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If you have always loved the look of brick houses, but don’t want the same cost, then you may want to consider installing brick veneer siding. Brick veneer siding has many of the same advantages of the old fashioned pure brick siding, but it does not have the same installation cost nor does it have as high of a up front materials cost.

Advantages of Brick Siding – Traditional and Veneer

When it comes to siding, almost nothing is quite like brick. The main advantage is obviously the look and feel that brick gives to a home–it truely makes a home look and feel like the permenant structure you want it to be. In addition, brick is very durable (when layed and installed properly), does not need to be painted, and requires very little maintenance to keep it up (especially when compared to other types of siding like T111 or other cheap siding options). In addition, having a brick home can also decrease your fire insurance costs, as brick is not flammable.

Differences between True Brick Home and Brick Veneer Homes

First, remember that brick veneer is not really some type of cheap fake brick siding. It is a faux brick siding that is a man-made material that is real masonry. However, there is one very big difference. A traditional, true brick home is supported by the bricks themselves. They form the structure beneath the brick. With veneer bricks, they act more like any other siding that is placed on top of the housing structure. They are placed on top, then attached to the wooden framed structure via small metal ties.

So, don’t think that veneer brick siding is cheap siding, just that it is relatively cheaper than true, more traditional brick siding. But, if you take a look at most of the homes built over the last 40 years you will actually find that they were made with veneer brick and not the traditional kind.