When you decide on building brick houses, you’re not just choosing a building material. You're making a commitment to something timeless, a structure built on enduring strength and quality. A brick home offers incredible protection from the elements, asks for very little maintenance, and has a classic beauty that only gets better with age. For a home designed to last for centuries, the skill of the person laying the bricks is every bit as crucial as the quality of the bricks themselves.

Why a Brick Home is a Legacy Investment

Opting for brick is about more than just what’s on the outside of your house; it’s a deliberate choice to create a lasting legacy. With over 21 years of proven results, our team at South Eastern General Contractors has seen exactly why this classic material remains the gold standard for homeowners who won't settle for less. Whether it's a custom family home in Fayetteville or a sprawling property in Lumberton, the appeal of brick is rooted in real, long-term advantages.

As a Native American-owned, 8(a), and HUBZone certified firm, our entire approach is built on client trust and quality—the very same principles that make brick such a highly respected material. We’re in the business of building legacies that stand the test of time, not just structures.

The Unmatched Durability of Brick

Brick is one of the few materials that can truly handle North Carolina’s weather, year after year, without looking worn out. Forget about vinyl that can warp in the summer heat or fiber cement that might crack under pressure. Brick stands firm against intense sun, driving rain, and punishing winds.

That inherent strength gives you a sense of security that other sidings just can't deliver. It’s a resilience that directly translates to peace of mind and, just as importantly, much lower maintenance costs over the lifetime of your home.

"A properly constructed brick home is one of the most durable structures you can build, with a lifespan measured in centuries, not decades. This is why choosing an experienced, reputable builder is the most important decision you'll make." – SEGC Expert Insight

More Than Just a Pretty Façade

The real beauty of building brick houses goes much deeper than their handsome exteriors. The actionable advantages are baked right into the material, offering you a real return on your investment from the day you move in.

• Natural Fire Resistance: Brick is non-combustible. It doesn't burn. This simple fact not only adds a critical layer of protection for your family but can also lead to lower homeowners insurance premiums. That's a financial win that pays off every single year.
• Timeless Aesthetic: Home design trends are always changing, but the classic, handsome look of brick is forever. A brick home has a curb appeal that never goes out of style, which helps secure its value and desirability for generations to come.
• Proven Performance: For centuries, brick has been the go-to material for our most important buildings. Its track record is undeniable, offering a level of dependability that newer, composite materials are still trying to prove.

In this guide, we’ll share actionable insights pulled from our decades of local experience. We’ll walk you through the entire process of building brick houses, from the first planning stages and material choices to the detailed craftsmanship that turns a blueprint into a forever home. Our aim is to empower you with the knowledge to build a home that is a true testament to quality and endurance. Let's start building your legacy.

Planning Your Brick Home for Lasting Success

Before the first shovel ever hits the dirt, the real work of building a great brick home begins. This is the planning phase—where your vision starts to take shape and where we make the critical decisions that define your home's strength, beauty, and longevity. It’s where experience truly counts.

As a Native American-owned, 8(a), and HUBZone certified firm, we bring a builder's eye to this process from day one. For over 21 years, we’ve walked alongside families in Fayetteville and Lumberton, helping them turn dreams into solid, lasting legacies. And it all starts with a rock-solid plan.

Laying the Groundwork: Site and Foundation

Choosing the right piece of land is about so much more than a pretty view. An actionable insight is to understand the ground you're building on. A brick home is a heavyweight, far more substantial than a typical wood-framed house, and that weight demands a foundation engineered for serious, unwavering support.

That's why a geotechnical analysis of your site isn't just a good idea; it's essential. This soil test tells us exactly what we're working with—the ground's composition and how much weight it can bear. That information dictates the design of the footings and foundation.

We recently built a custom home just outside Fayetteville where this very step proved crucial. The analysis revealed softer-than-expected soil, so we engineered a wider, reinforced concrete foundation to eliminate any chance of future settling. It's a non-negotiable step for a home built to last a century or more.

At SEGC, we believe in building legacies, not just structures. That means every detail, from soil analysis to the final mortar joint, is executed with long-term stability and client trust as our guiding principles.

Navigating Codes and Crafting a Realistic Budget

Every town and county has its own rulebook. In communities like Lumberton, those building codes are there for a reason—to ensure safety and structural integrity, especially when it comes to things like wind resistance. Navigating this administrative landscape can feel overwhelming, but it’s a process we handle for our clients every day. An experienced local builder knows these requirements inside and out, which means a smooth approval process without frustrating delays.

Beyond the permits, a transparent and complete budget is your most powerful tool. When you're planning for a brick home, you have to look past the initial price tag on the materials.

• Material Costs: This isn't just the bricks. It’s the mortar, sand, specialized ties, and flashing.
• Labor: Bricklaying is a true craft. Your budget must account for the skilled masons who will do the job right.
• Engineering: This covers the architectural and structural plans specifically designed to support the immense weight of brick.
• Long-Term Savings: This is where brick shines. Think about the savings from never having to paint, lower energy bills thanks to brick’s thermal mass, and even potential discounts on homeowners insurance.

When you look at the total cost of ownership, brick's true value becomes clear. This forward-thinking approach is gaining traction; the global bricks market is valued at around USD 1.74 trillion and is projected to climb to USD 2.36 trillion by 2034. With North America making up 39% of this market, it's clear that resilient, energy-efficient building is a top priority.

The Value of an Early Partnership

One of the smartest decisions you can make is to bring your builder on board from the very beginning. An early partnership allows us to work directly with your architect, ensuring the design is not only beautiful but also practical and efficient to construct. We can spot potential challenges, suggest value-driven solutions, and help you sidestep the common pitfalls that can sink a budget.

This collaborative approach is the best way to prevent the kind of expensive missteps that derail a project. For a closer look at this, you can learn more about the common mistakes people make when building a custom home and how to avoid them with the right planning.

Building a brick house is a major undertaking, but with a thoughtful plan and the right team, it's one of the most rewarding investments you'll ever make. This initial phase sets the stage for a smooth build and a home that embodies strength, security, and timeless elegance—a true family legacy.

Choosing the Right Brick for Your Home

Picking out the brick for your home is one of those defining moments in the building process. This decision goes way beyond just color—it sets the entire architectural tone for your house and plays a huge role in its long-term durability. The right brick becomes your home's signature, a choice that will stand for generations.

At South Eastern General Contractors, we walk our clients through this selection process with the same care and expertise we bring to every other part of the build. With over 21 years of experience building legacies in communities like Fayetteville and Lumberton, we’ve seen firsthand how crucial the right materials are. As a Native American-owned, 8(a), and HUBZone certified firm, our commitment to quality is woven into everything we do, starting with helping you find the perfect brick.

Understanding Your Brick Options

When you picture a classic, timeless home, chances are you’re thinking of clay brick. There's a good reason for that—it's the gold standard. Clay bricks deliver an unbeatable mix of beauty, strength, and longevity.

The demand for these materials tells the whole story. The global market is projected to climb from USD 72.8 billion to USD 94.5 billion by 2032. You can dig into the full market research on clay brick's enduring appeal to see why it remains a top choice for builders who care about quality.

While there are many kinds of brick, residential construction typically comes down to two main types, based on how they're made:

• Extruded Bricks (Wire-Cut): These are the most common and generally more budget-friendly. Clay gets pushed through a die to form a long column, which is then sliced into individual bricks by wires. The result? Sharp, clean edges and a consistent, uniform look.
• Molded Bricks: This is a more traditional approach where clay is pressed into individual molds, either by hand or machine. This creates a brick with a softer texture, more irregular shape, and unique character markings that give it a rustic, time-worn feel.

The best choice really boils down to the architectural style you're going for. A modern farmhouse might look fantastic with the clean lines of an extruded brick, whereas a Colonial or Tudor-style home is often perfectly matched by the charming imperfections of molded brick.

To help you visualize the differences, here’s a quick breakdown of the most common brick types you’ll encounter.

Comparison of Common Brick Types for Residential Homes

Making a choice from a table is one thing, but seeing it in person is another. The interplay between brick, texture, and mortar is where the real magic happens.

Color, Texture, and Mortar: The Artistic Trio

The brick itself is just one piece of the puzzle. Its look can be completely transformed by its surface texture and, just as crucially, by the color of the mortar you choose. A smooth, red brick set with dark grey mortar creates a bold, contemporary vibe. That very same brick, paired with a buff or white mortar, will feel much softer and more traditional.

We had a project in Lumberton recently where the clients were stuck between two beautiful bricks. To help them decide, we built small sample panels right there on their property, showing each brick with three different mortar colors. Seeing the combinations in natural daylight made the decision easy and obvious.

This is the kind of hands-on guidance that builds real trust. We believe in showing, not just telling. A small sample panel can prevent a major aesthetic regret down the line, ensuring the home you envisioned is the home we deliver.

This is a step we recommend for everyone building a brick house. Don’t just rely on tiny samples you see in a showroom. Here's an actionable insight: ask your builder to create mock-ups so you can see how the materials work together in the specific light and environment of your lot.

The Financial Side of Building With Brick

While the beauty and durability of brick speak for themselves, it’s important to understand the investment. Choosing brick is a long-term value decision. The image below gives you a solid idea of a typical cost breakdown for building a brick home, showing exactly where your money goes.

As you can see, quality materials and skilled labor are the biggest parts of the budget. This really highlights why it’s so important to choose great products and hire experienced craftsmen. That initial investment pays you back for decades through lower maintenance costs, better energy efficiency, and genuine peace of mind.

Ultimately, picking your brick is one of the most exciting parts of the custom home journey. It’s when your home’s personality really starts to take shape. By understanding the types, seeing how color and texture play together, and working with an experienced team, you can make a choice you’ll love for a lifetime. This is how you start building a legacy, not just a structure.

Mastering Essential Bricklaying Techniques

This is where the real soul of a brick home comes to life. Bricklaying is so much more than just stacking rectangles—it’s an age-old craft. It’s where precision, skill, and a whole lot of patience come together to create a wall that's not only strong but beautiful. These techniques are what separate a standard house from a true legacy structure.

At South Eastern General Contractors, our masons are artisans. With over 21 years of proven results building brick houses in communities like Fayetteville and Lumberton, we’ve seen firsthand how exceptional craftsmanship makes all the difference. As a Native American-owned, 8(a), and HUBZone certified firm, our promise of quality isn't just a talking point—it's laid into every single course of brick.

Establishing a Flawless Foundation

Everything begins with that first row of bricks. Before we even think about laying one, our team establishes string lines that are perfectly level and square. This single line becomes the unwavering guide for the entire wall. Get this first course wrong, even by a fraction of an inch, and the error will just get bigger with every layer, leading to problems you can't easily fix later on.

To keep things consistent from the ground up, we rely on a story pole. Think of it as a custom-made measuring stick, marked with the exact height of each course of brick plus its mortar joint. It completely removes the guesswork and ensures every row is uniform all the way around the house. This level of preparation is a non-negotiable for a professional job.

The Art of Mortar and Buttering

The mortar is the glue holding it all together, so getting it right is critical. The process of applying mortar to a brick is called "buttering," and it’s a real art form. A skilled mason knows how to apply just the right amount to the end of the brick (the "head joint") before setting it into the mortar bed.

Too little mortar, and you get weak spots and gaps. Too much, and you have messy joints that ruin the clean lines of the wall. It’s a feel that takes years to perfect and is one of the clearest signs of a mason's experience. This is the hands-on expertise you're investing in.

On a recent custom home project in Fayetteville, our lead mason, who has been with us for over 15 years, demonstrated this perfectly. He can lay a line of bricks with such consistent buttering that the mortar joints look like they were drawn with a ruler. That level of detail is what our clients trust us to deliver.

Understanding Different Brick Bonds

The pattern the bricks are laid in is called the bond. This isn't just for looks; the bond is a crucial part of the wall's structural integrity, as it distributes weight and stress evenly across the entire structure. Different bonds also create very different architectural styles.

Here are a few of the most common bonds you'll see:

• Running Bond: This is the one you see most often. It’s straightforward, with all bricks laid lengthwise (as "stretchers") and the joints staggered by half a brick on each course. It's clean, simple, and strong.
• Flemish Bond: This classic pattern alternates stretchers and "headers" (bricks with the short end facing out) in every single course. It creates a beautiful, intricate look that really shows off a high level of craftsmanship.
• English Bond: This pattern alternates a full course of stretchers with a full course of headers. It's one of the strongest bonds out there and gives a building a look of formidable strength and tradition.

The choice of bond definitely impacts labor time and material cost, but its effect on the home's character is undeniable. During our design consultations, we often show clients examples from our portfolio to help them visualize how these patterns look on a finished home.

The Critical Role of Weep Holes

Even a solid brick wall needs to be able to breathe. That’s where weep holes come in. These are small, intentional gaps left in the vertical mortar joints of the lowest brick course. Their job is simple but absolutely vital: to let any moisture that gets behind the brick veneer escape.

Without weep holes, trapped water can lead to mold, rot in the home’s framing, and even damage the bricks and mortar during freeze-thaw cycles. Properly installing these is one of those small details a seasoned pro never, ever overlooks—especially in North Carolina's humid climate.

Choosing the right team for this intricate work is paramount. The skill of the masons is what transforms a pile of bricks into a stunning, enduring home. If you're looking for guidance, our guide on how to find a good contractor offers practical advice for vetting professionals who share this commitment to quality. At SEGC, we don't just build structures; we build legacies, one perfectly laid brick at a time.

Finishing and Maintaining Your Brick Home

Once the last brick is laid, you might think the job is done. But our experience shows this is where the work of protecting your investment truly begins. The final touches and a solid plan for long-term care are what turn a well-built house into a true family legacy.

As a Native American-owned, 8(a), and HUBZone certified firm with over 21 years of experience in Fayetteville and Lumberton, our commitment at SEGC goes beyond just the construction. We believe in empowering you with actionable knowledge to care for your home properly, safeguarding its beauty and structural integrity for decades to come.

The First Clean and Final Touches

New brickwork almost always has a thin layer of mortar dust or general construction grime. Getting it clean requires a careful hand. An actionable insight: avoid the urge to blast it with a pressure washer. High pressure and harsh acids can permanently scar the brick face and gouge out the fresh mortar, undoing the very work we just finished.

We always start with the gentlest method first: a stiff-bristled brush (never wire!) and plain water. Only if that doesn't cut it do we consider using specialized masonry cleaners formulated to be tough on grime but gentle on the brick and mortar. It’s a patient, methodical approach that pays off.

The final construction step for the wall itself is tooling the mortar joints. This isn’t just about looks. A mason uses a specific tool to press and smooth the mortar, creating a dense, concave profile. This simple action compacts the joint, making it far more resistant to water—a critical detail for protecting your home against North Carolina’s weather.

The Great Sealant Debate

"Should I seal my new brick?" It's a question we hear all the time. For most homes, the answer is a firm no. A properly constructed brick wall is designed to breathe. This allows any moisture that gets in to escape naturally. Slapping on a non-breathable sealant can trap that moisture inside the wall, leading to serious issues like spalling (where the brick face flakes off) and mold growth.

Now, there are rare exceptions. A wall that gets hammered by constant, driving rain might benefit from a high-quality, breathable silane or siloxane-based sealant. But this is a decision that should never be made lightly and only after a thorough discussion with your builder.

At SEGC, we build trust by walking you through these critical decisions. Our goal is to deliver a home that performs exactly as intended, with minimal fuss. We don't just build houses; we educate our clients so they can be confident homeowners.

A Practical Maintenance Checklist for Your Brick Home

Brick is incredibly low-maintenance, but "low" isn't the same as "no." A little bit of attention each year goes a long way in keeping your home looking pristine and catching small problems before they turn into major headaches.

• Annual Walk-Around: At least once a year, take a slow walk around your home. Look closely at the brick and mortar for any developing cracks or crumbling joints.
• Manage Your Greenery: Ivy looks charming, but its little tendrils can dig into mortar and cause real damage. Keep it off your brick. It's also smart to trim back bushes and trees to let air circulate freely around the walls.
• Check Your Weep Holes: Make sure the small gaps at the base of your brick walls are clear of mulch, grass, or debris. These weep holes are vital for letting moisture drain out.
• Gentle Cleaning Only: If you spot dirt or a bit of green algae, a garden hose, a soft-bristled brush, and some mild detergent are all you need. Seriously, stay away from the pressure washer.

This focus on quality materials and proven building methods is seeing a resurgence. For example, recent UK data showed an 8.8% jump in brick deliveries while concrete block deliveries declined. It's a clear signal that people are reinvesting in the durable, timeless materials that define a quality home. You can dig into these building material market trends to see how brick remains a top choice.

Proper finishing and simple maintenance are the final, essential parts of the home-building journey. This ongoing care ensures your home stands as a proud testament to quality craftsmanship. To see how these final steps fit into the bigger picture, take a look at our complete guide to the custom home building process. We're here to help you build a legacy, not just a house.

Your Top Questions About Building a Brick Home

After more than 21 years in this business, we've pretty much heard every question you can think of when it comes to building with brick. It's a big decision, and you should feel empowered and confident about it. Let's tackle some of the most common questions we get from clients in communities like Fayetteville and Lumberton.

We've always believed that the best projects happen when our clients are fully educated. Getting you clear, honest answers is how we build client trust from day one.

Is a Brick House Really That Much More Expensive?

Let's be direct: yes, the upfront cost for a full brick exterior is higher than what you'd pay for vinyl or fiber cement. But that's only looking at the initial price tag, which is a rookie mistake. An actionable insight is to consider the total cost of ownership. Building with brick is a long-term play, and that’s where you really see the financial wisdom in it.

The savings start adding up almost immediately. You'll never spend a dime painting the exterior, and you'll sleep better knowing how well it handles storms and harsh weather. Plus, the natural insulation of brick means your heating and cooling bills will be noticeably lower, year after year.

When we sit down with a family to plan their budget, we’re not just looking at the construction cost. We’re helping them create a legacy asset that costs less to own over a lifetime and fetches a higher price when it's time to sell. It's simply a smarter way to invest your money.

What’s the Difference Between Solid Brick and Brick Veneer?

This is a great question, and it's fundamental to how your home will be built. The distinction really comes down to whether the bricks are holding the house up or just dressing it up.

• Solid Brick: Think of this as the old-school, traditional method. The walls are made of two layers of brick, which are the actual structure of the home. It’s incredibly strong but also more labor-intensive and expensive.

• Brick Veneer: This is how most "brick" houses are built today. The home has a standard wood or steel frame that provides the structure. Then, a single layer of real brick is installed on the outside as a beautiful, durable siding.

With brick veneer, you get that classic look and all the great perks—durability, fire resistance, and killer curb appeal—but in a way that's more cost-effective and works perfectly with modern insulation. As a Native American-owned, 8(a) certified firm, we have deep experience with both techniques and can help you decide which approach truly fits your vision and budget.

How Long Will a Well-Built Brick House Actually Last?

If it's built right, a brick home isn't something you measure in decades—it’s something you measure in centuries. Seriously. But the key phrase there is "built right." The bricks themselves are tough, but the real secret to a home that lasts for generations is the quality of the work.

Everything from the foundation it sits on to the mortar mix between the bricks and the systems that keep water out has to be done perfectly. These details are non-negotiable. This is why your choice of builder is, without a doubt, the single most important decision you'll make. When we build a home, we're not just putting up walls for today; we’re crafting a legacy that your family will cherish for generations to come.

At South Eastern General Contractors, we know that building a home is personal. It’s about creating a relationship built on transparency and a shared goal. From the initial designs to handing you the keys, our focus is on building legacies, not just structures. If you're ready to explore building a brick home of your own, we'd be happy to talk with you.