Here's a picture of a house with this brick.

And finally, the style of house we're building. The major difference in our house and this one is that we'll have three same size dormers.

Ok, the mortar doesn't look nearly as white in these pictures as it did in real life.

your house will be lovely.

i like the brick, but the mortar is too sharp of a contrast for my taste.

who makes this brick?

The brick is Carolina Ceramics - Valencia. I think you're right. I want some contrast but not this much.

there is a house down the street from our new house and their brick is very red while their mortar is very white. it looks like a toy house. it's more extreme than the one you posted above, but every time i pass it i think the house looks pre-fab or something. then again, the homeowner tried hard to convince us to do white mortar like he has. i'm pretty sure he hates our brick and mortar. to each their own i guess. :)

The mortar is going to be key to getting the right look and I'm having a very tough time figuring that part out. Everyone has either done a buff mortar or the savannah white (shown in this pic). The buff just makes all of the bricks blend together and you don't see any of the definition. I also think the mortar joint technique will make a difference but I haven't gotten to that point yet. I keep wondering if a lighter color brick would be better. I love mydreamhomes brick but dh doesn't want it to be that light. I've been looking at more brownish bricks too. Oh, my head hurts from thinking about it.

there are options between buff and white. i'd see if you can get ahold of one of those mortar sample kits and put the strips on the brick to see what you think.

and, there is brick that's lighter, but not by much.

part of the starkness of that house is the black shutters. will you have black shutters? the house will look softer without them.

I've seen the sample mortar kits. I think I just need to have a sample panel done. Very few houses (like only 1) have been done with a mortar color between white and buff. Yes, my trim and shutters will be very similar. I am going to do a soft white trim (so not stark white) and my black with be a mix of Charleston green and black. It will look black but will be a "softer" black because of the added green.

The only mistake you can make is to make the mortar color too white. You want to feature the brick, not the mortar. Mortar often looks lighter in color than it really is due to the contrast so never chose a color without the brick next to it and make a sample panel to be sure.

Here is what was built at Bowdoin College in the early 1800's:

Massachusetts hall 1802

This is a newer building

This is my husband's office, and I don't remember the brick or mortar color off the top of my head. Since the shape is similar to your home, I thought you might like to see it. This brick does have some variation in color that yours does not have, which makes it blend with the mortar a little better. However, from a distance, it looks fairly monochromatic. I will post a closer-up pic on the next post. For reference, the front door is black with some green like your shutters. If you are interested in the brick or mortar colors, just send me an email. I think your house is going to be beautiful! I love the traditional look and we are just about to start our home build, too. It looks like we may be building at the same time. I can't wait to watch your progress!

This is it closer.

momto3kiddos, that gives me a good picture of what the house will look like. That is very pretty brick. We looked at some sandfaced brick today. Still not sure. :(

Agree with Renovator8 on the mortar color. The brick is beautiful, but the mortar will have a great impact on the appearance of the final product.

lexmom--the thing that helped us the most was going to the different brick yards, selecting a few samples we liked and then asked for a list of houses in the area that used those particular bricks. You'll get a list of addresses to view. Typically, the list also indicated what mortar was combined with the brick. Then you go down the list and view the exterior of the homes. This is a great way to see the brick in a to-scale element to what you will be building. (A small sample can look great but then look awful when you're faced with a huge wall of it). You can also see how the different mortar colors affect the look of the brick. If you're wanting the brick to have an older weathered appearance, look for oversized tumbled brick.

Hope this helps!