BRICK VENEER COST ESTIMATOR
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Brick Veneer Cost Calculator
Brick veneer is one of the most expensive exteriors you can put on a house, and the biggest cost question is whether you need full brick on a foundation ledge or whether thin brick will do. This brick veneer cost calculator prices both, adds ties, flashing, lintels, sills and structural support, and shows Budget, Standard and Premium totals with a full line-item breakdown you can take to a mason.
- Free planning estimate
- No obligation
- Full brick and thin brick
Four short steps. Enter your brick area or estimate it from your home size. Choose full brick, thin brick or a panel system, set your labor market, then add structural support, lintels, sills and other extras. ZIP code is required so we can match you with local masonry contractors. It does not change the estimate. Planning estimate only. Not a quote.
Step 1
Brick area/home size
Enter your brick area or estimate it from your home size.
Step 2
Full brick, thin brick or panel system
Choose full brick, thin brick or a panel system.
Step 3
Labor market
Set your labor market.
Step 4
Structural support, lintels, sills and other extras
Add structural support, lintels, sills and other extras. ZIP code is required for matching and does not change the estimate.
How to read your result
The large number is the Standard estimate: quality brick, proper ties and flashing, and an established masonry contractor. Budget assumes basic brick and independent crew rates. Premium assumes premium brick and specialist detailing. If you chose full brick on a house that does not already have a brick ledge, add the support allowance in Step 4. Without it, the estimate will be low for a remodel.
Planning estimate only. This is an estimated project budget based on typical U.S. planning assumptions, not a quote or a guaranteed price. Actual contractor pricing may vary based on location, conditions, brick choice, labor market and project complexity. Full brick veneer is heavy and needs proper structural support, ties and flashing. Whether your home can carry it, and what support is required, is a question for a licensed engineer or your building department, not a calculator. Always get written quotes from qualified masonry contractors.
Get your free professional brick estimate.
Your calculator results are already attached. Add your details and a local mason can review your project.
How a brick veneer bid breaks down
The calculator splits a brick veneer bid into the parts a mason prices:
- Materials: brick and mortar with a waste allowance, the weather barrier layer, wall ties, weeps, flashing and sealant, and brick detailing at each opening.
- Labor: masonry hours for the chosen brick, substrate and detail labor, and a crew mobilization, mixing and cleanup charge.
- Removal and disposal: taking off the existing wall covering and hauling it away.
- Equipment / scaffolding: scaffolding or staging, which masonry needs more of than lap siding.
- Permit / inspection: an optional allowance. Structural support usually requires a permit.
- Repairs and project extras: sheathing repair, foundation ledge or steel angle support, steel lintels, sills and water table details, masonry sealer and soffit and fascia.
How much does brick veneer cost?
In this calculator's planning assumptions, full brick veneer on 1,800 sq ft of wall, with tear-off but no structural support allowance, comes to about $33,700 at Standard prices, or about $18.70 per sq ft, within a Budget-to-Premium range of $24,600 to $46,200. Add a foundation ledge, lintels and sills and the same job comes to about $38,600. Thin brick on the same walls comes to about $31,300. These are planning numbers, not quotes. Brick is labor-heavy, so your local masonry labor market moves the total significantly.
Brick veneer cost by type
Each option is priced on the same sample job: 1,800 sq ft, one story, simple walls, 12 windows and doors, no tear-off, no support allowance, average U.S. labor market.
| Option | Budget | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full brick veneer | $12.29 | $16.86 | $23.25 |
| Premium / handmade brick | $15.41 | $21.26 | $30.46 |
| Thin brick (brick veneer panels) | $11.32 | $15.54 | $21.41 |
| Thin brick on panel system | $9.53 | $13.20 | $18.14 |
| Reclaimed / tumbled brick | $14.59 | $20.51 | $29.26 |
Installed price per sq ft of wall. Planning assumptions only.
Full brick veneer vs. thin brick
This is the decision that drives the budget on a remodel.
| Full brick veneer | Thin brick | |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | A full brick wythe, about 3–4 in. | A facing, roughly ½–1 in. |
| Support needed | Foundation ledge or steel angle | None; it hangs on the wall. |
| Air gap | Yes, a drainage cavity behind the brick | Set in mortar over lath or a panel. |
| Typical use | New builds, homes already built for brick | Remodels, accent walls, additions. |
| Install labor | Highest | Lower than full brick. |
Full brick veneer is a real wythe of brick standing on a foundation ledge or a steel angle, tied back to the framed wall with metal ties, with an air gap behind it and weep holes at the bottom so water can drain out. It is heavy, so the support has to be there before the first brick goes down.
Thin brick is real fired clay, cut thin, set in mortar over lath or held in a panel system. It hangs on the wall and needs no footing, which is why it is the practical choice on most existing homes. Up close you can tell the difference at corners, which is why good thin brick jobs use special corner units.
The structural support question
If your house was not built for brick, adding full brick veneer is not just a siding decision. The brick needs to stand on something: usually a concrete ledge poured as part of the foundation, or a steel angle bolted to the structure. Whether your home can carry it, and what is required, is a question for a licensed structural engineer or your building department. This calculator offers an allowance so you can budget for it, but it cannot tell you what your house needs. In the sample, adding the support allowance plus lintels and sills moves the Standard total from about $33,700 to about $38,600. That gap is the real reason most remodels end up using thin brick.
Lintels, sills and flashing
Above every window and door in a full brick wall there is a steel lintel carrying the brick above the opening. Below, there is usually a brick or stone sill shedding water away from the wall. Between the brick and the house there must be flashing at the base and above openings, plus weep holes so any water that gets into the cavity drains out. These details are not optional extras in a real brick wall. If a quote does not mention lintels, flashing and weeps, ask about them.
Labor: why brick costs what it does
The calculator uses about 4.4 to 10 crew hours per 100 sq ft depending on the brick, at $58, $74 or $95 per hour for Budget, Standard and Premium. Full brick is at the top because every unit is laid, leveled and tooled by hand. Reclaimed and handmade brick take even longer because the units vary and have to be sorted. A 2,400 sq ft two-story home in full brick with a support allowance comes to about $50,700 at Standard prices, including scaffolding.
Mortar color and joint style
Mortar is roughly a fifth of the wall you see, and the color changes the look as much as the brick does. A dark brick with light mortar reads completely differently from the same brick with dark mortar. Joint tooling (concave, raked, flush) also changes the shadow line and how well the joint sheds water. Ask for a sample panel of your brick, mortar color and joint style before the order is placed. It is the cheapest way to avoid an expensive regret.
Painted and reclaimed brick
Reclaimed brick brings genuine age and color variation, at the cost of extra sorting and cleaning labor. Painting new brick is possible but a one-way decision: once brick is painted it needs repainting, and stripping it later is difficult and can damage the face.
Partial brick: wainscot and accent walls
You do not have to brick the whole house. A very common approach is a brick wainscot: brick on the lower third of the front elevation with siding above, or brick on the front with siding on the sides and back. It gives most of the curb appeal for a fraction of the cost, and on a remodel it also reduces how much structural support is needed. To budget a partial job, measure only the area that will be brick and enter that as your brick area. Then run the Siding Installation Cost Calculator for the rest of the walls and add the two totals. Where brick meets siding there needs to be a flashed transition, so allow a little extra trim labor for that detail.
Brick veneer and energy
Brick itself is not a good insulator. The air gap behind full brick veneer is a drainage cavity, not an insulating one. What brick does give you is thermal mass, which can moderate temperature swings in some climates, and a very durable rain screen. If energy performance is a goal, the insulation in the wall cavity and any continuous exterior insulation behind the brick are what matter, so discuss those with your contractor at the design stage rather than afterwards.
How long does brick veneer last?
Brick is among the longest-lived exteriors available, frequently outlasting several roofs. The limiting factors are not usually the brick but the mortar joints, the flashing and the ties. Mortar can need repointing after several decades, flashing can fail, and in older walls metal ties can corrode. None of these are reasons to avoid brick; they are reasons to insist on good flashing details and a contractor who will show you how the wall drains.
Maintenance
Brick itself lasts a very long time. Mortar joints are the part that ages, and eventually some walls need repointing, where old mortar is cut out and replaced. Keep weep holes clear, keep soil and mulch below the flashing line, and check caulking around windows. Breathable masonry sealer is an option, but brick needs to dry outward, so avoid film-forming sealers that trap moisture.
Budget, Standard and Premium
Budget: basic brick and mortar with independent crew rates. Standard: quality brick, proper detailing and an established masonry contractor. Premium: premium brick, specialist detailing and a premium masonry contractor.
Estimated wall area by home size
| Home living area | 1 story | 2 stories | 3 stories |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 1,180 | 1,668 | 2,043 |
| 1,500 sq ft | 1,445 | 2,043 | 2,503 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 1,668 | 2,359 | 2,890 |
| 2,500 sq ft | 1,865 | 2,638 | 3,231 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 2,043 | 2,890 | 3,539 |
| 3,500 sq ft | 2,207 | 3,121 | 3,823 |
| 4,000 sq ft | 2,359 | 3,337 | 4,087 |
All sq ft.
How much does brick veneer cost per square foot? In this calculator's planning assumptions, full brick veneer is about $18.70 per sq ft installed with tear-off, or about $16.86 per sq ft without tear-off. Thin brick costs less to install.
Is thin brick cheaper than full brick veneer? Usually, once support is included. Thin brick needs no foundation ledge, which on a remodel is often the largest single cost in a full brick job.
Does brick veneer need a foundation ledge? Full brick veneer does: it is heavy and must stand on a concrete ledge or steel angle. Thin brick does not, because it hangs on the wall.
Planning estimate only.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to brick a house?
In this calculator's planning assumptions, full brick veneer on 1,800 sq ft of wall with tear-off is about $33,700 at Standard prices, within about $24,600 to $46,200. With a support ledge, lintels and sills it is about $38,600.
How much does thin brick cost compared with full brick?
On the sample job, thin brick comes to about $31,300 and a panel system about $27,100, against about $33,700 for full brick before support costs are added.
Can I add brick veneer to an existing house?
Full brick usually requires a foundation ledge or steel support, which your home may not have. A licensed engineer or your building department has to answer that. Thin brick is the common solution on remodels because it needs no footing.
Do brick veneer walls need weep holes?
Yes. Full brick veneer has an air gap behind it, and weep holes at the base let any water that gets in drain back out. Blocked weeps are a common cause of moisture problems.
What are lintels and do I need them?
A lintel is the steel angle that carries the brick above a window or door. Any opening in a full brick wall needs one. The calculator offers a lintel allowance in Step 4.
Should I paint brick veneer?
It is a one-way decision. Painted brick needs repainting on a cycle, and stripping paint later is difficult and can damage the brick face. Choose the brick and mortar color you want instead if you can.
Does my ZIP code change the estimate?
No. ZIP code is used to match you with local masonry contractors. The labor-market selector adjusts labor and other local costs, which matters a lot for masonry.
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Planning estimate only. This is an estimated project budget based on typical U.S. planning assumptions, not a quote or a guaranteed price. Actual contractor pricing may vary based on location, conditions, brick choice, labor market and project complexity. Full brick veneer is heavy and needs proper structural support, ties and flashing. Whether your home can carry it, and what support is required, is a question for a licensed engineer or your building department, not a calculator. Always get written quotes from qualified masonry contractors.