Study: Boomers prefer brick

A new survey from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) points to a clear general preference for a brick home exterior.

In "Housing Preferences of the Boomer Generation: How They Compare to Other Home Buyers," created in coordination with Home Innovation Research Labs, 70% of respondents rated brick as the most desirable of six common exteriors.

Stone was very close behind at 69%, and both vinyl and wood came in at 36%. Stucco ranked at 31%, and fiber cement came in last at 26%.

“This survey shows that baby boomers and others not only prefer brick over other exterior wall cladding materials, brick is the least disliked among other materials,” said Ray Leonhard, president and CEO, Brick Industry Association (BIA). “Home builders are more likely to appeal to potential buyers if they build a house with brick versus other competing materials,” he said.

In “Front Exterior Material Not Wanted by All Buyers and Boomers,” the graphic shows stucco as the least desired material by all buyers at 30%. Vinyl/vinyl covered aluminum follows at 29%, wood/wood products at 25%, fiber cement at 25%, stone at 6% and brick at 5%.

Some other findings:

Single-family detached homes are still all the rage, despite what anyone might tell you about the move toward urban living. The majority of all buyers (65%), and boomers in particular (63%), would like to buy a single-family detached home.

Whether that home is single-story or not depends a lot on one's generation. Though 64% of home buyers in general prefer single-story, only 35% of Millennials do, followed by 49% of Gen X'ers, 75% of Boomers and 88% of seniors.

Basements are preferred more by the young: 77% of Millennials, 67% of Gen X'ers, 50% of Boomers and 43% of seniors.

But living rooms are not. Forty-three percent of Millennials would buy a home without a living room, followed by 40% of Gen X'ers, 37% of Boomers and 26% of seniors.