05/24/2026
A lot of people don’t realize the “American brick house” changed dramatically over time. Older homes from the late 1800s & early 1900s were often true structural masonry, meaning the brick itself supported the house. Some walls were 8”, 12”, or even thicker depending on the design. Many of those homes are still standing 100+ years later, able to last 300 years vs today because they were literally built like commercial buildings.
Today, most “brick homes” are actually wood-frame construction with a brick veneer exterior. Faster to build, cheaper to mass produce, easier to finance during the post-WWII housing boom. The tradeoff can sometimes be longevity, maintenance, moisture intrusion, & durability over decades.
As an appraiser, this also ties directly into measuring standards & why accuracy matters more than ever with UAD 3.6, LiDAR, laser measuring, radar scanning, & digital floor plan technology becoming mainstream.
One thing many homeowners don’t understand is that appraisers measure actual usable interior living area, not just exterior wall dimensions. Two homes can have the exact same exterior footprint but very different interior living space depending on wall thickness, stairwells, mechanical areas, or construction style.
I once measured a custom home in the Nashville area with an indoor gun range that had extremely thick reinforced walls. If someone only relied on exterior dimensions, the square footage could appear larger than the actual functional living area.
That’s why ANSI standards & modern scanning technology matter. Real estate valuation is becoming more data-driven, more precise, & more transparent than ever before.
Interesting how construction methods, financing, mass production, engineering, & technology all intersect in today’s housing market. Older doesn’t always mean outdated & newer doesn’t always mean better built.
What killed the American brick house? In this video I trace exactly how one postwar housing emergency, one builder named William Levitt, and the arrival of v...
