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Americans have never paid more for a home. The median existing home sold for a record $440,600 in June, according to the National Association of Realtors, yet the brick house built to endure for a century has nearly disappeared from new construction.

Brick or brick veneer covered only 16.8% of new single family homes started in 2025, down from almost a quarter in 2012, according to a National Association of Home Builders analysis of Census data. Many homes that still appear to be brick are actually wood frame structures with veneer attached outside.

The difference is more than cosmetic. A structural masonry wall supports the building, while brick veneer serves as an exterior finish and leaves the wood frame behind it to carry the structural load.

“We didn't decide to build houses that just outlast the mortgage. We kind of drifted there,” said Dan D'Agostino, founder of Plan Architecture and a residential architect based in New Jersey.

The transition accelerated after World War II as returning veterans and their families needed affordable housing quickly. Levitt & Sons built 17,447 houses in Levittown on Long Island between 1947 and 1951, sometimes completing 10 to 12 homes in a day.

Standardized designs and wood framing allowed developers to build faster with crews requiring less specialized training. Structural brick required skilled masons to place individual bricks, making it slower and more expensive than framing large batches of houses.

“It came down to cost and speed,” said Matt DiBara, CEO of DiBara Masonry and a fourth generation stonemason. Brick veneer eventually allowed builders to preserve the familiar appearance of masonry without depending on brick to support the house.

By the 1970s and 1980s, DiBara said, veneer over wood framing had become standard. Although Census Bureau data show brick as the primary exterior wall material on 35% of new single family homes completed in 1973, D'Agostino said that figure reflects exterior cladding rather than structural brick houses.

The labor force capable of building structural masonry also contracted. The construction industry will need an estimated 456,000 new workers in 2027, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors, while bricklaying remains a specialized trade requiring years to master.

“Today the hard part of building a true masonry house isn't the brick. It's finding people who can lay it,” D'Agostino said. Architect Jerel McCants said regional differences in access to skilled brick masons influence which materials builders select.

Affordability remains a major force in construction choices. The median price of a new home was $400,400 in September, according to the Census Bureau, and new homes became cheaper than existing homes for the first time in data extending to 1974, partly because builders were constructing smaller houses.

Modern construction can offer advantages in insulation, building performance, and affordability. Still, experts cited losses associated with moving away from structural masonry, including fire resistance and the longevity of the materials concealed behind a home's exterior.

Steven Menotti, CEO of construction safety company Menotti Enterprise and an FDNY certified Construction Site Fire Safety Manager, said masonry walls can remain standing after a fire. By contrast, the wood frame behind veneer can burn if flames reach it.

D'Agostino said a real brick wall supports the house, resists fire, moderates heat and cold, and can last well beyond 100 years with some repointing. He said houses using thin brick last only as long as the wood and sheathing behind the exterior.

Not every veneer system is equal. D'Agostino said full depth brick veneer with an air gap behind it can provide a durable rainscreen, while his concern centers on thinner brick products that lack those characteristics.

The change has also weakened the transfer of masonry craftsmanship. Older brick buildings display the mason's skill through bonds, arches, cornices, and carefully finished joints, but D'Agostino said that knowledge fades when builders stop using those methods.

Changing expectations about homeownership added another pressure. McCants said people now relocate for jobs and other opportunities, while National Association of Realtors data show the typical seller owned a home for a record 11 years and buyers expect to remain for 15.

For builders, however, speed and immediate occupancy have become central economic considerations. “The lower expectations for durability were a side effect. Once everything was built around speed, nobody got paid for how long a house would last,” D'Agostino said.

DISCLAIMER: GoldInvestors.news is not a registered investment, legal or tax advisor or broker/dealer. All investment/financial opinions expressed by GoldInvestors.news are from the personal research and experience of the owner of the site and are intended as educational material. Although best efforts are made to ensure that all information is accurate and up to date, occasionally unintended errors and misprints may occur.