I think almost all brick is dated and mostly ugly. The exception is a rough, protruded look that casts some shadows.

If youre going through the trouble and expense of hiring a Mason, why not do real stone? Stone has lost little appeal throughout the years compared to brick. The only builders who use brick around here are the old timers who have lost touch with what the younger public sees as attractive and I hope that trend does not reverse.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1495875}}

Thanks Springtimehomes. I agree, stones are definitely more appealing. We will be doing a combination of stone/brick instead of just stone so was trying to look up options to see which brick colors may be more long-lasting.

Just chiming in as a traditionalist ;) I think the brick and stone combo is what will look dated. Seems very "in" now, and will soon be out ;) There will never be anything dated about a wood molded brick - Old Virginia makes great ones. There are lots of mock ups of old bricks that also look good - Cherokee makes an Old Savannah and a Charlestone which are tumbled and ages. The brick/stone is very hard (almost impossible) to do well - stone and lap siding are a better combo but the thought is to make the house look like it evolved. So not a stone gable, but a stone house, added onto with a clapboard house, etc. If you are really concerned about building a house that will last (and it is possible - my parents house is a cape cod built to traditional specs in the 70s but with a modern open floor plan and constant revisions to make it up to date - no walls moved (they were awesome) but great materials used and updated throughout. . .) you need to go traditional, I think!

I don't know what your buget is, but that will likely guide you in your selection. One thing to keep in mind, and you might already know is that rock can be more expensive and the labor is certainly a LOT more, especially if you use a dry stack vs mortar joints. Here in the Midwest, the trend is stucco and more stucco (all shades of beige) with a section of stacked stone (all shades of beige)... We did a full brick with 2 sections in the front that are rock...gables. We used a "reclaimed" brick and we love it. There is no stucco or stacked stone on our house. We got what we liked. I would pick what you like and chances are, you will like it several years from now. Trends are inevitable, so you might as well choose what you like. ...JMHO

Thanks for everyone's inputs. @athensmomof3, yea it does seem like it's the trend to do brick and stone now. I personally do think bricks may not get outdated as quickly. Wood molded brick is a good suggestion, I will look into that. Do you all think the color trend of brownish, grayish or bluff may get outdated soon? I am just thinking those reddish brick colors were popular 10 years ago but most people are using toward brown color bricks these days, I could be wrong though. It's just from my observation.

Both brick and stone are timeless materials. The colors, applications, etc. are what can become dated, and trends in this regard are usually regional.

Where I live, brick is timeless, but you can date many houses by the color/type. What's popular now is multi-colored reclaimed brick. What's very trendy now is the combination of materials (brick, stone and stucco) and architectural elements that don't really go together (as if someone decided to include them all in one structure). These houses will be very dated as soon as the next trend takes hold.

The houses that seem to withstand the test of time here are based in classical or period architecture with historically accurate materials, often with a modern twist for how we live today or for a little more interest.

I too belive that it depends on your region. While trying to decide on a brick selection, riding around looking at homes, searching on the Net, looking in books, we realized that we just had to go with what we like. I have seen beautiful older homes in the dark red and burgandy brick, I've seen newer brown homes that are very nice, and a few of the pastal colored brick homes that look good too. I like them all because I love the look of brick homes. In my area, North Carolina, and we own a home in Georgia and just sold one in Alabama, the dark red and burgandy brick looks great on newer and older homes. I think that the gray standard mortar makes a lot of dark brick look dated. Here in NC, I've noticed many great looking newer homes using the dark brick with a dark mortar. It makes the home look rich and complete.

We made our final brick selection last week, and yesterday decided to change the mortar color to change the look of the brick. Apparently, our decision is against the grain because our GC contacted us to let us know that the mason would do a panel for us on our lot to make sure we like our choices.

I have to chuckle at the idea that brick is old-fashioned because it, as well as stone, are timeless materials. It is really a matter of personal taste. Ditto what someone said about price being the determining factor, because stone cost more than brick and brick costs more than siding...you get the picture. Is this some kind of spec house? Your own home? Is it in a subdivision or on a lot on private land? You seem to be asking about what will be easy to maintain or to sell on the market? I am very suspicious of the coated brick products on the market as far as how long they will last under decades of wear and tear, but really love how they look. Regular uncoated brick and stone will never let you down in the long run, as long and they are properly installed, they will be almost maintenance-free.

I think that you will find buyers who like all kinds and colors of brick and stone, but it depends on what your purpose is. I love stone, but realize that an entire house done in it is out of reach. I really like mixed brick/stone or stone/siding, but I agree that following trends is not the way to go. Somewhat traditional with some updated contemporary touches I think will never go out of style.

Brick and stone are timeless, but not necessarily together. The modular bricks are dated, but you find the oversized tumbled look on houses built today going all the way back to when brick was first used. Colors come and go so I would stay with a color that has stood the test of time for your area (say the over the past 100 years or so).

You do have to be careful with the bricks that are not through body color. You absolutely, positively do not pressure wash the brick if it is not a through body color. Let me share a story with you... We liked the look of a "weathered" brick---like it had already stood the test of time. We loved the brick used on the SouthernLiving Abberley Lane house built in Savannah in 2002--General Shale's Spalding Tudor. But when the local General Shale sent us to look at area homes with that brick, they looked nothing like the SL house. In fact, all the houses looked like candy canes!! The last house we saw was still under construction & the brick was perfect--just like the SL house. Talked with the builder and he explained that the brick is sand-faced and that it cannot be pressure washed--that's what had happened to those other houses!! With that being said, you can clean it with a regular pressure water hose and a soft brush if needed.

Some would ask, "Who would want to pressure wash brick?" The answer first and foremost is 'Builders'. The brick masons get sloppy and excess mortar splatters are everywhere, concrete bits here and there from where the porches and walks connect to the house, mud splatters on the house during heavy rains while under construction and landscaping is not complete, etc. So to get rid of all that the easy way, they pressure wash. Unfortunately, you can't tell the damage is done until the brick dries completely and then you're simply horrified. So if you choose to go with a brick that is not through body color, have it written in the contract that under no circumstances is the house to be pressure washed and that the trades will need to be as neat as possible-should any splatters occur, they need to be wiped off right away, and that measures should be taken to protect the brick from mud/dirt during construction.

Hope this helps! Good luck in your decision!!

EXCELLENT advice mydreamhome!!! We are probably going to use a tumbled brick for our back patios - and we will heed this advice for sure! I am not sure what sand faced is but this one has some variation fired into the brick which may be the same thing - at any rate, I would be horrified if it looked like a candy cane!

I think almost all brick is dated and mostly ugly.

Yep, that Nebuchadnezzar II didn't have a clue what was hot, what was not!

Topman--I would definitely check out the brick on athensmomof3's house. (link below then scroll to athensmomof 3's pics) It's a beautiful shade in the red family that would more than likely stand the test of time.

Athensmom--Glad I could help. Who knew it could be so complicated?!? I still can't believe you're painting your brick--I think it is absolutely gorgeous and I'm not ususally a fan of red brick. I'm sure it will be beautiful painted too--can't wait to see it! We just picked out our pavers on Monday. They didn't make one that matched our brick, so we went with a Dublin Cobblestone style by Belgard in the Potomac color. Good luck with selecting your pavers!

Here is a link that might be useful: It's September-How is your build progressing?

Our ARB (not easy to deal with at ALL) would FLIP OUT if we didn't paint it although it looks better than we expected! We used a gray mortar over a buff because it was cheaper. No idea what the brick is called except it was Boral and 25 cents a brick. We picked it because it gave us the look we wanted painted - it has a pretty texture but not too rough or tumbled looking. Having said that, the gray mortar which I thought would be terrible looks pretty good . . . just a happy accident though!

I will concede that I do like SOME older brick homes. Havent seen much that agrees with me that was built after 1930 or so.

As for Painted White Brick?? Noooo.....!!!!

Love the lion worthy! That nebuchadnezzar II was quite the decorator huh. I guess he would go for Art Decco if he were around today.

You must not like the old Atlanta 1920s Neil Reid/Schutze/Frazier and kin houses - many of them are painted brick (and many of them painted white brick) and they are beautiful! I am not a fan of any sort of brown or tan brick, particularly those that are 10 shades of brown:). . . we are not painting ours white though ;)

Not a fan of classical and not real familiar with their work but I did like what I could find in that style. Couldnt find any painted white brick though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Neil Reid/Schutze/Frazier in ATL

Ah - the Pink Palace ;) That is an Italianate building but these architects designed many of the most famous houses in Atlanta, many in the Regency style, and lots of them are painted brick.

The most famous is probably Windcroft, the mansion of former Coca Cola Chairman Robert Woodruff.

If you drive down West Paces Ferry, Tuxedo Road, Blackland or Peachtree Battle Avenue you will find lots of pretty old painted brick houses - at least I think they are pretty :) Sounds like we don't share the same aesthetic!