Brick Homes?

[MaikeerinWA]

By wood, are you referring to framing, or the siding? As someone else mentioned, the fiber cement stuff, Hardie Plank, seems to be the most common siding for new construction, at least from what I've seen in western Washington.

Originally Posted by jennsnoopy

Does anyone know the reason why it doesn't seem like there are a lot of brick homes in western Washington? It seems like everything is made with just wood and I was wondering about mold. It seems brick or stone would be better. I was just curious as to the reason. Is it just too expensive? Or are there problems w/ brick/stone as well.
Thanks.

[jennsnoopy]

Oh I thought the outer structures were woodend planks, not fiber cement. Thanks everyone. This forum is always so informative.

[Ira500]

For whatever reason, the Beacon Hill neighborhood in Seattle has a lot of older brick homes.

[StealthRabbit]

The lack of brick is largely due to lower cost / less availability / less labor.

Go for a brick / stone house with generous overhang, to keep water off (I use 3' on my homes).
Get a tile or metal roof while you are at it (Definitely don't get a wood shake roof in PNW) moss, mold, bugs, water saturation, and fire potential.

[rkcarguy]

Brick is more expensive, often not covered by insurance, and is liable to crack when we have a quake. Luckily our active faults in the area move regularily instead of months of nothing and "pop" but you never know....
Fiber cement siding is the new stuff to have, our wet weather really eats up anything that is not protected.

[yukiko11]

Earthquake damage is the main reason. Brick and Stone buildings are not made to be shaken. Also, we are surrounded by trees, so wood would be the first choice to build with.
That being said, I have noticed that a lot of people are starting to add brick and wood trim to their houses. A lot of it is manufactured because it is lighter, less expensive and less likely to fall off in an earthquake.