Build Smart with Brick: Selection Possibilities (Part II)

The truth is – brick is not just a building staple of yesteryear! While the benefits of a brick home remain unchanged for centuries in North America, manufacturers like General Shale are keeping things fresh offering dozens of sizes, colors and finish options that appeal to every personal style.

Your brick choice is but one piece of the puzzle to achieving your dream home look, although it probably has the most significant impact on the overall design. We’d like to recommend that you spend some time visualizing and ‘sketching’ out the finished product before making a brick selection. This important step will ensure that you’ve considered the many crucial details.

MAKE A VISION BOARD AND DOCUMENT YOUR DREAM.

We hate clichés – but a picture really does say a thousand words. When meeting with a builder or designer, pictures do a much more precise job of showing them what you want. Invest some time in cruising your favorite neighborhoods, on Houzz and Pinterest, and with your top magazines to get your top choices for your exterior. By the way, we recommend doing separate boards for exterior and interior.

For your exterior board, make sure you’ve included options for:

– Brick – color and finish

– Trim Color – including doors and windows

– Mortar Color – dark or light? inset or flush?

– Accents – lighting fixtures, railings, porch style, etc.

– Landscaping and Driveway

– Garage Door – color and style

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS…

We’ve asked our brick experts here at General Shale to share some key considerations when making your brick choice.

Regional Availability

We recommend having a few top brick picks to avoid disappointment. The cost of your brick can increase or decrease drastically depending on the distance from where it is manufactured to your build site. Don’t despair – at General Shale, we organize our brick by region to simplify your selection. But with your ‘global’ access to unlimited options on the internet, we wanted to give you a heads up!

Mortar Color and Joint Type

Mortar joints generally account for 20-25% of the surface area on a brick wall. So think this through in advance and don’t treat it as a minor detail during construction. There are many joint options as well, so ask your builder for examples or show them your preference.

Brick Size

Brick size changes the look of a home and affects the total cost of construction. Depending on the scope of your project, it’s very important to determine the correct size for your new home. We have great literature on our range of size options.

Accent Aesthetics

Your vision board will undoubtedly reflect a particular style of accents – the décor of your exterior. Windows and doors, trim and shingle color, garage door style, landscaping, and driveway treatment are vital pieces of the overall picture. Our best advice is to find visual examples you like, that work well together.

Age of Structure

Recognize that it may be hard to achieve the look of an older home with new brick, due to natural weathering or slight darkening that happens over time. This consideration may inspire you to ask what to expect over time with your brick choice.

BRING IT TO LIFE – WITH THE BRICK YOU LOVE!

Now that you’ve invested some time documenting your vision and understanding the important variables that will affect the overall look of your home, you should be well-prepared to make your brick selection.

Visit this brochure to walk through General Shale’s incredible selection – organized by region.

Our brick website page will show you every option available. From classic to rustic to contemporary, we’re confident you’ll find a brick you love now that you have your dream home vision in mind.