Falling bricks

The Brick Industry Association, a Virginia-based industry group, has launched a campaign to highlight the virtues of brick, from the green aspect of being able to recycle it to its ability to stand up to fire. The campaign — which aggressively goes after other building materials with promotional materials with wording like Fiber cement siding: While a May 2011 poll by Professional Builder, a trade magazine, showed that 16 percent of the 268 builders surveyed still use brick on all the homes they build (the highest of any material), local builders say brick is losing its appeal. While clients used to choose brick as at least an accent material on their homes, natural and cultured stone (a man-made material that looks like slabs of natural stone) are becoming the most common choices. People seem to like a look that suggests something you'd find on a mountain hike rather than the uniform rectangles brick offers, Witt says. Costs for both are higher than vinyl siding — which the Brick Industry Association points out should be cleaned annually, tends to fade in the sun, cannot be recycled easily and comes with only a 25- to 50-year lifespan.And Witt says installing natural stone is even more expensive than building with brick.