Vinyl Siding in Northeast, and Brick Houses in the South (price, mansion)
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Most newer construction brick is just brick veneer.
Could you please explain this part more. Like, if the brick weren't used as a veneer, would there be many layers of brick? What do they put behind the veneer that serves the functional purpose? Wouldn't even one layer of brick work to protect a house from cold, heat, wind, rain and water?
(I am just curious about how houses are built and wish to learn more)
Last edited by thebruiser500; 07-18-2021 at 12:00 PM..
Vinyl tends to be more popular in winter weather climates for its four-season durability. Older versions of vinyl tend to be the worst, functionally and aesthetically. I've seen newer versions that look quite nice and mimick wood much more effectively. However, I do agree that HardiPlank looks a bit more refined than vinyl, and that is catching on quickly in the Northeast as a vinyl alternative.
Aesthetically, I'm most partial to the texture and color of brick (and stone), but living in New England you also see many quite stunning clapboard homes.
One exterior material I'm glad is dying off is synthetic stucco/EIFS. That seemed to be more common in the Mid-Atlantic, although I believe it's still prominent out West. Just a very tacky-looking finish to it, and not to mention super prone to moisture damage.
Vinyl tends to be more popular in winter weather climates for its four-season durability. Older versions of vinyl tend to be the worst, functionally and aesthetically. I've seen newer versions that look quite nice and mimick wood much more effectively. However, I do agree that HardiPlank looks a bit more refined than vinyl, and that is catching on quickly in the Northeast as a vinyl alternative.
Aesthetically, I'm most partial to the texture and color of brick (and stone), but living in New England you also see many quite stunning clapboard homes.
One exterior material I'm glad is dying off is synthetic stucco/EIFS. That seemed to be more common in the Mid-Atlantic, although I believe it's still prominent out West. Just a very tacky-looking finish to it, and not to mention super prone to moisture damage.
I despise Stucco. My old home in FL was stucco, and it was a new home, cracks up the foundation.. and one moss growth made it look up kept. Very glad Stucco is turning into a thing of the past lol.
I love the homes in VA and NC.. even portions of SC. The masonry homes, or pillar southern homes are stunning.
New England homes seem to be either 50s-70s typical Cape Cod, Splits and Colonials with Vinyl siding, usually the older stuff. So the housing stock in New England tends to look more ... unkept.
Vinyl tends to be more popular in winter weather climates for its four-season durability. Older versions of vinyl tend to be the worst, functionally and aesthetically. I've seen newer versions that look quite nice and mimick wood much more effectively. However, I do agree that HardiPlank looks a bit more refined than vinyl, and that is catching on quickly in the Northeast as a vinyl alternative.
Aesthetically, I'm most partial to the texture and color of brick (and stone), but living in New England you also see many quite stunning clapboard homes.
One exterior material I'm glad is dying off is synthetic stucco/EIFS. That seemed to be more common in the Mid-Atlantic, although I believe it's still prominent out West. Just a very tacky-looking finish to it, and not to mention super prone to moisture damage.
In what way is vinyl more durable than brick for four seasons? It's not like bricks are falling off if it gets too cold.
Actually, I got started reading and thinking about this cause I am looking at buying a house, and my real estate agent warned me that it's done with EIFS. Just how bad is this EIFS moisture problem? How does it happen on EIFS but not on brick or vinyl?
I have been trying to research this but am still not clear on how this works and how bad the problem is. Some people say EIFS is just bad, period. Others say, it's okay, but just has to be installed properly.
I'm still not clear on why brick is so much more popular in TN than MA. Someone said cause clay is cheaper there. But I mean bananas are cheaper in Guatemala than they are here but we still import and have plenty of them here. Even when people can make something locally it's almost always imported from across the country or even another country, nowadays, it's kind of how our economy works. But are bricks and vinyl some type of exception? Or is this really more of a cultural different between MA and the South
Brick is good in the moist SE, while stucco is good in the dry SW.
In my 20 year old neighborhood in Texas, it's been brick or Hardiplank. The usual tract home has brick on the entire front facade (including the second story). A one-story in an upper middle class neighborhood has brick on all sides, otherwise Hardiplank on the 3 sides away from the street.
With two story homes, brick on the front and the Hardiplank on the other 3 sides; upper middle class neighborhood would be all brick on the first floor and only have the Hardiplank on the second story on the back and the sides, unless upgraded to all-brick.
In what way is vinyl more durable than brick for four seasons? It's not like bricks are falling off if it gets too cold.
Actually, I got started reading and thinking about this cause I am looking at buying a house, and my real estate agent warned me that it's done with EIFS. Just how bad is this EIFS moisture problem? How does it happen on EIFS but not on brick or vinyl?
I have been trying to research this but am still not clear on how this works and how bad the problem is. Some people say EIFS is just bad, period. Others say, it's okay, but just has to be installed properly.
I think it's that vinyl is just the least susceptible to moisture. Brick is still pretty darn durable, but my understanding is that the mortar deterioration can be most problematic over time, requiring repointing when things get bad enough (and it's not cheap).
As far as EIFS, I'm not sure why it has that reputation compared to other materials. I do remember that the Philadelphia Inquirer ran a good expose on the major issues with installation/moisture in that area a few years back: https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate...-20181115.html
But the Mid-Atlantic is generally very damp for the vast majority of the year, so the experiences in the Philly area certainly wouldn't be true everywhere. I think stucco installation methods have likely changed considerably as this issue has become much more well-known, so that's another reason to be optimistic if you're looking at a newer home.
Also, for the PNW(western Washington specifically) at least in the 5 different apartments I've lived in here they spray this coating over the sheetrock which gives it a bumpy texture. I've lived up and down the east coast and never seen it anywhere there. Only here. Not sure what it's called and if it serves a specific purpose but it's interesting I've only ever seen it here. Anyone know anything more about this? Only thing I can think of is to prevent mold? But that's just a guess.
Textured finished sheetrock is often a result of cost cutting and/or not having the skilled sheetrockers to finish the walls flat without visible seams.
The textured finishes are usually applied over a level 3 sheetrock install, while levels 4 and 5 require more skill to provide a seamless appearance.
Some might claim that they prefer the look of the textured finish, but I suspect that it's typically what one gets used to that matters the most. Personally, I think that the textured finishes look cheap. They are also very difficult to repair to achieve the look of the original textured finish, and those bad patch jobs just make them look worse.
To the topic at hand, I have a similar opinion about vinyl siding that I do about the textured walls. I think it looks cheap. I prefer brick, cement board, and wood siding, whichever suits the need best. I would never put a vinyl siding on my home.
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