Brick’S Bad Break Home Builders Move Away From Rock-Solid Material

Drive through one of Spokane’s older neighborhoods.

Then drive through a new one.

What’s different?

The trees are smaller. The architecture is more varied. And there are no brick homes.

Over the past century, brick has moved from a common building material to one rarely used.

The reason has a little to do with changing tastes, but mostly to do with cost.

As home-construction prices have risen, builders have looked for less expensive materials. Brick was an early casualty.

`It’s $5 to $8 a (vertical) square foot more,” said Buster Heitman of Landmark Builders. “Regular siding is around $3 a square foot. Brick can be $12 a square foot.”

Plus, a brick home requires a deeper foundation: 10 inches for brick vs. 6 inches for other sidings, said Craig Condron of Condron Construction.

People who were interested in building brick homes quickly changed their mind after hearing what it costs, Condron said. “Now, I don’t even get the question anymore,” he said.

But the same builders who direct their clients to less expensive materials also say that in the long run, brick homes cost less to maintain.

“The reason to use brick is that it’s permanent,” Heitman said. “You never have to do anything with it. When it’s there, it’s there for life.”

Over the years, the cost of repainting wood or replacing vinyl siding makes brick a sound investment, but “it’s the initial cost that scares people away,” said Suzanne Knapp, executive officer of the Spokane Home Builders Association.

While brick may make sense for the 30-year life of a home mortgage, few home buyers plan to own a home that long, said Randall Ramey, who builds custom brick homes and commercial buildings.

“People are so transient in homes that their purchasing outlook is five years, 10 years maximum,” Ramey said. “You really have to think of the long term in masonry.”

Because of its cost, brick has become a luxury item, used in upper-end homes or as a decorative element in more-modest homes.

The Grape Tree subdivision on the South Hill is made up almost entirely of brick homes, and it’s reflected in their price tag - its houses sold for $450,000 and up.

Grape Tree was developed by architect Glen Cloninger, whose enthusiasm for brick borders on a passion.

“As an architect, brick and stone are definitely my favorite material,” Cloninger said. “It’s a medium that architects can work in and express tremendous character and design. There’s an infinite possibility of shapes and patterns.”

Cloninger laments that brick has become a material only for the rich, and blames budget buyers who still want grandiose floor plans.

“We’re in a very cost-conscious situation where everyone wants a three-car garage and a rec room and a bonus room, and to get that the buying public is willing to give up quality materials,” he said.

Spokane is about to get a new pizza chain.

Stuft Pizza, a California-based franchise, will open June 15 in seven locations formerly held by Little Caesars and then Roxy’s.

The man behind Stuft’s entry into Spokane is Winston Taylor, president of Oregon Restaurant Concepts. Stuft’s franchisee, Taylor owns 14 Stufts in Oregon.

Taylor used to own Little Caesar’s franchises, but he has since transferred his properties to the more-upscale Stufts.

“The bottom line is that it’s a better product and a better value,” Taylor said. `And it goes from 10 percent of my gross to 1 percent.”

Little Caesar’s last Spokane franchisee, Jeff Welsh, broke rank with the national company to open his independent Roxy’s. He went bankrupt in December fighting a legal battle with Little Caesar’s. Taylor said he was able to buy the empty locations for “10 cents on a dollar.”

Taylor, who hired Doug Favaro from Subway to manage the restaurants, is bullish about his chances in Spokane’s crowded fast-food market.

“We come in with no debt and lots of cash,” he said. “There’s no way we can lose.”

Another casualty of a bankruptcy, McQ’s Billiards, is reopening under new management.

The Valley hangout closed in September, after its owners ran into financial trouble with another club, Swackhammer’s on North Division.

The property was bought by Tom Hamilton, owner of Pilgrim’s Nutrition and Premiere Video. He will lease to Gary Early and Jerry Fouts.

Early and Fouts are partners in 10 Denny’s restaurants in Spokane and the Inland Northwest.

McQ’s is expected to be open no later than Monday, according to Early.