Why you Should Choose Masonry for the Exterior of your Home

Choosing what to clad the exterior of your home with can be a difficult decision to make. Exterior cladding ultimately affects the character, quality and curb appeal of your home in a big way as it gives the first impression. Choosing masonry is one of the most popular choices of cladding/veneer to protect your investment from the elements and gives your home distinctive charm for decades maintenance free. 

Adds Value to Your Home

Due to the increasing costs of labour and materials, the usage of masonry for exterior cladding is becoming less and less utilized on newer subdivision builds. Masonry is now more commonly used as an accent wall or skirt around the front and sides of a home. These simple accent pieces provide a sense of personality for a home and can help break up the homogenised appearance of many popular siding products. Masonry delivers a visual quality that is just completely unmatched by even the best siding materials. Generally speaking, the more masonry on a home, the more the value of the home goes up because buyers respect and appreciate these attributes. 

Durability-Low Maintenance

Even UV resistant vinyl will eventually start to crack and fade well before the 50 year mark. Wood suffers from similar issues, potential rot or ant damage and requires frequent staining depending on your climate and the quality of stain. Brick however can have a life expectancy north of 100 years if constructed properly and repointed where necessary (typically in the most common saturation zones like entryways, chimneys, below window sills). You don’t have to look hard in Ottawa to find brick homes pushing well over 100 years of age looking just as good as they did when first built. Just last week I repointed a limestone foundation that was over 120 years old. The stones were in perfect condition, and structurally sound. All that was needed was minor repointing. 

Masonry can be compared to wine in many ways. Taking in the styles of brick, decorative bonds and arches masons used back in the day, it's like staring into the past at a well preserved time capsule.  As it ages, it develops a natural patina that offers a timeless aesthetic near impossible to replicate. Brickwork done right is visually timeless. The classic “red brick farmhouse” or the upper canada heritage brick jack arches commonly found in the Glebe area of Ottawa are still a visually desirable exterior finish that has had very little repair done to it over the years aside from minor repointing and the occasional window sill replacement. 

Fire Resistance

Brick, block and stone are all trustworthy materials for fire resistance helping protect your exterior from the effects of a fire in close proximity for a longer duration of time when compared to other siding materials. The thicker your masonry wall, the better your fire resistance rating will be. 

Versatility

With new manufactured products coming out every year, there are countless options for cladding the exterior of your home. Brick and stones are readily available in a variety of shapes, sizes, colours and bonding patterns to suit the vision of the designer or home owner. Add in archwork or decorative details and you can create an incredibly unique look for your home. Most other siding products you are limited to just colour selection. 

Protection from the Elements

Most modern brick and stone cladding are installed in a composite wall system meaning the house’s walls are constructed using stick frame lumber sheathed with OSB and then there is a 1 inch air space before the masonry work begins. This air space serves a critical purpose. Any moisture or water penetration that makes it through the cladding wicks down this airspace and exits through weep holes in the bottom of the masonry keeping your home's framing dry and protected. Masonry is also a highly breathable product allowing for any moisture in the cladding to evaporate off. 

This one inch space also acts as an insulating barrier between your home and the outdoors. It allows for more stable temperatures to be maintained in the home because the brickwork deflects the winds while maintaining this stable air space behind it.

Final Thoughts

While it can be labour intensive and more initial cost, choosing masonry for the exterior of your home is one of the best decisions you can make. If you are looking for a brick, stone or blockwork to be installed on the exterior of your home, please feel free to reach out to Kavanagh Masonry on our request a quote page. Kavanagh Masonry is owned and operated by a licensed red seal brick and stone mason. For more information on our masonry services, check out our services page.