How to Choose and Mix Brick Veneers for New Construction and Additions

My neighbor spent over $200,000 to add a beautiful addition to her traditional brick-siding Cape Cod home. But when the masonry contractor laid the bricks, he couldn’t even match the color of the mortar to the original part of the house. Worse yet, the new bright white mortar clashes with both the new and old brick. The house now has a garish, jarring appearance and the cost of repair is prohibitive.

Brick veneer is the most durable and beautiful material that will protect your home from the elements. Brick is virtually maintenance free and will last for generations. Living in the Detroit area, it’s easy to see that the brick in all the dilapidated buildings is still in beautiful condition, and in most cases salvageable and reusable. Brick veneer is more expensive and you will have to live with your choice for as long as you own your home. If you are planning an addition or building a new home, the money, time, and effort invested in choosing the layout, bricks, mortar, and most importantly, the contractor will pay back many times over in value over the long term. .

Here are some ideas to keep in mind when choosing or combining brick veneer

• Cost – perhaps it would be better to sacrifice square footage for quality and beauty

• Design: Long, tall walls should be broken with a vertical course of bricks, a stone ledge, or bricks that vary in color and texture. Design in staggered walls with interior or exterior corners to give vertical definition to the house.

• Use “offset” (brick protruding from the wall in patterns or random) of bricks to create interest

• Make the addition narrower or wider than the existing house for inside or outside corners to facilitate blending of brick and mortar.

• How does the house fit into the neighborhood? A traditional style home needs darker reds and more texture with gray mortar. Field stone, granite or sandstone can be used with care

• Contemporary homes can use whites, blushes or neutral colors and smooth or glazed brick. The mortar can be bright white

• A skilled and experienced mason will take the time to test various mixes to match the mortar. Remember that it is the SAND of the mortar that must be matched. Ask to see other work the mason has done and be prepared to pay a little more

• There are many sizes and profiles of bricks available. We have a farmhouse built on a slab in our neighborhood that used long, low-profile bricks with a subtle wavy texture. Coupled with a gabled roof and deep eaves, this home would be the envy of Frank Lloyd Wright himself!

• Design the roof and gutters so that downspouts can be used to hide the seam between the old and new brick. There are many decorative gutter and downspout products available. Visit a local gutter and siding supply house

• A fake copper downspout with a fancy lead (or conductor) can also be used to hide a seam.

• Many false half columns are available in various metallic and paintable materials.

• Use carefully beveled horizontal or vertical siding with high quality battens in your design.

• More windows, entry doors, shutters, and small round or octagonal or larger windows can be used to break up large brick walls.

• Be careful when using bricks on gable ends. Due to the slope of the roof at each end of the brick courses, the careless mason will be lost; vertical joints won’t line up and the wall will have a wavy, amateurish look. A small window high up on the gable would be good in this circumstance.

• And remember to choose shingles and roofing materials at the same time. For example, using a metal roof on an addition can be a way of making the addition “complement” the original house rather than attempting an exact “match” (for the few of you who are self-assured, brave, and daring). you can use a combination of materials and design to “contrast” the original house; I have seen it done and to wonderful ends!)

And finally a special mention when using stone. A cobblestone cabin looks like this because it’s a cabin! A cabin is a small house. A large stone house must be designed very carefully. Avoid long, high stone cladding walls.

Mixing stone with brick veneer can produce a pleasing effect. Try to imagine that you are building your house on the ancient ruins of a stone fence or an old manor house. Bottom corners, a few around the front door, and a few random spots on the wall are all that’s needed.

The brick is made in local kilns using clay mined from nearby river banks over the centuries. The brick you find made in New England can clash with the landscape of the house you build in Texas. The same is true if you use that blush pink brick you loved in Florida for a Wisconsin-built home. The brick must be of the same origin as the house. Contemporary or traditional; single-story ranch or two-story colonial; semi-detached or split-level home; new construction or addition, everyone needs the right brick veneer to enhance long-term value and style.