Brick, stone, or some faux option for front of house

[Scoot]

I'm thinking about putting brick or stone on the front of our house for resale purposes (I really don't care about it, but our house is one of only a couple in the area that doesn't have any). What can I expect to pay, roughly speaking, for putting brick or stone up? Not looking to do anything crazy-- just putting in something that is about waiste high and only across the front of the house.

Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of putting some sort of faux brick or stone siding up? I'm told some of the faux options look really nice and are far less expensive. Is that something I could put in myself or would I have to hire it done (I know nothing about it, but I'm willing to learn).

Any info would be appreciated!

[shnelson]

I finished the front of my house and garage pillars with stone veneer last summer, set me back about $1200 in materials and took two weekends to complete. Standard price is $40-60 for a box that covers 6-10sq ft depending on the style you choose. It gets a little more expensive if you have a lot of corners to work, which it doesn't sound like you do? I'm not sure what you could expect to pay a contractor to put it up, but i think it will be a minimum of $30 a sq ft for quality work.

For DIY, stone veneer is nice to deal with because it's somewhat forgiving if you are sloppy. Brick requires a little more work as your lines need to be level.

Hope this helps! If you have patience and are good with your hands, don't be afraid to tackle this project yourself. You just need to go into it understanding that it will take a lot of time, and you may need to do some re-work from time to time (you might want to rearrange some stones after getting a roadside look of your work). I also had to have an inspection done prior to starting the work, may be different for your location but something to be aware of.

[Redlantern]

Depending on how your foundation/footings are built, you may not have any other option than going with faux stone or brick. If you were to use real brick, you'd need what's called a brick ledge on your footing. Helps hold the weight of the brick.

[CFRay]

You should be able to hire a contractor to apply the stone for about $20/SF. These days maybe even less. Like most projects the initial prep work is also very important. Getting your wall ready for stone is a fairly big job by itself that would be a cost in additon to the stone application.

If you want to do it yourself get the materials from a brick/stone supplier. (That same supplier could likely give you some contractor names to contact) The quality and look of the mfg. stone is better than that available at the big box homecenters. Choose a stone pattern that will allow mortar between the stones. That will help keep water outside. "Drystack" stone patterns have many voids to hold water/ice.

Stone is an easier puzzle to piece together than brick would be. The siding will need to be removed in that area and new trim pieces installed. Hopefully there is OSB/plywood beneath the siding. That makes a better subsurface for the stone. The stone may need to be applied to a part of your foundation that is above the ground. Stone does not look right starting 8" above the ground. A good cleaning is important to the final look. All said it certainly is a do-it-yourself project. Good Luck.

[gatorslayer]

I charge $ 15 a sq.ft labor for "fake" stone, depending on the job...maybe a little less if you use "dura rock...less prep.

[Bigsmitty]

We sell the manufactured stone for around 6.00 - 6.50 a sq. ft. for the flats. Depending on how much your looking for and what type. I have installed thousands of feet of it over the years. Now I sit at a desk Its a fun project for the DYI guy. Just remember. Start at the bottom and keep your hands clean of mortar. No one likes a sloppy job.

There are good installers around here chargeing around 12.00 per sq.ft. to put it on.

[gatorslayer]

you can start at the top or bottom ,12 a sq. maybe for friends and family...depends on how much I like them