Provided the brick ledge is there, it certainly can be done later. For less? I don't know. Is this a custom or semi-custom build or is it more of a tract house? Tract house, the answer is probably yes. Custom or semi-custom--not likely to be done for less later, but that would depend on the type of contract you have.

I would be concerned about a couple things if doing it later. Can you match the brick and mortar? I also wonder how the new section will look against the older section. Sometimes I see old houses that have added brick over the years. It's always obvious to me.

I wouldn't do it later as rrah says - problems with matching.

Is it worth it? That's only a call you can make. Brick is great because it's maintenance free for decades. My cheepo, small (by today's standards) 1950's tract home is brick all the way around. In 60 years, the entire building was tuckpointed once and the chimney (above the roof line) one additional time. That's it. Tuckpointing the entire house cost me $2300 7 years ago. The majority of the homes in the development have never been tuckpointed, going on 70 years. There's plenty of posts in these forums about cost of repainting/staining wood siding, deteriorating cement siding, cracked vinyl siding, etc.

The brick match is a big concern. We're building a garage more than 10 years after the house and the original brick was discontinued...

Would it be as much of a concern if we did it right away (after closing)?

Doing brick is generally pretty expensive and I doubt you would do better than $5k

Would it be as much of a concern if we did it right away (after closing)?

And assuming you can't get the original masons, how much experience do you have in overseeing that kind of work?

Furthermore, as noted above, brick styles aren't permanent. In fact, even bricks from different runs may noticeably differ.

Is the brick going to be on all four sides of the house, from ground to eave like it is shown on the front of the house?

Is it something you want in the long-run? Can you afford to do it now? If yes and yes then I’d go for it - even if it isn’t the absolute best deal, it’s probably worth it to avoid the trouble later, as well as the potential that you won’t be able to get a good match later.

if you can’t comfortably afford it now, skip it and explore options when you can.

are you not sure if you want it long-run? Get more advice from the experts here :-).

I just wonder, what is the purpose of the railing/balcony? Maybe they forgot to place a door instead of a window? I suggest you to get rid of it; it's absurd.

If the entire house is not bricked, then brick the garage like the rendering shows.

If only the front is bricked, I'd even forgo it on the front because then it looks pasted on.

@Mark Bischak, Architect

Do you mean keep it vinyl as shown in the render?

What ever is on the sides and back of your house should be above the brick on the garage. That way the mix of materials will look more like it was planned rather than, "I don't want to spend the money to brick the whole structure".

Using rabbeted trim boards can eliminate most, if not all, J-channel. To me the J-channel screams VINYL SIDING.

I'm with you, Mark. I always feel a bit cheated when I see the front of a beautiful brick home, then discover siding on the sides and back. It very much seems like they did one side and ran out of money.

In this case, the siding on the garage (as shown) keeps it honest.

It's OK like it is in the photo. I lived in a nice neighborhood with homes with brick fronts and vinyl sides. Not all of us can demand purity at all times.

Imo when it comes time to sell, you will not "get paid" for the extra $5000 spent.

Even $2M-$3M plus houses in my community don't maintain full masonry on all sides of the house.

I’m this area (Southwest Tennessee) even the least expensive homes will have brick on all exterior walls (at least on the first level). A house at any price with brick only on the front and siding everywhere else looks cheap and unfinished to me. Some mid to high priced homes will have siding on the second story on the back and sides, but even that gives me the impression that the builder was just cutting costs.

"Even $2M-$3M plus houses in my community don't maintain full masonry on all sides of the house."

That doesn't mean it is correct. I completely agree with Mark, Ann & Virgil.

It's a shame they didn't have you to consult with before building.

Around here, I haven't seen any tract developments use brick all around. Even the Toll development that is close by does not offer it.

https://www.tollbrothers.com/luxury-homes-for-sale/New-Jersey/Reserve-at-Holmdel#quickdeliveryhome

That's because Toll Brothers will cut corners however they can.

Even $2M-$3M plus houses in my community don't maintain full masonry on all sides of the house

If I were spending that much on a home, you can bet that I'd make sure that if I had brick or stone on the front, it would continue around the rest of the house.

Heck my house isn't that much and I have stone on the lower part of my house and yes, it's continuing around all sides of the house including the side that no one but the dog and me will ever see!

It's the same reason I went with simulated divided lights on my windows. It looks more authentic.

Yes, make it all hardi or whatever all the way around if you can't do brick all the way around. It seems like in my area (SE) even the tract home builders don't do the full brick front/siding other walls deception any longer. The tract homes will have various patches of stone or brick or shingles, then use the vinyl or hardi for the bulk of it. More of an intentional look vs a "ran out of $" look. Lol!

Often the masonry in front is a requirement of the HOA's architectural guidelines.

What millworkman said. Just because builders do something and it's copied by other builders doesn't make it desirable or right. It's just cheap.

Jeez, people, be nice! Calling someone's dream home "cheap" is rude. We don't have to express every single thought that pops into our head.

einportlandor is right: putting only brick veneer on one façade and then finishing the other facades with the least expensive finish materials isn't "cheap". It's inexpensive. For the builder.

No wonder I'm getting an eye op! I didn't notice that this was brick front only. In that case, no way would I brick the rest of the garage.

The house would have looked much more honest and consistent with a masonry/siding combo as per the garage. But you work with what's offered. And not everyone is crazy enough to build a custom house!

******

High-end homes in the Toronto GTA virtually never use other than stone, brick and EIF veneers.

looks great without the brick. If you really want it.... do it later, and save. And if it is just to be on the front... that's what it will look like. Front view, not real.

When I moved out of the South, these weird brick front facades were the tackiest thing I'd ever seen. I couldn't make myself buy a house like that.

I think there are some exceptions to the brick front rule like Minimal Traditional and modest midcentury Colonial Revival development houses which can also get away with shutters on the wrong windows but these houses are old enough to have a historical context.

Are there other ways to meet the brick requirements assuming there is one? Can you leave off the quoins?

When I moved out of the South, these weird brick front facades were the
tackiest thing I'd ever seen. I couldn't make myself buy a house like
that.

It's spreading, even around here, lol. ;-)

I moved from Arizona to Texas, and was shocked to find newer-built homes with faux facades. In Phoenix, there were lots of 100% stucco (new builds) or 100% painted concrete block (older homes). Here in central TX, I see more of a mix, but still pretty awful regarding the brick or stone placement.

Heck, in my previous rental's neighborhood, they put siding on the *front,* wrapped it around the side by 2-'3', then pasted stone on the sides (???), with siding on the back. And don't forget the faux windows with faux "closed" shutters on the front. Egads.

In my new neighborhood, it's popular to have stone on the front with contrasting brick accents, wrap the stone 8'-10', brick the rest of the side, and put siding across the back. There are also lots of homes with stone, brick, and siding on the front, brick and siding on the sides (different color siding for the sides that is not on the front), and siding on the back.

It leaves you going, "What the ---- ?" Ironically, the standard/cheapest elevation (the one my husband and I chose) was brick on 3 sides, and we paid $3500 to brick the back of a one story house. The HOA technically requires a minimum of 75% masonry, so apparently the builders do 3 sides of a 4 sided house and call it a day, lol.

Went to the local home center to see and touch various siding options (vinyl, cement, smartside, etc.). In the vinyl siding section they had injection molded siding that is supposed to look like brick and stone. Now that just takes the cake although I suppose if non-wood siding can have fake grain pattern stamped into it, why not non-brick siding that is molded as several courses of brick.

I agree with all those above are saying, but just to be contrary, I will remind folks that in many New England seacoast towns, the Sea Captains "gussied up" the front of their houses by painting them white, but left the sides and back in the natural cedar shake shingles. Keeping wood painted near the sea is a never-ending task, so they did it "just for show" on the front only.

Guess some things never change.

Could you do all brick on the first story, at least the front and sides, and clapboard on the second story?

I like the brick garage!

The thing about doing it now instead of later is that the price can be rolled into the mortgage. If you do it later it would either be out of pocket or you would have to take another loan to do so.

This amounts to roughly $25 a month on your mortgage.

https://imgur.com/a/HBKp0

The shadow lines on the vinyl siding says, "Upgrade to brick".

I would do brick.

Brick, if you can. :-) But I loooooove brick!

Brick because right now the first thing you see is the vinyl and not the rest of the house.