How to Replace Vinyl Siding With Brick or Stone
Table of Contents
While it's possible to replace your home's vinyl siding with brick, you'll first have to make provisions to support the weight of the brick.
Upgrading from vinyl to masonry siding boosts your home’s curb appeal and its value, but it’s no small undertaking. Structurally, the biggest issue is weight. Vinyl siding is lightweight and literally “hangs” on the house’s exterior boxing. Bricks and stones are extremely heavy and require beefed-up support in the form of a brick ledge.
Brick Ledge Options
A brick ledge must be wide enough to hold the new masonry and constructed to transfer the weight to the foundation’s footing. Check local codes for exceptions, but most of the time, you can use one of three methods to construct a brick ledge.
- poured concrete
- stacked cement blocks
- bolted angle iron
Pouring a Concrete Brick Ledge
Pouring a concrete brick ledge involves excavating around the foundation to depth of approximately 30 inches and pouring a 4- to 6-inch wide, steel-reinforced wall to support the new masonry siding. This method works well for houses with basement foundations. The new brick ledge ties into the existing foundation wall through rebar “pins” inserted in holes drilled into the foundation. Pinning the new wall to the existing foundation is necessary for transferring the weight of the new masonry siding to the footing.
Warning
If your house is more than one story, which means an increase in overall masonry weight, your local building authority might require digging all the way to the footing before pouring the brick ledge.
While a mason can lay the new brick or stone, a foundation contractor should pour the new ledge.
Stacking a Brick Ledge
Homes with crawlspace foundations have shallower footings that require less excavation to uncover. Once the footing is exposed, cement blocks can be stacked directly on the footing to build the new brick ledge. The ledge must be perfectly level when it reaches grade
Bolted Angle Iron
When you’re only removing the lower portion of your home’s vinyl siding to install a brick or stone wainscot, if local code allows, you can dig just below grade and bolt angle iron to the foundation to serve as the new brick ledge.
Angle iron is also necessary above doors and windows to support the brick directly above.
The Remodel Timeline
Once the brick ledge is in place, it’s a quick process to remove the vinyl siding and the old trim. The construction of the new masonry siding can begin as soon as a vapor barrier, such as 15-pound felt, is installed over the home’s boxing.
Warning
Unless you know how to lay bricks, it’s a good idea to have a mason lay the new stones or bricks. In many communities, only a licensed and bonded mason may do the work.
The Drip Cap
- Upgrading from vinyl to masonry siding boosts your home’s curb appeal and its value, but it’s no small undertaking.
- A brick ledge must be wide enough to hold the new masonry and constructed to transfer the weight to the foundation’s footing.
- This method works well for houses with basement foundations.
- The ledge must be perfectly level when it reaches grade When you’re only removing the lower portion of your home’s vinyl siding to install a brick or stone wainscot, if local code allows, you can dig just below grade and bolt angle iron to the foundation to serve as the new brick ledge.
Writer Bio
Glenda Taylor is a contractor and a full-time writer specializing in construction writing. She also enjoys writing business and finance, food and drink and pet-related articles. Her education includes marketing and a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Kansas.
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