How Much Does It Cost to Build a Brick House? [2024 Data]
Normal range: $200,000 - $400,000
Building a brick house costs an average of $302,000. Depending on the size, style, and location of the house, homeowners could spend anywhere from $200,000 to $400,000 when constructing a brick home.
The average cost to build a brick house is $302,000. While that’s expensive, it’s still a popular option because brick is durable, relatively low-maintenance, and downright charming. 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.
- Average
- $302,000
- Low end
- $150,000
- high end
- $500,000
How Much Does It Cost to Install Exterior Brick Siding per Square Foot?
Installing brick siding costs about $20 per square foot with an average range of $7 to $33 per square foot for materials and labor. For a 2,500-square-foot home, the average project cost is between $10,000 and $55,000, 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.
When you’re building new construction, it’s common to frame out the structure and then add brick as the siding. Your total will be a little higher if you’re retroactively adding brick siding to an existing home, as your cost will include removing the old siding.
Brick House Building Cost Breakdown
House construction costs are typically divided into three primary categories: materials, professional labor and installation, and permit costs.
Materials
Standard building materials make up about 50% of your home construction cost and should total around $140,000. These material costs include land and site work, foundation materials, framing, exterior work, major systems, and interior finishes, including flooring, light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, and trim. The quality of the materials you choose makes a significant difference.
Brick siding typically runs about 2.5% to 5% of the total project cost. Average masonry 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–$11 per square foot
Mortar and supplies: $0.40–$0.50 per square foot
On average, you’ll pay around $10,000 for the brick siding materials alone, but that could range from $5,000 to around $40,000, depending on the size of your home and the type of brick siding you want.
Labor
When you’re building a brick house, the labor for all professionals involved will usually total around $140,000. Around $10,000 of that, on average, will go toward the labor just for the brick siding installation. The siding installation labor costs should fall between $5,000 and $35,000. Other 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 between $1,200 and $2,000 for whole home construction, in most cases.
Pro Tip: Beyond the cost of building a brick house, make sure you’re budgeting for ongoing brick house maintenance, including inspections, cleaning, sealing, and repointing the mortar.
What Factors Influence the Cost to Build a Brick House?
The price range for building a brick house is between $200,000 and $400,000 in most cases, with the average sitting around $282,000. The range is so large because there are many factors that affect your total.
Size and Shape of Home
Since home construction and brick siding installation costs are based on square footage for materials and labor, the higher the square footage of your house, the more it will cost to build and brick the exterior. Perhaps less obviously, though, the shape of your home also affects 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.
Height of the Home
The height of your property is another factor that can affect your construction and brick siding price. Single-story homes may not require much in the way of scaffolding and safety equipment to build and install brick, but two-story and three-story homes absolutely will.
The higher your home is, the more work your builders will have to do and the more safety precautions they’ll need to take. That adds to the construction time, which will drive up your labor costs even if the square footage of the structure is similar.
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.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro to Build a Brick House
Building a brick house from scratch is not a DIY project. Building a house of any type requires a wide range of disciplines, from architects and structural engineers to carpenters, plumbers, and electricians. Brick houses, in particular, will also require reputable masonry contractors near you.
Hoping to build your brick dream house? Here’s who to hire to build a house the right way, including a local house builder who will oversee the entire project.
Even if you’re simply replacing your existing siding with brick siding, we recommend working with a brick siding contractor near you. Installing brick siding is labor-intensive and time-consuming work, and incorrect installation can lead to a host of problems, from water damage to pests to higher utility bills because of energy loss.
Frequently Asked Questions
It costs more to build a brick house, largely because brick houses usually still include wood framing. The brick on most new brick houses is non-structural, so the builder will simply install brick siding over a framed home. Wood and traditional siding are generally more affordable than brick and cost $2 to $5 per square foot, whereas brick siding costs an average of $20 per square foot.
The average cost of a custom brick house is around $300,000, which is about $20,000 more than a standard home with vinyl siding. The builder will frame out the home as normal and then install brick siding on the outside rather than vinyl. Since brick is more expensive than vinyl, the total for a custom-built brick home will be between $10,000 and $75,000 higher than you’d pay for a home with vinyl siding.
The average timeline to build a brick house is between seven and 12 months, which is also the average time to build a standard home. Building a brick house shouldn’t take any longer than building a framed home with vinyl siding, as a mason will lay exterior brick around the frame while contractors work on the interior. Keep in mind, though, that weather, material, and pro availability will affect your timeline.