Metro Detroit

VIDEO: BRICK ISSUES

October 25, 2020

Jeff explores what happens when the brick you ordered isn’t exactly the brick you ordered…

So, what happens when the brick you ordered shows up and it’s not what you had pictured from the sample?

Obviously, if you ordered a red brick and a beige brick is delivered, we’re probably going to catch it before it goes up.

But what about when the brick is correct, and there are defects that aren’t totally noticeable until it’s up?

That’s what happened in the home profiled in the video above. This brick, which has a red base and a whitewashed, kind of wheathered look, had some sizable chunks missing on too many of the bricks – unfortunately, no one really noticed until the brickwork was complete.

So, what to do?

For a situation like this, taking the brick down isn’t really a viable option, so the brick supplier has offered to stain the locations where the chunks are obvious. With several different colors to use depending on the particular coloring of each brick, they are going to touch up anything glaring within 10’ of the ground, or immediately surrounding the second floor balcony.

That means a thin layer of stain – thinner than the test application seen circled in the video – will be applied, so that a little bit of the red still shows through, as was initially intended with this design, but without that bright red catching the eye.

It’s not perfect, but it’s an impressive fix to what could be a catastrophe, particularly for a homeowner who is understandably bothered by these imperfections.

If you’re thinking about building a new home, talk to “The Experts” first – let us guide you through the process, and navigate hiccups like this one.

Lou Bitove & Jeff Bortnick, owners of The New Home Experts®, have more than 35 years combined experience in real estate, much of that with builders like Pulte & Toll Brothers.  They also provide market research for area builders, developers and national firms.  If you’re considering a new home, remember: the builders rep represents the builder, not you.  Work with the only local agents in Metro Detroit to specialize in new homes, and save money in the process – ask us how!