David Berman/Journal Scene

Tom Mitchell, vice president of marketing for Aeonian Brick Homes, explains the finer points of the Summerville company’s flagship product Monday.

An upstart Summerville company has taken the brick, an item so synonymous with the color red that it boasts its own crayon color, and made it “green.”

Aeonian Brick Homes started producing its eco-friendly, steam-cured bricks on West 5th North Street about a year ago. Unlike conventional bricks, which require high amounts of energy to be fired, Aeonian’s bricks are compressed blocks of dirt, clay, some cement and a proprietary formula, said Tom Mitchell, vice president of marketing.

Founder Don Blalock relocated from Florida because of the high-quality local clay and because South Carolina is conducive to new building products, Mitchell said.

On Monday, Aeonian broke ground on a one-acre lot on West Butternut Avenue where it will build the first home using its own bricks.

The house, which will serve as a training center for the company’s building system, will be left incomplete in parts so contractors can see how the bricks are assembled, Mitchell said.

Florida-based Davis and Cleaton Engineering tested and certified the bricks for home construction in 34 states. The company claims its flagship interlocking brick is waterproof, fireproof, insect-proof, soundproof, mold- and mildew-proof and able to withstand hurricanes or tornados with winds up to 240 mph. Mitchell said the brick is being tested for earthquake durability Aug. 13 in Maryland.

“I’m not advocating people ride out a storm in their house, but if you had no choice, this would be the one you would want to be stuck in,” he said.

The company claims to be the only brick manufacturer in the U.S. that produces a waterproof brick that does not require the application of a sealant. Blalock used to be an insurance claims adjuster and created the waterproof brick in response the high number of water damage claims he saw, Mitchell said.

Mitchell said the price of an Aeonian home is comparable to concrete block or wood frame homes and the bricks can be given several looks, including a wood grain.

Contact David Berman at 873-9424 ext. 214 or dberman@journalscene.com

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