Exterior Makeover: Replacing Brick with Stone (and a whole lot more!)

As a realtor, I am often met with a common concern when my clients are viewing homes. When an exterior of a home isn't the style or of the material they prefer, prospective buyers often write it off without even walking inside. My hope is that this blog post will prove that anything is possible! When we purchased this 1972 farmhouse, the exterior was brick in all shades of brown. We loved the barn shape but we personally lean more towards a rock exterior and white rock at that. All in all the exterior was pretty much the complete opposite of what we would have personally chosen. In addition, the fireplace on the interior was also adorned with the brown brick. One of the first facelifts we completed was to lay thin cut chopped rock on top of the brick of the fireplace. We absolutely loved it and were anxious to do the same to the exterior.

Obviously it was quite a bit more extensive to renovate the exterior for several reasons. First, we didn't feel comfortable placing the rock over the brick this time. With the larger surface area and exposure to the elements we felt it would pose a risk to the longevity and integrity of the work. (i.e. we didn't want to risk it falling off or creating too much weight on the frame of our house with two layers of masonry). So we decided to pull all of the brick off of the exterior before laying the rock. Also included in the project was a new roof, new doors and windows, new insulation, new wallboard, new trim, new fixtures, a new awning and patio, a new paved walkway, and a whole lot of labor! However, it was absolutely worth it and we are thrilled with the results!

This is what it looked like before.

Speaking of the labor, here's a quick run down.

1. I ventured out to the stone yard to choose the stone. I assure you that any part of the project I was assigned was always the easiest. For that I am so grateful! I simply had to make sure the stone was the same as that which we used on the fireplace over two years prior.

2. Our friend Mario began to remove the brick, wall board and insulation.

3. Another crew came in and installed the windows, a new french door off our master bedroom downstairs and built us a brand new awning/porch. Then they put in new insulation and energy efficient wall boards.

4. Mario began rocking the house. It was so fun watching him put the pieces together like a puzzle. This is quite a skill!

5. Lastly came a new roof. The roofers also had their work cut out for them as when they took off the old metal roof, they found a second layer of shingles underneath!

6. Finishing touches like light fixtures and rocking chairs for our new patio off the master bedroom added the icing to the cake!

Although the project was far from easy, the outside of the farmhouse is now exactly what we envisioned and even more so. Changing an exterior is absolutely do-able. It is a big job, but the results are well worth it!