Highlights
Building a brick house costs an average of $282,000.
The total cost depends on materials, labor, and home size.
Factor in brick siding, which runs between $10,000–$75,000.
Dreaming of your storybook-perfect brick home? We don’t blame you—brick is durable, relatively low-maintenance, and downright charming. For these reasons, it’s a consistently popular home building material. Brick homes can also be a worthwhile investment, but you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of pricing to ensure that this is the right choice, budget-wise. The average cost to build a house is $282,000; however, you’ll also need to factor in brick siding.
If you’re in the early planning stages of building a home and wondering how much it costs to brick a house, you’ve come to the right place.
How Much Does It Cost to Install Exterior Brick Siding per Square Foot?
| Minimum Cost of Brick Siding | National Average Cost of Brick Siding | Maximum Cost of Brick Siding |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | $20,000 | $75,000 |
*This figure is based on a 2,500-square-foot house.
Installing brick siding costs about $15 per square foot with an average range of $9 to $28 per square foot for materials and labor. For a 2,500-square-foot home, the average project cost is between $10,000 and $75,000, which runs higher than the cost of other common siding materials like vinyl, aluminum, or fiber cement. Most homeowners spend about $20,000 in total for a whole-house brick exterior.
Brick House Building Cost Breakdown
House construction costs are typically separated into primary areas of materials, professional labor and installation, and permit costs.
Materials
Standard building materials make up about 50% of your home construction cost and include land and site work, foundation, framing, exterior work, major systems, and interior finishes. The quality of the materials you choose makes a significant difference.
Brick siding typically runs about 15% to 20% of the total project cost. Average material costs for a brick exterior include:
Face brick siding: $4–$8 per square foot
Thin brick veneer strips (real brick): $3–$10 per square foot
Faux brick veneer (manufactured stone strips): $4–$10 per square foot
Faux brick panel siding (polyurethane or epoxy): $6–$10 per square foot
Mortar and supplies: $0.40–$0.50 per square foot
Labor
The professionals who build your house represent the other major portion of your project costs, according to HomeAdvisor. Licensed professionals that make up these labor costs include (but aren’t limited to):
Builders and carpenters
Electricians
Plumbers
HVAC installers
Exterior siding and roofing pros
Drywall and flooring installers
A professional bricklayer—the pro you’ll need to achieve a sound brick exterior—typically charges between $50 to $100 an hour. Some projects are more complex than others (e.g., multiple stories, odd angles, etc.), in which case, you can expect the labor cost to go up. Other factors such as the cost of living and demand in your area will also have a significant impact on the total labor cost.
Permits
Major structural projects—like home construction—require approval by your municipal building department, as well as a permit to build. Building permits cost around $1,200 to $2,000.
What Factors Influence the Cost to Build a Brick House?
Size and Shape of Home
The higher the square footage of your house, the more it will cost to brick the exterior. Perhaps less obviously, though, the shape of your home also impacts the total cost. The more odd angles and corners there are on the exterior, the more materials and labor will be needed to complete the project.
Face Brick Siding vs. Brick Veneer
Face brick siding is composed of a layer of actual brick (also called a Wythe), whereas brick veneers are thinner and made of either real brick or manufactured stone. In terms of how much brick veneer and brick siding cost, this depends on the materials’ thickness and whether you opt for real or faux brick.
Tips to Reduce Costs While Building a Brick House
Opting for a DIY solution whenever possible will always save you money, provided that you know what you’re doing. (Otherwise, hire a professional siding contractor near you to get the job done.) If you’re particularly handy, here are a couple of tried-and-true ways to reduce costs while building a brick house.
Source Your Own Materials
If you can source your own brick via online marketplaces and social media, you could stand to save some serious cash. You could also offer to purchase the brick siding directly from the supplier rather than leaving this up to the subcontractor.
Take Care of the Finishing Touches
Tell your general contractor upfront that you’d like to take care of your own finishing work. This could involve tackling anything from landscaping to interior painting—whatever you feel comfortable doing.
FAQs
Does it cost more to build a house with brick or wood?
Wood is generally more affordable than brick and costs $2 to $5 per square foot, whereas brick siding costs an average of $15 per square foot.
How much does a custom-built brick house cost?
Custom-built brick homes can reach up to $500 or more per square foot. These types of homes have more unique design considerations, high-end materials, and perhaps, even greater square footage than a standard build.
