Brick veneer instead of siding for addition onto brick house

[Anonymous]

How much would be be to add brick veneer to the front of a house where siding currently is. 1960s ranch home that's half brick and half siding. House is 1400 sq ft, but we'd only want to do the front for curb appeal. Any idea the cost? Trying to see if it's even worth considering getting estimates or if we should live with it.

If we live with it, we plan to paint the house all one color vs. being half brick and then half white siding. But, I do wonder the cost to just make it all brick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I personally like the look of hardiboard siding especially when it is painted a nice color that complements the brick. I also like houses that are painted all over the same color (brick + siding). That can look really nice if done well. Brick additions can look good if done well but often there is a mismatch between old and new brick and that looks really bad to me. My eye goes right to the dividing line between old and new and I don't even notice anything else.

Not all siding is equal, and when trying to mach old brick with new brick siding it is bound to fail and just look like you did not have a good designer. Look at some siding additions on Houzz and you will find some nice ones. Just stay well away from the vinyl.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally like the look of hardiboard siding especially when it is painted a nice color that complements the brick. I also like houses that are painted all over the same color (brick + siding). That can look really nice if done well. Brick additions can look good if done well but often there is a mismatch between old and new brick and that looks really bad to me. My eye goes right to the dividing line between old and new and I don't even notice anything else.

Not all siding is equal, and when trying to mach old brick with new brick siding it is bound to fail and just look like you did not have a good designer. Look at some siding additions on Houzz and you will find some nice ones. Just stay well away from the vinyl.

Vinyl siding is not the worst thing on earth. DCUM snobs are so obnoxious. Everyone on earth cannot afford Hardieplank siding or an all brick/stone house. Houses with vinyl siding are not all terrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Builder, a question. We currently have brick and stone veneer. Brick for the main house and stone for the 1970s addition. We really don't like the stone part, is it possible get that (relatively) easily replaced with brick or will the cost/trouble out way the ultimate look?

Builder here again. You can remove the stone veneer and reinstall brick. The challenge will be to match the brick on the two sections. You can also paint the entire brick exterior, but i dont advise painting brick EVER. There are many reasons not to paint exterior brick veneer so will not go into it right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Builder, a question. We currently have brick and stone veneer. Brick for the main house and stone for the 1970s addition. We really don't like the stone part, is it possible get that (relatively) easily replaced with brick or will the cost/trouble out way the ultimate look?

Builder here again. You can remove the stone veneer and reinstall brick. The challenge will be to match the brick on the two sections. You can also paint the entire brick exterior, but i dont advise painting brick EVER. There are many reasons not to paint exterior brick veneer so will not go into it right now.

Of course a builder is going to tell you to do this. Sure, it can be done; but it won’t be cheap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Builder, a question. We currently have brick and stone veneer. Brick for the main house and stone for the 1970s addition. We really don't like the stone part, is it possible get that (relatively) easily replaced with brick or will the cost/trouble out way the ultimate look?

Builder here again. You can remove the stone veneer and reinstall brick. The challenge will be to match the brick on the two sections. You can also paint the entire brick exterior, but i dont advise painting brick EVER. There are many reasons not to paint exterior brick veneer so will not go into it right now.

Of course a builder is going to tell you to do this. Sure, it can be done; but it won’t be cheap.

The PP asked a question and I provided a response with options...perplexed by your snarky response. As a builder, believe me, we don't like to tear things out and then try to reinstall, etc. It can be a nightmare and there is risk for the builder in such cases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Builder, a question. We currently have brick and stone veneer. Brick for the main house and stone for the 1970s addition. We really don't like the stone part, is it possible get that (relatively) easily replaced with brick or will the cost/trouble out way the ultimate look?

Builder here again. You can remove the stone veneer and reinstall brick. The challenge will be to match the brick on the two sections. You can also paint the entire brick exterior, but i dont advise painting brick EVER. There are many reasons not to paint exterior brick veneer so will not go into it right now.

I've heard this before, but what is the reasoning? I've been wanting to paint our exterior white, but if it's a bad idea, would pass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Builder, a question. We currently have brick and stone veneer. Brick for the main house and stone for the 1970s addition. We really don't like the stone part, is it possible get that (relatively) easily replaced with brick or will the cost/trouble out way the ultimate look?

Builder here again. You can remove the stone veneer and reinstall brick. The challenge will be to match the brick on the two sections. You can also paint the entire brick exterior, but i dont advise painting brick EVER. There are many reasons not to paint exterior brick veneer so will not go into it right now.

I've heard this before, but what is the reasoning? I've been wanting to paint our exterior white, but if it's a bad idea, would pass.

Builder again. More particular with newer brick veneer homes, the building envelope is constructed very tight so breatheability of the wall assembly is even more critical. When you paint brick, you essentially create a vapor barrier which prevents vapor(moisture) buildup between wall assembly to pass through to the outside thereby allowing the wall cavity to dry out. Brick veneer is designed to breathe and vapor passes through brick...retarding it is not good thing. This contributes to mold growth inside the wall cavity which contributes to unhealthy indoor air quality, not to mention rot, mold and mildew. I would not mess with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Builder, a question. We currently have brick and stone veneer. Brick for the main house and stone for the 1970s addition. We really don't like the stone part, is it possible get that (relatively) easily replaced with brick or will the cost/trouble out way the ultimate look?

Builder here again. You can remove the stone veneer and reinstall brick. The challenge will be to match the brick on the two sections. You can also paint the entire brick exterior, but i dont advise painting brick EVER. There are many reasons not to paint exterior brick veneer so will not go into it right now.

Of course a builder is going to tell you to do this. Sure, it can be done; but it won’t be cheap.

The PP asked a question and I provided a response with options...perplexed by your snarky response. As a builder, believe me, we don't like to tear things out and then try to reinstall, etc. It can be a nightmare and there is risk for the builder in such cases.

NP here (been lurking), I’ve found your responses really helpful. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Builder, a question. We currently have brick and stone veneer. Brick for the main house and stone for the 1970s addition. We really don't like the stone part, is it possible get that (relatively) easily replaced with brick or will the cost/trouble out way the ultimate look?

Builder here again. You can remove the stone veneer and reinstall brick. The challenge will be to match the brick on the two sections. You can also paint the entire brick exterior, but i dont advise painting brick EVER. There are many reasons not to paint exterior brick veneer so will not go into it right now.

I've heard this before, but what is the reasoning? I've been wanting to paint our exterior white, but if it's a bad idea, would pass.

Builder again. More particular with newer brick veneer homes, the building envelope is constructed very tight so breatheability of the wall assembly is even more critical. When you paint brick, you essentially create a vapor barrier which prevents vapor(moisture) buildup between wall assembly to pass through to the outside thereby allowing the wall cavity to dry out. Brick veneer is designed to breathe and vapor passes through brick...retarding it is not good thing. This contributes to mold growth inside the wall cavity which contributes to unhealthy indoor air quality, not to mention rot, mold and mildew. I would not mess with it.

Interesting. Our home is a 1950s brick home, so I wonder if it would have that possible issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Builder, a question. We currently have brick and stone veneer. Brick for the main house and stone for the 1970s addition. We really don't like the stone part, is it possible get that (relatively) easily replaced with brick or will the cost/trouble out way the ultimate look?

Builder here again. You can remove the stone veneer and reinstall brick. The challenge will be to match the brick on the two sections. You can also paint the entire brick exterior, but i dont advise painting brick EVER. There are many reasons not to paint exterior brick veneer so will not go into it right now.

I've heard this before, but what is the reasoning? I've been wanting to paint our exterior white, but if it's a bad idea, would pass.

Builder again. More particular with newer brick veneer homes, the building envelope is constructed very tight so breatheability of the wall assembly is even more critical. When you paint brick, you essentially create a vapor barrier which prevents vapor(moisture) buildup between wall assembly to pass through to the outside thereby allowing the wall cavity to dry out. Brick veneer is designed to breathe and vapor passes through brick...retarding it is not good thing. This contributes to mold growth inside the wall cavity which contributes to unhealthy indoor air quality, not to mention rot, mold and mildew. I would not mess with it.

Interesting. Our home is a 1950s brick home, so I wonder if it would have that possible issue.

yes....highly possible...particularly if you install a ultra high effficiency hvac system, add insulation to the home, replace the windows with higher efficiency type. All of these upgrades add signiicant levels of indoor moisture to the home....

[Anonymous]

We totally renovated our one story brick house by adding additional space and a second story. We used a combination of brick and cedar shakes on the first floor and all cedar shakes on the second. We painted the brick yellow and stained the cedar.

We think it looks great and has weathered well over the past decade.

[Anonymous]

Reviving this thread to see if anyone has priced out a brick addition versus a hardi addition? I understand brick is more expensive but just wondering how much more expensive?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, it isn't the cost. Siding (especially fiber cement) is just such a better product that it is the go to. It is water resistant (unlike brick), it has indicative qualities (unlike brick) and it requires little maintenance (unlike brick.) It is actually more expensive as a product, cheaper to install obviously.

But if you want brick and can match it perfectly, go for it.

Drop a piece of brick and a piece of cement siding into a bucket of water. You will see
for yourself which product is impervious to water.

[Anonymous]

Adding a two story addition onto our brick row home in NW DC. Been told by historic preservation that we need to do a wood addition to match the neighbors’ siding-enclosed sleeping porches (i.e., the traditional DC row home look). They don’t want brick.