Brick homes have stood the test of time as durable, attractive exterior options for homes, businesses and other buildings. The Triangle area has a lot of brick structures, from historic homes like Ayr Mount in Hillsborough to new construction like the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham.
A new player on the home building material scene is threatening to unseat this traditional material, though. It provides many of the same benefits, and new benefits at a more affordable price. Here are just a few reasons people are choosing fiber cement siding over brick.
Brick is a supremely durable material and fiber cement, which is made of sand, cement, and cellulose, provides a similar level of strength. Unlike brick, fiber cement siding will usually come with a 50 year warranty that brick lacks. Besides strength, both are very insulative against sound and weather when compared to lighter sidings like aluminum and vinyl.
Fiber cement, like James Hardie siding, is far more versatile when it comes to style. Brick may have some variability in color, but it is majority red or painted brick. Fiber cement can be made in virtually any color, giving the homeowner many possibilities on the lighter end of the color palette. There are also different textures and shapes that are meant to mimic various types of wood siding which you cannot achieve with brick.
While brick does last a long time, what they often fail to mention is that the mortar between the bricks does not last nearly as long. The mortar joints can crumble from weather-wear or just from age and will require upkeep over the years. This process is called “repointing” and it can very quickly become an expensive process to complete.
It comes as no surprise–bricks are heavy building materials. The unwieldy nature of brick makes installation a time-consuming and expensive process for the builder and for the consumer, too. It can take quite a long time to put up a full wall or facade brick-by-brick.
Fiber cement, on the other hand, is as easy to install as wood siding and nowhere near as heavy as brick. The cost savings in manual labor are then passed down to the consumer without losing any quality or any of the benefits of fiber cement siding.
Both brick and fiber cement are durable, attractive options for homeowners in the Triangle. But, there are some real advantages that fiber cement sidings have over brick. Robert Gordon Services installs fiber cement siding, specifically James Hardie products, and encourages Triangle area home and business owners to choose fiber cement as a “best of all worlds” siding solution.
Give Robert Gordon Services a call at 919-250-8038 to have fiber cement installed in the greater Triangle area, including Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, and Morrisville.