Why Does Dallas Love Its Brick Houses So Much? (Portland: live, costs)

[Lakewooder]

In other words, Craftsman Bungalows and Prairie Foursquares. Mine in Junius Heights Historic District has cypress siding covered by cedar shakes. Mine is pretty well - built with the thick lumber (sizes are really 2 x 6 instead of the 1 1/2 x 5 1/2 you get today -- if they don't use '2 X 4s' - and it's old growth wood, not the weak stuff of today).

If you have a badly built brick house on a slab foundation the bricks are a bother. If you have wood it has some give to it...

[momof2dfw]

Why brick?

1. In most cities around the Dallas area ALL buildings be they residential, commercial, retail are REQUIRED to be at least around 75-80% MASONRY! That includes brick. To find a home that is not mostly brick you will have to find an older frame home OR one out on the prarie built by some builder/developer that probably is going bankrupt.

2. Hardiplank. MOST HOA's do not allow vinyl siding (THANK GOD!). Hardiplank is for the most part indestructible BUT the hail storm that came thru about 5 years ago was JAGGED as can be and coming down HARD and it DID put some pings in the hardiplank. A home w/ all siding would NOT be a good thing then.

3. Termites. Umm, had to deal w/ this down at the lakehouse as it WAS 100% wood siding. Wood + warm WET weather + years of not being maintained = termites. Termites don't tend to like to knaw on brick.

4. Hail and high winds. They can do a number on houses made of all wood siding. Brick is MUCH better suited to our climate here in North Texas.

5. Colors of brick. Not all brick is red. I too hate the grey and white bricks. My parents lived in a house w/ light white grey bricks and the only choices of trim color were: Black, grey, white. YUCK!!! The "old Chicago" look bricks are more on the ranch homes from the 80's-90's. Don't like pink either. EWWW! There are a many happy medium colors of bricks that do give one a wide range of options when it comes to trim colors. HOWEVER, purlple, lavendar, pink in any hue/tone, bright blue, lime green, neon colors, etc DO NOT WORK AS TRIM COLORS WITH ANY BRICK COLOR!!!!!

I'm just glad we live in an area where not all homes look alike. That is what bores me when I'm in California and a few other areas. All the homes look alike. YUCK!!!

[MurphyPl1]

Dang, and I was just thinking that for my next house a nice purple brick with lime accents would be the way to go.

[Lakewooder]

No encouragement, please!

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by MurphyPl1

Dang, and I was just thinking that for my next house a nice purple brick with lime accents would be the way to go.

I'll get some pictures for you of some "lovely" homes I see when I take my daughter to school. I LOVED the one that was "highlighter yellow". I guess they had a hard time finding their house.

There was a house in Rowlett that painted the brick BRIGHT YELLOW and the trim an even BRIGHTER yellow. GADS!! It was on a busy corner too. I'm guessing they had a problem w/ people hitting their house.

[Debsi]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

I'm just glad we live in an area where not all homes look alike. That is what bores me when I'm in California and a few other areas. All the homes look alike. YUCK!!!

I agree, but this area is surely not immune. I look at a lot of appraisals, and most of the pictures showing the house/street for the newer builds in Frisco, McKinney, etc look exactly the same! Down to the lone tree in the exact same spot in every front yard.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by Debsi

I agree, but this area is surely not immune. I look at a lot of appraisals, and most of the pictures showing the house/street for the newer builds in Frisco, McKinney, etc look exactly the same! Down to the lone tree in the exact same spot in every front yard.

True. Most of those places are like that. I'm assuming that the people that are looking and buying in those areas the most are used to every home on the block looking the same. Even my own sisters house I have to almost COUNT the houses from the corner to find hers if her car is not in the front drive. They all just blend in w/ each other. YUCK! Each house is exactly 6' from the other (if that much), same tree in the same spot in the postage stamp front yard, driveway on the same side of the house (otherwise you would have a MASSIVE concrete pad in front w/ them being so close to each other), same types and number of shrubs planted in front of the house, etc. blah

[aeh]

I LOVE the look of the painted brick on the older homes. I think that's a Southern thing.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by aeh

I LOVE the look of the painted brick on the older homes. I think that's a Southern thing.

Brick painted white with Black shutters and a red front door. Yep, that is a Southern thang.

[galore]

It's also popular in DFW because it is made locally and rather cheap. I paid only $2000 for 9000 bricks (from Hanson, king-size, 4.8 bricks/sf = 1875sf for a cost of $1.06/sf) a few years ago.