BRICK HOUSE EXTERIOR MAKEOVER
The first impression is something that you should invest in to make everybody admire your brick house. If you have a 90’s, 80’s, 70’s, or 60’s brick house, you need to give it a proper glam. Anyone who wants to resell an old brick house is looking for the best brick house exterior makeover ideas. That is an investment worth having.
Bricks are known to be the most durable material for building a house. However, you are likely to experience some fading from time to time. To ensure that your brick house always has that modern and shining come through, a makeover from time to time is imminent. Making the exterior of a brick house is not so different from the makeover of other houses. There are just a few makeover ideas that are unique to brick houses. (Buckley, 2020)
Benefits of having a brick house
Besides having that appealing look, brick houses come with a lot of other valuable benefits. You do not want to miss out on these benefits. (Taylor, 2018)
Unaltered by moisture: Brick will absorb and release moisture without having any adverse alteration on the brick
Fire-resistant: Unlike other materials like wood, bricks are not prone to fire damage
Long-lasting: You can doubt any other benefit of bricks but not their durability. Brick is a robust material that can’t easily break or have dents.
Environmental friendly: Unlike other home-making materials with high chemical reaction products, brick is the most natural home building material you can get.
Home insulation: The best way of insulating your home is by using bricks. As long as you want that consistent temperature inside your house such that there is an ideal temperature during summer and a warm temperature during winter, bricks are the game-changer.
Maximize your home value: Most brick home sellers use the brick feature as their selling point. Brick adds a lot of value to your house for resale purposes.
Sound blockage: Brick reduces the transfer of sound through the walls. If you live near traffic, you don’t need to worry about annoying noises disturbing you.
The cost of remodeling brick house exterior
|
PROJECT |
AVERAGE COST |
|
Bricks and mortar repair |
$1,319 |
|
Front door replacement |
$477 to $1,399 |
|
Windows replacement |
$100 to $650 |
|
Shutters |
$622 per pair |
|
Painting |
$3500 to $7,00 |
|
Landscaping |
$6 to $10 per square foot |
|
Cladding |
$1,700 to $2,400 |
|
Rendering |
$2,700 to $5,600 |
The process of brick house exterior makeover
Old brick house exterior always has that stern look. Softening the look of the exterior of a brick house is relevant to achieve the general appealing look. An exterior makeover f a brick house involves some processes. (BAASTUDIO Architecture, 2020)
- Repairing the bricks
- Cladding
- Rendering
- Change of color scheme
- Addition of other elements around the brick house
- Replacing components of the exterior part of the house
- Landscaping
Repairing
As much as bricks can withstand moisture and extreme temperature changes, their mortar becomes prone to damage with time. Mortar may not be as durable as a brick. The fact that you need to use mortar to hold bricks during building makes the bricks susceptible to damage. There is no need to bring the whole building down just because there are too many loose bricks or damaged bricks. All you need to do is replace them and repair the mortar in the loose parts only, and you are set.
Experts use a technique known as tuckpointing to repair only the loose mortar. The process of repairing the bricks is complex and takes a lot of time. If you are newbie in-home makeovers, consider having a professional do it for you. If you are looking to hire an expert, it will cost you $400 to $670 to get the repair professionally done. The cost of brick replacement and mortar repair will be $ 1,319 on average. (Bartsch, 2019)
ProTip Takeaway: Whether you are repairing it yourself or an expert is doing it for you, remember to match the color of the bricks you replace to the color of the existing bricks.
Replacing the front door, blinds, and shutters
If you just bought an old brick house, you need to change the house’s exterior components. Either because they are damaged, or the design doesn’t suit your modern taste. It will help if you begin with getting modern windows and their frame. Replace also the window shutters with something more up-to-date. The blinds also need to display a classy look and complement every detail of your new modern windows. (BAASTUDIO Architecture, 2020)
The front door is one exterior element that’s worth investing in. I mean, who doesn’t want everybody to admire the look of the door as they knock? You don’t necessarily have to replace the door if you are working on a tight budget. Painting the door with an attractive color is all that matters. If you consider replacing, the cost of buying a new door is between $477 and $1,399. Get a door with a great design to complement the front of your house.
ProTip Takeaway: Replacing windows and the front door can be expensive. To save on cost when buying the door and windows, be consistent with the dimensions of the already existing ones.
Cladding and rendering
For more weather resistance and to improve the general look of your brick house, rendering and cladding are vital. You can use weatherboards or fiber cementing to clad your bricks because they are the most long-lasting cladding materials. Rendering your brick house will give it a sleek appearance. However, if you go for rendering, you need to be ready for frequent maintenance of the rendered exterior part. The feature of the brick should complement the style of the house. Therefore, you can choose to skip rendering if the bricks are perfect for the house exterior design. If you are looking to have an up-to-date design, go for cladding. Rendering brings out a significant but not too modern design. Decide on what you want your house to look like before rendering or cladding. (Buckley, 2020)
ProTip Takeaway: Cladding has all to do with the safety, comfort, and appearance of the house. Therefore, it would be best if you choose the cladding materials wisely. The materials need to be fire-resistant for safety purposes and weather resistance to ensure that the house’s temperature is consistent.
Landscaping
Most old brick houses are associated with undone yards, overgrown flowers, and also overgrown trees. In case you are not a lover of plants, you can get rid of the flowers and trees. In that case, you need to level your lawn to bring out the elegance of your renovated brick house. If you choose t0 to do away with the plants, you can choose to make your yard appealing by adding a stone craft piece. For the lovers of plants, ensure that the plants are well kept.
Trim the trees into an outstanding design and shape the flower beds to the design that pleases you more. The design of your flower beds and the trees should complement each other. Landscaping is not a one-time thing that you do only during makeovers. Maintain proper landscaping even after the makeover. That yard needs some regular mowing and flowers some shaping. (BAASTUDIO Architecture, 2020)
ProTip Takeaway: If you choose to go for a stone craft, the color should rhyme or coordinate with the color of the bricks. The colors don’t necessarily need to be similar, but they need to be diverse.
Painting
Even after repairing and replacing other brick house exterior elements, the makeover will never be complete without painting. We all love the outcomes of painting a house. We need that colorful appearance of the house from the outside. There are a lot of techniques you can use in painting the bricks. Staining is one of the painting techniques where you apply specific stains on the bricks to refresh them. There is also the whitewashing technique.
For painting, always aim for boldness and a sleek look. Choose a color scheme that coordinates with the color of other components in and outside the house. The color in the exterior of your brick house should reveal the color scheme that you utilize in the interior of the house. (Blair, n.d)
ProTip Takeaway: During painting, let your taste drive you towards choosing the color scheme of your brick house. Go for a color that you like and the one that’s suitable for your house style.
Addition of other elements
During the exterior home makeover, there I no limitation that you must retain only the existing feature. What about the addition of some other features? Doesn’t that sound enticing? Add a few features to add the visual value of your brick house. If the house is for resale, research some elements that most homeowners would like to have.
You can add some landscaping features that you prefer. One of the features that you can add is walkways. You can choose to have double walkways. If you like the exterior house elements the way they are, there is no need for additional elements. (Bartsch, 2019)
ProTip Takeaway: Some features do not coordinate with the style of your house. Add exterior elements that will not look out of place around your home.
Are you ready for your exterior makeover in Houston?
Get the tools ready, and let’s get that brick house a new look. Anyone with a brick house will tell you that the brick house designs never get old. That gives you more reasons to buy a brick house if you don’t have one. Do not worry because the brick house you bought is too old. Smart Remodeling LLC is always here for you if you need help in all issues relating to home remodeling. Get help from us by contacting us at 832-800-8889.
