Advantages for Homeowners: Build safer, more valuable homes with masonry

"Masonry products are among the oldest, longest-lasting and most versatile building materials available.  It's no surprise that most of the iconic and architecturally significant buildings in the world were buildt with brick, block or stone." - Jack Prazeres, President of MasonryWorx

Building the home you love, from the outside in

A home is the single most expensive purchase most people will make, so it makes sense to invest in the structure itself to ensure it is still standing many years from now.

Studies show that 89% of homeowners prefer masonry on their home (“Benefits of Masonry Homes Make Sustainable Performance Affordable”)

When buying your home – and especially a new home – there are a lot of choices to make and options to consider. Although the focus is usually placed on interior finishings, MasonryWorx offers the following tips for new homebuyers looking to maximize their investment.

Tips for new homebuyers

Choosing masonry materials – brick, block and stone – over other available cladding options offers a number of advantages including aesthetics, quality of life, superior fire performance, environmental benefits, and durability.

Quiet Living and Quality of Life

With the continued popularity of semi-detached and townhomes, sound insulation is high on new homebuyers’ priority list. Studies show noise can impact our overall well-being and cause annoyance, stress, and sleep disruptions. Masonry materials are extremely effective noise isolators, and if used to build any shared walls it means that you may like your neighbour – but you don’t have to like their music.

“Masonry offers many benefits in tangible costs, but homeowners also want the additional quality of life benefits of building with masonry—less street noise from neighbours with the greater peace of mind that comes with improved fire and extreme weather resistance.  With small lot sizes and houses being built closer together, the advantages of masonry keep climbing.”- Dante DiGiovanni, Past President of MasonryWorx

Your family can sleep secure

Research shows 1-in-10 Canadians have experienced a house fire. One way to reduce exposure to the risks and devastation of a fire is to choose masonry materials over other popular cladding and building materials. Unlike vinyl siding and stucco, masonry materials are non-combustible, will maintain structural stability and integrity, and do not produce toxic emissions. A masonry wall will prevent the spread of fire by containing the flames, increasing the likelihood of residents escaping harm.

• Masonry Edge article, "Massive fire highlights concern over proposed changes to Canadian building codes"
• MasonryWorx newsletter, "In the line of fire: Masonry's performance"

It’s easy being green

Environmentally conscious homebuyers will be happy to know that a masonry home is a green home. Brick, block and stone are proven to provide energy savings of up to 13% by regulating temperature fluctuations and keeping homes cooler in summer and warmer in winter, Masonry products maintain healthy air quality because they do not produce volatile organic compounds.  And they are produced using local, renewable resources, so they can be salvaged and reused. [see: Environmental Advantages of Masonry]

Built to last

Your home is part of the community, not just in your lifetime, but for generations to come.  The durability and aesthetic qualities of the structure are key contributors to the place you live.

“Habitat for Humanity has made a conscious choice to clad the exterior of our homes with masonry.  The product lasts a lifetime and beyond, which contributes to the durability of a building; is aesthetically pleasing for enhanced curb appeal; and requires virtually no maintenance, assisting the occupant in the care of their home.” - Neil Hetherington, CEO, Habitat for Humanity

Compared to alternative materials like vinyl siding and wood, masonry is tougher, more durable, and longer lasting.  Masonry has a lifespan of 100 years or more, and resists mould, fire, water, and impact with little-to-no maintenance. Homes built with masonry materials offer a higher resale value, up to 6%, which means better return on your investment. 

For more information on the benefits of masonry, please contact us.

Masonry makes cents:

Masonry is the right choice for many good reasons including the bottom line. Here’s why:

• Higher resale value - Research shows that homes built with brick, block and stone have a higher resale value- 4-6% higher on average. That’s money every homeowner can use.
• Significant cost savings - Masonry homes cost less to heat in the winter and to cool in the summer. Masonry does not require painting or washing, meaning homeowners enjoy cost savings on low-maintenance homes. Many insurance companies offer discounts to owners of masonry-constructed homes.
• Beauty and versatility - The beauty of masonry homes stand the test of time. With a wide range of colours, textures, shapes and sizes, masonry gives homeowners the flexibility to choose their own unique style. No other cladding has this versatility in design and flexibility.
• Strength and durability - Masonry is strong and will not rot, corrode, warp or dent – even under the harshest weather conditions. Durable masonry products also provide an effective sound barrier to external noise.
• A safe and healthy home - Masonry homes help keep families safe. They’re highly non-combustible, fire-resistant and help prevent the spread of fire to neighbouring buildings. Masonry products are not prone to toxic mould problems and emit smaller amounts of volatile organic compounds than any other building material, thus contributing to superior air quality.
• Environmentally friendly - Masonry products are the original, sustainable, green products. Most of the materials they contain (including clay, limestone, sand, and gravel) are available in virtually inexhaustible supply. With a lower environmental impact than wood or steel, the energy used in manufacturing is lower than steel and the source of the raw material requires significantly less land (more easily reclaimed land) than forestry or iron ore mines.

For more information on the benefits of masonry homes, visit:

Mould Resistance Tests on Masonry  http://www.ccmpa.ca/_Uploads/download/fungal.pdf

Vision202: Working for Sustainable Masonry Communities http://www.vision2020masonry.org/modules.php#Green/Sustainability

Sustainable Qualities of Brick http://www.claybrick.ca/pdf/bricka_bro.pdf

Benefits of Brick http://www.insistonbrick.com/

Advantages for Municipalities: Building beautiful communities

"A community owns a home forever." - Heartland Brick Council

"Neighbours know that when we build a masonry home, the quality of construction and the look and feel of the neighbourhood will be upheld." - Neil Hetherington, CEO, Habitat for Humanity Toronto

Sustainable Communities and Masonry - the History and the Future of Communities that Last

Sustainable development is a big part of what makes a community thrive.  As civic leaders plan for the future, the link between the aesthetics and durability of a neighbourhood, and its appeal as a place to live, work, shop, and play is a critical component.  More and more communities are choosing homes become standard, many North American municipalities are setting a minimum requirement for the use of masonry in residential, industrial and commercial buildings.

Here's why:

• Sustainable communities -Communities built with masonry don't just look better; they last longer.  Masonry requires less maintenance than stucco, wood or siding, and masonry uses green materials that are re-usable and recyclable.  Buildings made of masonry stand for decades beyond, and still look like new.

• Healthy communities - Masonry-built communities are also healthy places to live.  Masonry lowers the risk of health and environmental problems that may arise from other non-masonry building materials, such as toxic mould associated with wood and synthetic stucco (EIFS), out-gassing of volatile organic compounds or VOC fumes that inhabit the air we breathe from treated wood and other materials, and the toxic gas emitted from vinyl if it catches fire.  People breathe easier in a masonry home.

• Fire Safety - Ask your fire chief - masonry construction is highly non-combustible, fire-resistant, and helps prevent the spread of fire from neighbouring buildings - minimizing the devastating impact fire can have on a community.  Its inherent strength and integrity help resist damage from high water pressure streams used by firefighters and impacts of collapsing debris and explosions.  Masonry protects neighbourhoods and saves lives.

• Extreme Weather Protection - Masonry resists impact and makes the ideal protection for buildings in extreme weath.  Torrential rains, high winds, floods and fire are resisted by masonry.  Recent studies have showed that a 2 x 4 piece of lumber hurled at a wall in hurricane force winds will not chip the masonry, but travels right through vinyl or fibre-cement.

• Energy Effeciency – Masonry communities use less energy, and emit fewer greenhouse gas emissions.  A masonry building is proven to be 8 to 13% more energy efficient than those built with other materials such as stucco or siding.  That’s because masonry absorbs heat, stores it, and then gradually releases it.  Masonry cladding remains warm or cool long after the heat or air-conditioning has shut off, reducing heating and cooling loads and therefore energy consumption.

• Resale Value– Masonry raises and maintains property values.  Aesthetics alone make a home more desirable because curb appeal makes a powerful impression.  Recent studies show that 89% of homeowners prefer a home built with masonry.  And even more compelling is the proof of economic return - the real estate industry estimates that masonry homes sell, on average, at a price that is 6% higher.  Add to this the fact that a masonry building only costs 2% to 4% more to build, costs less to maintain and saves on energy bills, and there are instant returns for the homeowner or building owner.

• LEED Points – Masonry’s characteristics contribute significantly to sustainable construction design.  LEED green building ratings are determined by the following categories:

                                   + Site-related sustainability                                         

                                   + Indoor environmental quality                                     

                                   + Innovation and design process            

                                   + Energy use and atmosphere             

                                   + Water effeciency

                                   + Innovation and design process                              

             Masonry products contibute to point ratings in every category.

"Masonry offers the most potential for synergy within the LEED rating system.  For example, masonry used for the building wall   system can contribute  towards points    up reduction of construction waste, recycled materials content, energy efficiency, indoor air quality and of course durability" - industry expert, Christine Subasic, P.E., LEED AP

Municipalities Benefit as Quality of Life Increases

Municipalities can have confidence in masonry to produce and enhance communities that last.  The benefits for communities include quality of life for residents and increased  revenue for the municipality.  A recent study by the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architectural and Urban Planning studies that show the adoption of masonry ordinance results in:

• Increased property values for homes in a community;
• increased revenue generating capacity for communities both through property taxes and sales tax, and;
• continued population and housing growth.

The research also concluded that the adoption of a masonry ordinance “does not significantly increase the owner cost or rental burden for residents and does not make housing in the community any less affordable.”

Masonry and Communities, a Partnership that Lasts

A sustainable community attracts residents, and keeps them comfortable and happy to stay in the neighbourhood.  Masonry contributes to sustainable communities with compelling benefits in durability, safety, aesthetics, and energy efficiency.  When compared to alternative cladding choices, and considering resale value and maintenance costs over the life of the home, choosing masonry makes even more economic sense.  The long-term cost benefits of a masonry home is important to entry-level buyers who are stretching simply to purchase a home, and have little additional cash to spend on upkeep, and seasoned buyers choose overwhelmingly to purchase a masonry home.

Advantages for Architects and Engineers

"Traditional cladding is always our first choice because of its durability, beauty and safety. When a home’s four walls are built from brick, we use this feature as a selling point because brick homes are higher quality homes than those built with other claddings."
– Mr. Blanford Gates, Fleiss-Gates-McGowan-Easton Architects

Architects and engineers have tough jobs... and demanding clients. They know that a building that’s safer — and carries lower costs throughout its life cycle —means a happier client. It also means their unique legacy will be a source of pride for many years to come. Here's why:

• Better life cycle costing - Industry studies have proven that the life cycle costing of masonry products provides higher value for everyone.
• Sustainable, environmentally friendly buildings - Masonry products have significant environmental advantages. They are environmentally friendly, and they’re made from renewable, existing raw materials. That’s good for the environment… and it’s good for business. In addition, masonry contributes to high LEED performance and standards.
• Less pressure on energy costs - Because of their high thermal properties, buildings built with masonry cost less to heat in winter and to cool in summer.
• Safety - Ask your fire chief and you’ll hear that masonry construction is highly non-combustible, fire-resistant, and helps prevent the spread of fire from neighbouring buildings – minimizing the devastating impact fire can have on a community. Its inherent strength and integrity helps resist damage from high water pressure streams used by firefighters and impacts of collapsing debris and explosions that otherwise would permit fire to readily pass. Masonry is inherently strong and provides superior property and personal protection.

Advantages for Builders and Developers

With masonry, you’ll always be known for quality

Quality

Every builder wants to be known for quality. For customers, quality often means taking a hard look at what’s on the outside. Does it look good? Is it safe? Will it stand the test of time? Masonry provides a meaningful, durable solution to these goals, one that homebuyers will appreciate. To distinguish yourself as a quality masonry builder click here and become part of our builders directory.

Choice

Homebuyers prefer masonry. Recent studies show that over 80% of consumers in Ontario put masonry first in fire resistance, durability, stability in extreme weather and increased value of their home. Offering masonry homes as a choice to consumers provides a unique selling point for your community.

Value

Customers know that in the long term, nothing beats masonry for value. When they buy a home with masonry, they’ll save money on maintenance — and make money on resale. That’ll keep the customer coming back.