Brick Houses? Yes Or No...?

[Zee09]

Personally I like how maintenance free they are relatively speaking.

I'm in a high wind area and they don't keep you up all night thinking they're going to blow apart like vinyl siding etc. No painting like stucco etc.

Topped off with a heavy guage metal roof and you have a winner. I prefer mine as a single story with a full basement. How about you ?

 

[oldhp]

My thoughts exactly. Brick houses also tie in the exterior walls to the brick making the walls stronger. Was a bricklayer for 4.5 yrs, amazing how much the exterior walls stiffen when tied to the brick.

 

[Passport1]

Brick houses are more substantial but trade style for practicality. They are kind of monochromatic. Personally if I were building a dwelling today it would be more like this TEOTWAWKI style with a periscope and remotely controlled automatic weapon mounted on top.

CNN

 

[SC Maintenance]

I like brick houses. They don't really exist here on the coast. There quite common in the interior of the state.

Good friend of mine did 100% brick exterior when he built. Said he never wanted to paint. I just paid nearly $10K to have my hardiplank house painted last year. Will need it again in 10 years. He will never paint.

You are stuck with the traditional look which comes and goes. So there is that.

 

[twouvakind]

Rich Baltimore brick history, $!0,000,000 export biz in early 19th century.

City of Brick: Bricks and Early Baltimore

BHW 42: November 18, 2023

baltimorehistories.substack.com

 

[Zee09]

I like brick houses. They don't really exist here on the coast. There quite common in the interior of the state.

Good friend of mine did 100% brick exterior when he built. Said he never wanted to paint. I just paid nearly $10K to have my hardiplank house painted last year. Will need it again in 10 years. He will never paint.

You are stuck with the traditional look which comes and goes. So there is that.

Agreed..although all styles come and go.
And the older you get resale value no longer has much meaning.

 

[walterjay]

I like brick. When I built I could only afford vinyl. I paid extra for the heaviest guage vinyl offered. I also told the installer that I would be facing high winds on my hill and to do all he could to over secure it. After more than 25 years and lots and lots of wind I have had no problems. All the neighboring homes with vinyl have had damage.

 

[Zee09]

I like brick. When I built I could only afford vinyl. I paid extra for the heaviest guage vinyl offered. I also told the installer that I would be facing high winds on my hill and to do all he could to over secure it. After more than 25 years and lots and lots of wind I have had no problems. All the neighboring homes with vinyl have had damage.

Same here and my shop is the same age. I do have a brick front but my vinyl still looks great. CertainTeed is what I got.

 

[Zee09]

With heavy wind I still don't like the vinyl flex.
I've had it flatten out completely in real heavy wind. Vinyl at night makes me feel my bed will end up in a cornfield somewhere...

 

[RhondaHonda]

I’d love full brick. We didn’t build the current house. It is James Hardie and stone. It will probably need paint in the next year or two and I’m sure that will be $15,000+. I love a solid brick home and if I ever build another in the Midwest, will probably go that route.

My old apartment building was almost 100 years old, full brick and I never even had it tuckpointed in the time I owned it. Very low maintenance.

 

[Quattro Pete]

I love brick houses. That's all you're going to see in Europe. Vinyl must be a US invention, to save construction cost, presumably?

 

[StarCaller]

My niece in Germany is right now building this house /
Once it's done in a few months the total will be .... what's your guess?

 

[RhondaHonda]

My niece in Germany is right now building this house /
Once it's done in a few months the total will be .... what's your guess?

View attachment 211336

I know nothing of German construction costs but here in the Midwest, anywhere from $200k-$600k to build depending on level of finish. The ceilings look low and it’s not very big, so I’ll go with $300k USD assuming the already own the lot.

 

[nate379]

Brick houses are more substantial but trade style for practicality. They are kind of monochromatic. Personally if I were building a dwelling today it would be more like this TEOTWAWKI style with a periscope and remotely controlled automatic weapon mounted on top.


View attachment 211317
CNN

Munitions igloo

 

[Lubener]

Brick for me. Better sound deadening , fewer drafts and better insulating qualities than wood. I might imagine brick would not hold up as well in an earthquake.

 

[Zee09]

Brick for me. Better sound deadening , fewer drafts and better insulating qualities than wood. I might imagine brick would not hold up as well in an earthquake.

Yes sound deadening is a big positive for me.

 

[4WD]

Have an all brick rancher from 1970 - Acme brick in fact …

Acme Brick - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Jetronic]

I love brick houses. That's all you're going to see in Europe. Vinyl must be a US invention, to save construction cost, presumably?

When I was living in the US, (2000-2001) I got the distinct impression people chose the lower up front cost of anything but brick. I guess a lot would be selling before the higher maintenance cost became an issue.

 

[Jetronic]

Brick for me. Better sound deadening , fewer drafts and better insulating qualities than wood. I might imagine brick would not hold up as well in an earthquake.

If you live in earthquake territory, cheaper and lighter is the way to go. I don't know if brick does worse, but if you get buried under brick there'll be a lot more weight on top of you, reducing chances of survival.

We get earthquakes maybe once per decade, but not much over 6 on the richter scale. Chimneys seems to be the most prone to collapse, My 1963 build has never been damaged.

 

[Jetronic]

My niece in Germany is right now building this house /
Once it's done in a few months the total will be .... what's your guess?

View attachment 211336

Depends if the land is included in the cost, that can be half the build cost already. before 2020 I'd say 200k, now 300k + the land