What look were you expecting?

When using white brick, I always used white type S mortar and white sand.

That said, I don't know what mix they used in your case, but if you don't choose the mix properly (especially with the white brick) it will create a significant visual effect on the overall appearance of your home.

Good luck

I love white brick, but -- yeah -- that's too dark. It doesn't play well with the white siding. I'd hope, as someone else said, it's still drying. Ask your builder.

This is a picture of the exact same brick built on a different home . This is what i had in my head - and i thought that typically the mortar is matched with the brick so i didnt even think to ask (Stupid on my part). The pic i posted is the back of the house. The front of my house will have dimensional light grey stone patterned throughout, so again the dark mortar to me didnt make sense- unless this significantly lightens up or something. I dont have any experience with mortar so when i saw this i was obviously shocked. Does mortar tend to look this dark when originally put on??? Also the builder showcases a herringbone type pattern design with the brick on the front exterior so i dont know if he wanted to showcase that because he thought the white would otherwise look too flat!?

if i even ask the builder, can they even change it at this point?

theres been a major cold front with weather being in the negatives, so no further work has been done yet besides the picture i showed you

Regardless the work stopped or not you cannot change the mix at this time.

That said, have you and your builder discussed the color prior?

Most builders and masons know it's like a rule of thumb that the white mortar is used on white brick (light color mortar in worst case scenario) so characteristics of the brick stand out because dark mortar will give that busy appearance and the dark mortar take the appearance away from the brick even if the sunlight hits. When the white or lighter mortar is used on the white or light-colored brick it makes the brick stand out and it gives that bright rich appearance.

By the way is this the back of the house?

That was my exact thought and I have no exceptional knowledge of brick and mortar , i thought it was just common sense. Yes, this is the back of the house, nothing has been done on the front yet. The picture portrays the back porch.

That is what I thought, the good thing is it's in the back, it will not stick out and draw attention, but if you're getting the same brick on the front of the house ask them to use white mortar.

Good luck

thanks for everyone's opinion! i just wanted to make sure i wasn't overthinking it! Im reaching out to them asap

The majority of the homes we've built in our 41-year history are all brick. The master-planned communities in which we build won't typically approve use of a mortar that is close to the color of brick because the result can appear monolithic (a look more typically found in commercial applications.) A contrast between bricks and mortar--like what you have--celebrates the brick.

@charles ross homes - I did reach out to the builder so we'll see what they say. But , even if it ends up being dark mortar on the front exterior, you think it looks fine?

I'm more of a traditional red brick guy, although I do like the look of painted brick (gasp.) A cream color brick isn't my preferred color, but I don't find the overall look of the brick/mortar on your home to be objectionable. If you do, you have the option to paint the brick and mortar.

When were the bricks laid and when did the "major cold front with weather being in the negatives" start? Is there anything in place to protect the brick (mortar) from the cold?

Started the bricks last thursday, cold front came in last saturday and lasted till today. I went out of town for the long weekend, and will be back tomorrow so I don't know if it was protected

I do not think it looks bad BUT the darker mortar draws more of the creaminess of the bricks out which makes it contrast more with the white siding. Not sure if that was the look you were going for. It almost makes the bricked portion look like an addition. What does the front of the house look like?

The front of the house will look exactly like this with the same stone, just with the white brick. The white siding is only apparent in the back of the house and one side of the house.

If the mortar has not cured long enough and the moisture level in the mortar is still high, the freezing of the moisture could inhibit the curing of the mortar, and cause corrosion of the mortar in the future, unless a proper additive was added to the mortar when it was mixed.