The front of the house in 2019, red brick running across the entrance gable, the columned portico and the bay window as one range
Case File 176

Balancing the Brick Blend on a Washington, Michigan Home

The owners of this new house disliked the color of its brick so much that they wanted it torn down and relaid. Instead the blend was balanced across most of the house in 2007. It was photographed again twelve years later and certified Silver.

Case No. 176
Structure Two-story house
Location Washington, Michigan
Stained 2007
Re-photographed 2019
Elapsed 12 years, Silver level

2007

  1. The garage wing and entrance of the new house in 2007, the brick a pale pink orange with darker units scattered through it, bare dirt where the lawn will go Before, 2007 View this photo larger
  2. The entrance gable above the portico columns in 2007, the brick pale pink and uneven against a clear sky Before, 2007 View this photo larger
  3. A side gable over an arched window in 2007, a darker patch of brick near the peak and a lighter patch below it in the pale pink wall Before, 2007 View this photo larger
  4. A side wall in 2007 around a stone-trimmed window, the brick pink and mottled, with a brick corner and the roof of the bay beyond Before, 2007 View this photo larger
  5. A gable with an arched window in 2007, the brick pale pink with darker units showing through it Before, 2007 View this photo larger
  6. The reverse test panel in 2007, three strips of yellow tape marking a patch of brick beside a window, the wall around the patch already stained a deeper red During, 2007 View this photo larger
  7. The same garage wing and entrance in 2007 after the work, the brick one deeper red range from the garage doors to the portico, a ladder still against the wall After, 2007 View this photo larger

What was wrong

Nothing had failed. The brick went up in a range the owners had not expected, pale and patchy in the 2007 frames, with a dark patch and a light patch on one gable that the file points out. They were disappointed enough to want the house torn down and the brick replaced.

What was done

The file's own line: "We balanced the overall blend on the majority of the house." A reverse test panel came first, the wall stained around a small taped-off patch so the owners could see before beside after and approve the blend before the rest was finished. Each brick was stained individually. The form ticks the brick manufacturer as the party that hired the correction; its storyline says the owners did.

2019, twelve years on

  1. The front of the house in 2019, red brick reading as one range across the entrance gable, the four-column portico, the bay window and the side gable, with a lawn and clipped shrubs in front After, 2019 View this photo larger
  2. The entrance gable above the portico columns in 2019, the brick one even red range under an overcast sky After, 2019 View this photo larger
  3. The same side gable over its arched window in 2019, the brick one even red range from the peak down, with an evergreen grown up beside it After, 2019 View this photo larger
  4. The same side wall window in 2019, the brick around the stone trim one even red range to the corner After, 2019 View this photo larger
  5. The gable with the arched window in 2019, the brick one even red range to the peak, a blind drawn behind the glass After, 2019 View this photo larger

What twelve years prove

The 2019 frames are the same gables and the same side wall. The file's note on the revisit: no cracking, blistering, peeling or fading. Twelve years is Silver on the certification scale, which starts at ten. As of 2026 the work is nineteen years old, and the 2019 certification is the most recent record on it.

The signed file

Every certified job gets the same form, signed on the day someone goes back to the building. This is the one for case 176, transcribed beside the form page so it can be read on a phone and by a search engine.

The case study form for case 176, filled in and signed View the signed form full size
Project name
Residence, Washington, MI (2007)
Level
Silver. The scale runs Bronze at seven to nine years, Silver at ten and over, Gold at fifteen and over, Platinum at twenty and over.
Hired by
The brick manufacturer
Reason for project
Complaint or problem
Issue
"The homeowners were disappointed with how the brick looked on their house."
What was corrected
"We balanced the overall blend on the majority of the house."
Storyline
"The homeowners were so disappointed with the original color of the brick installed on the house that they wanted to tear it down and have it replaced. Instead they hired us to color correct, and were happy with the money they saved and how it all turned out."
Authorized
Donald A. Foster, signed, dated 2020
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