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Affordability & Cost Comparisons

No other material provides as much aesthetic, protective and long-lasting value as genuine clay brick. Whether it is for a starter home or a suburban school, RSMeans® data confirms that brick costs less than one may think. With so much going for it and the significance that cladding has on the entire building project, it makes sense to view brick as an investment rather than a cost. What does brick cost?

Residential Costs

Brick is a lot more cost competitive than you may realize, especially when considering all the many benefits a brick home provides. A brick home requires no or little exterior maintenance, its color will never fade, brick homes have higher resale values and lower insurance premiums, brick homes save energy, brick will last hundreds of years and brick is the safest wall cladding for home and family.
 
RSMeans estimates the national average total construction cost of a clay brick sided home (all four sides) is 23% cheaper than stone and 6% cheaper than stucco; and only slightly more (2%) than wood and fiber cement (3%).
 
There is a reason why other products try to imitate the look of, and claim to be just as good as, brick even going so far as to call their products a “brick”. It’s because no other wall cladding can offer all the advantages of genuine clay brick. Unlike the competition, brick is an investment that will virtually last forever with no maintenance and will pay for itself overtime through energy savings, higher resale values and lower insurance premiums. If that is not enough, brick is the safest exterior wall cladding for home and family. Brick does not burn, period! Brick is not damaged by hail and can withstand windblown debris impacts exceeding 80 mph. That is more than three times the protection provided by fiber cement or vinyl!
 
The choice is clear; don’t settle for other inferior wall cladding, that is easily damage, requires much more maintenance and will probably require at least one replacement. Choose the best, genuine clay
brick!
 
Please explore other areas of the website to learn more about why your next home should be a clay brick home.

Installed Cost of Residential Siding in Your Market (October 2020)

 National Average        Atlanta, GA         Austin, TX        Charlotte, NC          Chicago, IL  
 Dallas, TX  Denver, CO  Detroit, MI  Houston, TX  Indianapolis, IN
 Jacksonville, FL  Kansas City, KS    Louisville, KY  Minneapolis, MN      Nashville, TN
 New York City, NY  Raleigh, NC  Washington, DC       

The cost of adding clay brick to all four sides of your new home is probably much less than you may have imagined. Using the independent cost estimates for clay brick vs. other wall cladding options developed by RSMeans (see above in Cost of Residential Wall Systems), you can estimate the change in your monthly mortgage payment when adding the best wall cladding for your new home, clay brick.  



Non-Residential Costs

Learn how the construction costs of various brick buildings compare to buildings with five common exteriors. Brick with CMU (and certainly brick with steel stud) costs less than precast concrete, metal panel curtain wall and glass panel curtain wall systems in just about every type of commercial application one can think of – whether it is for an office building, a hospital, an apartment building or something else. Read the Press Release or Download a Summary Presentation

Cost of NonResidential Wall Systems
Total Installed Cost Comparison Brick and Other Materials Per Square Foot

Cladding Cost in Context: An Investment for Value or a Cost to Be Cut?

Whether the building is a starter home or a landmark office building, many cladding customers are encouraged to pare down costs wherever they can. This is a mistake, and here’s why.

  1. Cladding does more than cover a building; it protects the building and its occupants from the elements. If the cladding doesn’t do a good job against weather and other external events, what’s the point of cladding? Perhaps this is a reason why dozens of cities have adopted strict masonry standards after major events – like fires.
  2. Cladding represents a small percentage of total construction costs. According to a December 2017 study by the National Association of Homebuilders, the costs of new cabinets, countertops and appliances are comparable to that of the exterior cladding. And on commercial structures, brick exteriors represent less than 10% of the total construction cost. It makes sense to invest in a first choice exterior rather than some compromise that is visible to everyone who strolls by.
  3. Exterior cladding is something that can stay with the building for a long time. Interior components, such as appliances, office suites and even factory equipment, can come and go while the exterior frame and cladding of the material can stay in place. We see this frequently with brick buildings – ranging from old (and historic) houses to factory warehouses that have been transformed into condominiums. Since brick does not need paint, sealant or replacement on a periodic basis, it is a tremendous value!