Know the True Value of Brick

You have many choices in building today, some natural and many manmade replicas or variations. Sorting through costs and benefits can be complicated, so take a moment to quickly see how brick compares to competing materials.

Are You Brick Smart?

Brick is today what it always has been, an authentic building material, made from the earth, for the earth.

Acorn Street lies in Boston’s Beacon Hill, one of the oldest and most picturesque neighborhoods in the United States, a thriving residential community begun in 1795 with the red brick State House. Brick then, brick today.

Although many have tried to duplicate some of its remarkable qualities in design and construction, no other material has equaled the unique blend of beauty and brawn in authentic fired clay brick. Rediscover how brick smartly improves your life:

• From the Earth. Brick is formed from natural clays taken directly from the ground, molded, cut, and fired in energy-efficient clean-burning natural gas kilns.
• Color Selection. You can pick just the right brick, or beautiful blend of complementary shades, in harmony with your region, because the clays are dug nearby.
• Never Fades. The color of brick is integral to the material, through and through. Punishing UV rays, wind, and inclement weather are no match for richness that lasts.
• Comfortably Efficient. Brick slows the transfer of summer heat to a home’s interior, which helps your air conditioning take a load off.
• Appreciating Value. Homes appraise higher, foot for foot, from day one and increase in value as years go by when finished in brick, compared to lesser siding.
• Reduced Insurance. Brick’s fire, wind, and water resistance, and overall durability, can deliver 6% to 10% savings on homeowner’s or building insurance rates.
• Peace and Quiet. Brick’s mass helps dampen the transfer of sound through the wall, keeping outdoor sounds out, or letting you rock out without disturbing the peace.
• Maintenance Free. Gone are the days of frequent cleanings and regular repainting schedules with stable, integral color of beautifully durable brick.
• Unmatched Safety. Fire, wind, and impact are no match for brick—even beyond the one-hour fire test—compared with legions of lesser building materials.
• Design Opportunity. Architects and homeowners alike appreciate the unit-based nature of brick in creating imaginative and finely detailed structures.
• Lifetime Durability. Your brick home will outlast your mortgage. Brick buildings are often repurposed over long life spans, across decades and centuries.

Make Your Own Cost Comparison

Source for median home price: realtor.com, via FRED. Source for all other data: RS Means, compiled for the Brick Industry Association, for a typical 2,100-square-foot house in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX metro area.