One of the toughest decisions most builders and homeowners must make is the brick and stone selection. I think it’s the toughest since it is so permanent—you only have one chance to get it right! It was a difficult decision for my wife and I when we built our house. We must consider how the brick is going to look with the mortar color; the stone color-if any; the roof color and the trim color.
Here are a few steps that might help:
Step 1: Choose the Color
Red, Brown, Grey, White or a mixture of all of them!
Step 2: Choose the Size
Size are: King, Big John, Queen or Modular. In Texas, Kingsize Brick is the industry standard. Do you like your brick one color or multi-colored? Do you like sharp crisp edges or rounded edges? Do you like a neat contemporary or traditional look or an “old-world look” that makes it look like your home was built a hundred years ago?
Step 3: Choose a Mortar Color
Your options are: Grey, Buff, White or a colored mortar such as brown or black. Mortar color makes a huge difference in how the brick will look once it’s up on the house.
Decide how the mortar will be applied: narrow, indented mortar joints between the brick or flush mortar joints?
Will all the mortar be cleaned off the brick or will some of it be left on the brick to make it look older?
Will the mortar be smeared across the face of the brick so that just a little of the brick color is seen from the street?
Step 4: Choose a Stone Color
After your brick color, mortar color, and mortar application has been decided, next comes the stone color. Would you prefer the stone blend in with the brick or be totally opposite of the brick? Would you prefer the stone be focal point of your front elevation or the brick?
Step 5: Choose the Roof and Trim Colors
The final steps are putting all the veneer colors together with your roof and trim color.
This can only be done by seeing a combination on a house that is already completed or by laying up a “field sample” on the house before all the brick and stone is delivered. We will not ship any material until a customer has seen it on a completed house or at the very least a 4 x 4 field sample.
We are available at Packer Brick, Inc to help guide you through the decision-making process so that you pick a brick that best reflects your individual taste. That’s why our motto is “Custom Brick and Stone for Custom Homes.”