine the outcome

Stud spacing: greater spacing means less material but also greater flexibility. This should be selected based on height and requirements, not out of habit.
Membrane beneath the tracks: breaks the vibration bridge from the slab to the frame. It costs very little and is the first thing to be omitted.
Cavity filling: mineral wool dampens the mass-spring-mass system and counteracts the ‘drum effect’.
Sealing of perimeters and penetrations: sound passes through the smallest gap. Sockets fitted back-to-back negate the sound insulation of the entire wall.