No clue what the issue is. Post a picture. Sounds like you made a bad selection .......................

Sand blasting might work. Why do you ask?

Why would you take a relative maintenance free product like brick and introduce maintenance?

Here’s a picture

@JAN MOYER yes I did, trying to come up with a solution. This "smooth painter brick" also has waves in it. It hurts my eyes.

@Mark Bischak, Architect thank you for helpful suggestion.

@millworkman this is a new build spec, we don't choose where each material goes. the issue is with the appearance of the brick. are you saying that by distressing a smooth painter brick you have then gone from maintenance free to maintenance? how so?

Here’s the brick I should have chosen (this is another house by same builder that was not up at the time of brick selection). Brick selection was rushed and during initial covid shut downs so I was not allowed to go to brick supplier to view samples with designer).

Painting brick can make it a maintenance concern.

Depending on the brick, sandblasting may do more harm than good. Check locally on your concerns until you find someone fairly young and willing to bet their life that it will turn out the way you want it for as long as you want it. I do not recommend painting brick.

@Mark Bischak, Architect I'm reading that the outside layer of brick is the hardest most durable part of the brick and that sandblasting opens up the inner softer part of the brick making it more susceptible to decay and destruction from weathering over time. Is it completely unreasonable to replace brick? I realize this mistake is going to cost me some money or I am going to have to live with a brick that hurts my eyes. Surely replacing it can't be that much when the house isn't all brick.

@Mark Bischak, Architect painting the brick isn't a choice on this spec home - it's getting painted no matter what brick I had chosen. Thank you for your insight!

Landscaping can work wonders.

So far how many exterior materials are planned for the home?

"Is it completely unreasonable to replace brick?"

No it is not completely unreasonable, but I know I have better things to do with my money than to tear off brick only to replace it with brick; then paint it.

I did an addition for a client where we tore off the brick on the existing house and replaced it with stone; but he made more money that year than I will probably make in my lifetime.

@Mark Bischak, Architect brick, siding and board and batten. I'll post a pic. Landscaping will be pretty simple - had the landscape designer do what he could with the budget from builder. Funny thing is - landscape designer is who talked me out of the tumbled brick and into smooth brick. Two big lessons learned - let the designer choose and don't listen to any other opinions & if you're building during a pandemic, insist on a non-fined extension until you can view bricks with your designer in person.

Exterior front

Get an estimate of what it would cost to remove the current brick, re-brick, and paint brick. Take that amount and use it for additional landscaping and a real nice bottle of wine. Do not paint the brick. If after three years you still do not like the brick, drink the bottle of wine and give the brick another three years.

"painting the brick isn't a choice on this spec home - it's getting painted no matter what brick I had chosen. Thank you for your insight!"

I'm confused -- why does the brink have to painted?

I lived in a painted brick home -- Mark Bischak is 1000% correct, painting brick introduces the need for maintenance to a maintenance-free material, and in many localities de-values the home. Painted brick looks like...painted brick....

^Mark, that's some of the best advice I've seen on Houzz.

When yours is painted, it will look better than the one you are pining for. I'd let it get painted, and save ALLLLLLLL THE MONEY FOR LANDSCAPNG AND a fresh interior.

If you still detest it in five years? Tear it off. My bet is you won't.

Actually...........I think the smooth is downright..... not good lol

Look at the pics below. what do you see first? It's not the texture of the brick;. It's the entirety pf entrance, landscape and the WHOLE

SAME HOME BELOW

I agree with others on not painting the brick.

We have neighbors who are completely rebuilding their house, inside and out, taking a couple years. The brick must be leftover lots, because they were different colors and textures, which became pronounced when they were painted.

The type you like stood out like a sore thumb once painted. They had masons come in and fill in all the indentations with mortar. Then repainted.

To be honest I think you got lucky. Those wonky bricks are a fad. Paint what you've got and enjoy Mark's bottle of wine.

Just paint it. We painted our old house brick and didn’t have a single maintenance issue. Didn’t look back once! Here is before and after.

Thank you for getting rid of those round top windows. It looks much nicer now.

Lipstick on a pig as some Houzz folk would probably say but it was a vast improvement over the starting point and was lovely for us as a family for nine years. And it just goes to show that an average Joe family can make easy enough improvements and enjoy the end result

While I like the lime wash and German smear looks they are shown with tumbled bricks and raked grout. My brick is “painter smooth” and flush grout. Not sure this can be done on mine. Here is a close up picture.

The Limewash acts as a “stain” on the brick and grout so there is no issue with your current brick. The Mortar Smear is a stucco that is applied like a “frosting” to the face of your existing brick.

The 1/3rd offset is unusual, as was the choice of flush mortar. That said paint it as you initially intended and move on, it will be fine. It will fade into the background when the house is complete

I second the recommendation for using Romabio, even if you have to pay out of pocket for your builder to use it instead of his usual paint. In the long run you'll be glad you did.

As others have said, landscaping can do wonders. You'll have to be patient and let it grow in and not expect immediate results. Once you've moved in, you'll be so focused on the interior that the exterior won't bother you nearly as much.

We used rambio from Home Depot on our fireplace. It’s a lime wash. They are now making a flat paint as well. It’s fabulous!

Just paint it!! My friend did a beautiful new build in MN. Painted the brick ! Use Rambios new flat especially for brick

@HALLETT & Co. The 1/3 offset is incorrect - the builder told me it would be 50% brick lay. I don't have it in writing though. What should I do? I can't stand the brick, the lay or the mortar.

I'm so upset over this. There have been quite a few things that were verbally discussed, some during redline meetings with the designer that the builder totally forgot to do or did differently than we planned. For example, we moved some windows out to add space to fireplace wall bc of firebox code. He didn't do it and now the fireplace I've payed for (marble slabs with woodwork surround) won't work. Of course they'll give me a credit for what I paid but the only option now is an all stone surround which is going to cost more than what the designer and I planned. The builder should eat the overage, correct?

How much money do you have to throw at this "problem?" If you're going to paint it just paint it already. Like others have said, nobody will care. You wont even care.

Starting now anything discussed is followed up with an email confirming the info. Stop the issues by keeping a written record.

It’s very hard to get people to admit they were/are wrong and eat the costs. Especially without written proof. But for sure try

I have it in my own writing from notes I've been keeping but I don't have a signed document. I don't have the money to throw at these issues. The price of the house was our max. Every time I turn around, I'm so disappointed with a new mistake or something done differently than was planned. The brick is partially my fault bc I chose the type (but I don't feel it was under fair circumstances bc I was being fined $100/day to make the decision, being rushed by builder who was calling my husband to rush me, after 6 weeks no communication during initial covid shutdowns and I could not go to brick supplier to look at samples with designer).

I totally understand and hear your frustration. The builder won’t care if you are out of money though. Mitigate the issues and wrap up the project as best you can. Track what you can and hold tuemt accountable but don’t expect miracles either. It sounds like this is not a custom home so despite how important it is to you it won’t be treated that way by the other side.

Thank you for the sympathy. This is a custom home builder (highly rated on Houzz) but this particular lot had sat for a year and when we went under contract, they had plans and permits and were moving forward as a spec. I was supposed to be able to pick out all finishes but not make changes to footprint of house bc of permits. I should have run away in the beginning when they cut off some square footage and took out a powder bath bc the architect didn’t follow the set back code for the city. And they wouldn’t lower the price of the house. It was the only lot available at the time and this is a highly desired small neighborhood with amazing school (which my kids are attending) so I feel stuck. If it weren’t for my kids I would take a refund and walk away without a second thought.

I'd be a LOT more upset about the powder room, than the brick. You live on the INSIDE. You, and everyone else as well, "see" the house from some distance and the distance includes the landscaping. Focus on more important issue as you are. It's a first world problem in the end. All of it. Live healthy and well. Happy Holidays: )

A few mature bushes will be much cheaper than a tear off and rebrick.

@JAN MOYER Believe me, we were. Bait and switch. We put the powder back in and reworked the layout a bit bc of the lost sq footage, but we had to pay for it.

@HALLETT & Co. Good eye on the 1/3 lay! I asked for 1/2 brick lay.

@ AS I found an email today that I sent to the builder in October after our discussion with brick/mortar images that I asked for the same look. Both images I sent have 1/2 brick lay. They did 1/3 brick lay.

If you have a written record of things you have some pull. But it depends what you want to get out of it and what you will cave on.

We are 2 years living in our new build and still jabbed deficiencies. They were raised within the first month and not fixed and so you better believe I won’t let a few of them go. But a couple others have become non issues.