Friends, I’m excited to share with you as we work on our design plans, updates and finish our new home! Without further ado, let’s walk through how to choose brick for your home!

Today seems like the perfect time to discuss exterior finishes and to share our exterior plans for the house. They delivered our stone and brick at the end of this last week and will install it this week.

We’re literally wading through all kinds of brick and sorting out how to use brick on our exterior.

I do have to say, out of everything I’ve selected this was by far my hardest decision. Honestly, coming from California, I’m more of a stucco girl than a brick person when it comes to exterior finishes.

Looking at 3×3 samples and attempting to envision a whole house covered in brick is SO stinkin’ hard, even for someone who does a lot of design work like me.

So, I’m crossing my fingers and praying I love it when the brick and stone are installed. But through this process, I’ve learned good rules to follow for anyone selecting exterior finishes.

SELECTING EXTERIOR FINISHES FOR YOUR HOME: 

So before we begin, I wanted to share a rendering of the front of our home.

There are 3 windows above the garage where the media room is and then the windows on the left bottom are into the dining room. It is a lot of house in the front so we needed it to not look too heavy.

When selecting brick (or any exterior finish) for your home, it’s important you assess your house from all angles.

Use a rendering as a reference and carefully assess how each finish will weigh down or lighten up the look of your house.

Struggling with how to choose brick for your home? This exterior house plan is beautiful! Love these brick selections for this exterior brick home being built. #exterior #homeexterior #homebuild


1. How to Seek Brick Exterior Inspiration:

When I began this process I wasn’t really familiar with all the different exterior finish and brick options available. If you’re struggling with how to choose brick for your home, the best place to start is to gain inspiration from other beautiful homes!

So, my first step was to drive around our neighborhood and get inspiration for the look I wanted to achieve. Most neighborhoods have a cohesive look when it comes to finishes and some even have set guidelines on brick, exterior color, and materials.

In a semi-custom home, like ours, the options are somewhat limited. I had no idea 3-4 houses in a row can’t have any of the same brick selections. Since we were one of the first to build on our block, I was lucky and had a lot more options.

Always check this with your builder and keep it in mind when selecting your property in a housing development like this.

Here are examples of homes from around our neighborhood with brick layouts, exterior finishes, and/or colors I loved.

The overall look I wanted was a washed-out brick look without much red in it. I also didn’t want the brick to look too dark and heavy. Little did I know how hard it is (unless you majorly upgrade!) to figure out how to achieve this look with your exterior finish.

At first, my husband and I chose a plan that was all brick. I thought I liked the look and I would get a German smear-looking brick finish with lots of mortar. Well, I guess it isn’t a very popular look where we are building and after looking through the neighborhood finishes, I ultimately decided I didn’t like the all-brick look.

In my neighborhood, I found this house (below) that had more of a mortar-wash and German smear look. While it’s a nice all-brick finish, I decided the all-brick looked too dark for our home. It seemed like an overwhelming exterior finish.

This is a beautiful brick exterior. If I was trying to figure out how to choose brick for your home, I'd start here! Love these brick selections for this exterior brick home being built. #exterior #homeexterior #homebuild

Alternatively, I checked out another house in my neighborhood with a lighter all-brick finish. The brick on this house (below) looked too washed out to me.

There was low contrast with the trim and roof and the finish wouldn’t flatter the design of our house.

Trying to decide how to choose brick for your home? I drove around my own neighborhood for some inspiration! Love these brick selections for this exterior brick home being built. #exterior #homeexterior #homebuild

Of course, I loved the limewash/whitewash look of the brick on this gorgeous house (below), but the brick finish is a more expensive option.

When we priced it out we realized it would cost us an arm and a leg. The decorative herringbone brick pattern is more expensive to lay and it’s a big project. I really loved the contrast, though

If you're trying to decide how to choose brick for your home, try driving around your neighborhood to find some inspiration! I love the way the exterior finish of this brick home looks!

Don't know how to choose brick for your home? Start by looking at other homes for inspo! Such a beautiful neutral brick finish on this home.

Ultimately, we decided on the look and direction of the exterior finish in the home below. It’s actually a few houses down the street from us.

I loved how the brick was slightly darker than the washed-out ones, had lots of brown tones in it, and had lots of variations in the way the brick was laid.

We changed the layout of the brick above the garage to a herringbone pattern, inspired by the other brick home I loved, to break up the brick along the super tall wall.

I also thought the mix of stone on this house lightened it up and didn’t feel as heavy! It created the contrast we were looking for in our finish.

BUT of course, this brick was out of stock and from another builder… so began the search for the perfect brick/stone mix.

How to choose brick for your home: Love these brick selections for this exterior brick home being built. #exterior #homeexterior #homebuild


2. How to Pick Your Brick – Learn The Do’s & Don’ts:

Once you’ve amassed design inspiration and have a handle on what finish matches the look and feel of your neighborhood and house, you’ll need to pick your brick.

The first step in picking out the perfect brick for your exterior is deciding on a color. I wanted to find brick with primarily brown tones and little-to-no red.

With so many options, how are you supposed to know how to choose brick for your home? The sample room is where to start!

Next, after choosing a color for your brick, decide if you would like it to have a distressed look. I love a more Old World style exterior, so that was the direction I went in.

There are ways to achieve the look with whitewashing, limewashing or German smear-style finishes when you lay your brick. You can also look for brick featuring this type of finish already.

So many choices to pick from! If you're struggling with how to choose brick for your home, start by deciding on a color theme and go from there!

Lastly, decide how you would like the mortar to look; messy, thin, thick, smeared, and so on. When it comes to mortar, there are many different colors that will also drastically impact your finish.

A lighter mortar may result in a lower-contrast finish but can also cause a “washed out” effect. At the same time, a darker mortar will darken the overall look of the exterior of your home. So, choose the mortar color and style carefully.

Choosing what kind of brick exterior I wanted on my new home was an adventure! If you're struggling with how to choose brick for your home, start by looking at samples like these!

Ultimately, the brick I decided on is called Commercial Antique. It’s a really beautiful brick with a brown undertone with a lightly distressed look.

Combined with the light smear mortar, I will get exactly the look I was hoping for our house.

3. How to Select Stone (If It’s in Your Finish Design):

Selecting stone to finish your exterior design, is definitely where your home’s finish gets pricey. Fortunately, we actually eliminated a lot of stone from the design because honestly it just felt heavy, so that cut back on our cost.

As you see in our house rendering we featured stone on the base apron of the house and then added stone accenting up the entry column.

Adding stone to those two areas of our home felt like more than enough for us and helped with the price since the stone I chose turned was an expensive selection.

I wanted a stone with NO yellow in it. I was actually pretty emphatic about my stone selection. I wanted rocks that were only white and grey.

Overwhelmed with how to choose brick for your home? Start with a rendering of your dream home like this one!It gave us a great starting point for the kind of look we wanted.

Above is the stone finish we ended up with. I loved how the stones have a rough, uneven texture, making them appear natural and rustic.

The stone I selected also has the same cream color as in my brick selection. When you pick your stone, ensure it contrasts, accents, and highlights the part of your brick you want to pop.

4. How To Pull Your Exterior Design All Together:

Our last step was selecting the paint color for the exterior trim and the wood color for the garage. I first selected the garage door style I wanted (see the photo below).

I chose option “T” with large iron hardware on it. I initially considered a unique color for the garage door like the one on the right.

After consideration, I decided to go with the darkest color for the garage, to create a more modern look. I chose a super dark espresso color that almost looks black and will really stand out with our brick finish.

Picking stone for the exterior of my new home was much easier with a rendering of the exterior design like this one. If you're struggling with how to choose brick for your home, keep this helpful tip in mind!

After I selected the garage door, I was ready to select the trim color. I wanted a color that would easily blend and not look yellow. (Can you tell I just couldn’t have any yellow in my house?!)

I went with this soft creamy taupe trim color. Again, I chose a color also featured in both my brick and stone so they were highlighted.

I love these colors for a stone exterior on my home! If you're struggling with how to choose brick for your home, keep a color scheme in mind and take a look at your options.


5. How to LOVE Your Final Exterior Finish Result:

Once I’d selected all of the components for my exterior finish, I laid everything out for a final look to ensure all of the design elements complimented each other-the brick, stone, garage, and trim.

I am crossing my fingers I did a good job as they begin to install our finishes all this week!

Here are all the components of the exterior of my home! Choosing brick and stone finishes was a challenge but I'm so happy to see these come together! If you're wondering how to choose brick for your home, start with a rendering of your dream design and work from there - you'll love watching it come together!

As you see below, the backyard and front yard are stockpiled with all the materials.

It’s strange to see the brick and stone in a natural light all stacked up on pallets, but from what I can tell, they really look great together.

I have a feeling I’m going to love the final exterior finish results when it’s all complete. I really love my choice of brick and the stone compliments it so well.

All these pallets of brick and stone for the exterior of our new home were delivered to our backyard! Excited to get started! Want to know how to choose brick for your home? Take it one step at a time with this helpful guide.

All of these pallets of brick will come together to make the exterior of our new home look amazing! Struggling with how to choose brick for your home? You have so many options - here's where to start!

Can't wait to see this brick on the exterior of my home! If you're wondering how to choose brick for your home, start with this helpful guide detailing how we chose exterior finishes for our new home!

This stone will make the exterior of our new home look fabulous and bring together the exterior design! If you're struggling with how to choose brick for your home, use this guide on how to pull together a beautiful exterior home design.

All this stone will soon grace the exterior of our new home! If you're wondering how to choose brick for your home, this is the guide you need - bring together your dream exterior home design!

So, tell me, what questions do you have on how to choose brick for your home and exterior finishes?

Selecting the brick and stone you love isn’t as daunting as you may think! I know it’s a big choice, but if you follow the steps you’ll select an exterior design you’ll feel proud of!

You can follow along on our journey right HERE and you can search it with the hashtag #ourwaterviewhome on social media.

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    19 Comments

    1. I have recently picked the same brick! Reading this was like being in my own head in the decision making! I’m wondering if you have finished pictures of your house that you could share? Thank you!

    2. Could you tell me the name of the brick selections you’ve got pulled on your picture? We’re building and your choice is too close to us. I like some of the others you’ve got pulled though. Thanks!

    3. The brick stone combo at the end of your section 1, is it natural or cultured and do you know what brick that is?

    4. It is always a great idea to look for inspiration from other finished projects to figure out what all your options are

    5. Do you know the name or brand of brick used in the very first picture? We are building our home and this is the color I have been wanting, but have been unable to find.

      1. No, unfortunately I do not have the name but you could show your builder and they might know.

    6. You make some good points on how to find the right outdoor trim. I agree that finding something that is going to match the rest of your home would be really smart. I’m looking for a new trim for my home before I sell it, so I’ll have to check how well they match.

    7. Thanks for mentioning how a darker mortar will give your home an overall darker appearance to your exteriors. My wife is gunning for that high-contrast, sophisticated aesthetic for our exteriors. I will be sure to share this tip so that she can consider opting for these types of bricks when the time comes for a renovation.

    8. Which mortar did you choose? It looks as if it could be either messy, thick or smeared. And how much more expensive were these techniques verses doing the standard mortar?

          1. Hmm. No that is correct but I wonder if it has been discontinued now. I would ask a Sherwin Williams rep and see if they can custom make the color for you. They should still have the formula.

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