Frequently Asked Questions

brick&batten provides guidance and creative direction to clients looking for simple – yet impactful – property exterior updates. Using a photo (or a blueprint), we design a fresh new look and create a rendering that helps our clients visualize their properties’ potential. We also deliver a detailed resource list for DIYers and experienced contractors to use as a guide in sourcing materials for the new design. Please visit our Design Services page to learn more.

Your design is custom created by a team of experts and real people, with families, just like you. Your team includes: Design Project Managers, Exterior Designers, Graphic Designers, Architects, Color Technicians, Landscape experts, and our vetted contractors in your area.These pros are here  to help you visualize your home’s potential and bring your vision to life. 

That said, the most important person in our design team and process is YOU!

Absolutely! You may purchase additional sides at a lower cost the same time you are ordering your first side. Simply click the option at checkout. You will be asked to submit a clear, straight and level, photograph of every side being designed. Contact us for additional information if needed.

Yes! We’ve designed multi-residential properties, barns being converted into law offices or spas, leasing offices, office buildings, restaurants, retail stores, language centers, assisted living facilities, and more. Learn about our exterior design services for businesses here.

YES! We do many new construction designs and house additions. That said, there is an up-charge for this type of design service, because we turn your blueprint into a ‘photo’ that we can manipulate and design.

When you check out, there is an option to click for a blueprint or new construction. For blueprints, please include all elevations and the floor plan, if possible. Having multiple viewpoints gives us a better visual of the various angles of the house in relation to each other. This helps us create a more accurate 2-D rendering of your design. Be sure to click the blueprint or new addition option before you check out. Learn more about the difference between designing from a photo and from a blueprint on our How It Works for Homeowners page.

YES, if you have a blueprint for us to follow, then we can create a space that’s not in your photo. We cannot help you visualize major architectural changes or create something that’s not there without a blueprint or more guidance.

To illustrate, we can add on to a structure if there’s something already there, but we can’t create an addition from scratch. We can add a gable, but we can’t raise the roof (literally, though we can and do raise the roof figuratively all the time!).

The BIG THING we cannot do without a blueprint is help you visualize additions. Other smaller changes we can help you visualize, including the following: porches, porticos, covered outdoor patios, pergolas, most dormers, change window sizes, and change front door and garage door sizes or locations.

Please contact us for more information.

After your order has been placed and any outstanding questions are finalized, our design process will take approximately 16 working days. Your Design Project Manager will provide an estimated due date after we have reviewed your design details. If you do not hear from us after receiving your due date, please know we are working away on your project and will reach out if we need anything.

If you are on a tighter timeline, you may request Expedited Delivery to receive your design within about 8 working days. This option is available at checkout for an additional fee. Learn more on our Pricing page.

Your design is custom created by a team of experts and real people, with families, just like you. Your team includes: Design Project Managers, Exterior Designers, Graphic Designers, Architects, Color Technicians, Landscape experts,  and our vetted contractors in your area.We do our best to work efficiently but also take great care in creating a thoughtful and purposeful design. Because of this, our hours and estimated due dates are subject to change.

Our design services come in a range of packages that vary, with add-ons that suit different projects. Please see our Pricing page for full details.

Your exterior design rendering comes with a clickable PDF with links to our recommended materials and vendors. You can see an example on our Design Services page.

Using the links on your deliverable will take you to our recommended providers. As the leaders in exterior design and many thousands of designs delivered, we curate from and recommend high quality products. That said, we don’t take a commission on the items we select for your home’s design. We truly recommend products that are custom and best for your project and aren’t swayed by a commission.

We ALWAYS recommend testing paint colors and GETTING SAMPLES of stone, siding, brick, etc., because every eye and computer screen shows color differently. Before painting your home, reach out to our friends at Samplize who will provide you with superior customer service and extra large 9 x 14.75 inch PEEL & STICK PAINT SAMPLES of the colors we have recommended for the exterior of your building. Use the Samplize link HERE to order “Real Paint, No Mess” samples. Before purchasing siding, brick, stone, etc., ask the manufacturer to send you samples and view those samples in your environment and different times of day.

Note that some items will not be linked due to their custom nature and/or the cost of buying them directly such as awnings, columns, stone pavers and certain hardscape features, some railings, etc. We call these Additional Items, and they are best sourced locally.

Please keep in mind that our product recommendations are just that. You are under no obligation to purchase from our suggested vendors.

We have always incorporated landscape visualization as part of our process. We include all of the hardscape, and we render and furnish patios, decks, awnings, etc. Please keep in mind that we do not take measurements, so any furnishings will need to be sourced to fit your area. We are not geographic experts on what will thrive in different environments; however, we use plants that show the height differentials and color ideation to achieve. Most of our clients will bring our design to a local nursery, where they can recommend plants that will thrive in the area and largely achieve the look we’ve designed.

Yes!  We offer a Paint Visualization package, because we know that it’s just as easy to paint your house the right color as it is the wrong color. So we’d like to help you get it right!  By partnering with us, you can lean on our design experts to ensure you make the best color palette decisions for your exterior paint.

You can get started with our paint package here!

Yes, of course! We work with our clients on making the changes they want to see for their exterior and are happy to keep any elements you DO NOT want changed in your design, untouched. Recently invested in a new roof? Love your natural brick? Then let us know! Please simply specify what you’d like to keep the same in your submission process. Our designers will consider these “fixed elements” to design around.

The photo you submit is key to a great after design. After all, it’s what we use to build our rendering! When you go through the check out process, there will be a place for you to upload a picture of your home. Here are some best practices for taking ‘before’ photos:

• High resolution. This is the most important thing! It’s important for our designers to see accurate details and colors to make the best choices for your design. Photos from realtor sites (Zillow, Realtor.com, etc.) are low resolution, so unfortunately we can’t use them. Also, many times, the color has been enhanced or distorted.
• Sun facing the house is best. Houses with shadows don’t provide the best color; therefore, color may be altered to enhance clarity, color, exposure, or sharpness.
• On overgrown landscaping and vehicles. If we can’t see what’s behind overgrown landscape, trees, brush, boats, cars, dumpsters, etc., we may or may not be able to help you visualize that portion of your building’s façade.
• Free of clutter. The best visualizations come when you’re able to put away bikes, toys, cars, garden hoses, and other items in the yard. If you leave them in your before photo, these things may remain in your after photo.
• Level and straight. Do your best to snap a level and straight photo of your home, including the roof line. Focus on the area you want to see in your design.
• Get close to your house. Walk close enough to your house to cut out any landscape or neighbors’ homes to the left and right. The less we have to ‘zoom in’ to see your house details, the clearer your design will be.
• Actual size. If you’re using your smartphone to snap the photo, be sure to email it to yourself (or AirDrop it, or whatever format you plan to use for sharing) in ACTUAL SIZE. This allows you to get the highest resolution photo possible.
• Zoom in to check. Before submitting your photo, zoom in and be sure the fixed elements you want our designers to see are clear.
• Upload. In step 4 of your design order, you will be asked to upload your photo. Drag your picture to the box provided. When you see the X, your photo has been submitted.

Unless the photos you upload are labeled, we will choose the photo that is best for your design. If we need additional photos, we will contact you ASAP.

Prefer visuals? Here’s a brief YouTube video with tips:

You can upload more than one photo to show us various angles of your home; however, keep in mind that for each side ordered we will only use ONE PHOTO to create your design. So, be sure to have one level, high resolution photo with the entire space you want designed.

​Tree coverage and landscape coverage on your home or building is a common situation. The good news is that oftentimes we can work with tree coverage on your photo. Feel free to still submit your order. Here is what we recommend: 

Take a picture of your house with the tree blocking it. Do your best to make it ‘straight’ (not at an angle), get your whole house in the frame, and make sure it is a high-resolution picture – sent in actual size. Then take additional photos of what is behind the tree. Submit all of these photos with your order. In many instances, our designers can create what’s behind trees and bushes based on other parts of the house; please note that we often have to improvise based on what we’re able to see.

If we are unable to work with the pictures you have submitted, we will reach out and review additional options. 

Note that we cannot use a panoramic picture for the design. You are welcome to send it so we can see the house and the details but we just can’t use that photo for the actual design of your home.

Sometimes using the appropriate vocabulary just makes it easier to explain what you want our designers to know about your project. Struggling to name that pointy thing sticking out from your roof or to describe what you want to see with new windows? Refer to our exterior design dictionary for illustrations and definitions of some of the most commonly used terms that we’ve come across in our work. You may even find some of them mentioned on your deliverable!

As always, if you come across a term that isn’t addressed here or have any questions about something specific, please feel free to contact us.

Immediately following your order, you will receive an email with the subject line ‘Payment received.’ This email will have your order number and all of the details you submitted about your project. If you notice something that needs to be changed, please alert us immediately as we begin work as soon as we receive your project details and photos.

We will always do our best to accommodate any feedback received. That said, we may not be able to change based on new information.

Yes and no. You have complete control of your budget. If you know that new windows and a new roof aren’t in the budget, then let us know and we won’t show you those in your design. We don’t know how much materials and labor cost in your area, so if you have a set budget, it’s important for you to know what changes you’re ready to make before receiving a design.

Yes, we design homes with HOA and historical guidelines to follow. That said, it’s important that you highlight the requirements you want us to keep in mind while designing in your submission. Please don’t send us the book and ask us to figure out what you can and can’t do.

Keep in mind, we recommend paint colors we know and trust. If we haven’t seen the color live in different environments it won’t be a color we generally recommend. If your HOA requires exact colors, we can show you what your house will look like with those colors; however, we will be taking the color from an online color chip. Sometimes the color chips don’t accurately reflect how the color will look on your house.

Yes! We are happy to render your home with elements you have already chosen. Please be sure to include a link to the items you have chosen and/or a photo of the items. We will render them to the best of our ability based on the information and photos you provide. Also, in your submission, please be sure to let us know what remaining elements you would still like design input on.

Of course, we ALWAYS RECOMMEND TESTING paint colors and GETTING SAMPLES of stone, siding, brick, etc., because every eye and computer screen shows color differently.

Our goal is that you walk away feeling empowered to make informed decisions about your home’s exterior. Which is why, after receiving your design you have the option to order a free revision on select design elements. After this option, you may request paid revisions. The best way to receive revisions is through using the link on your deliverable email. That ensures we receive your request, your request is added to the correct design order, and we begin work right away. Your Design Project Manager is also available to review your design and feedback prior to submitting your free revision if needed.

We do appreciate timely revision requests, yet we understand it can sometimes take time to gather feedback. We must receive your free revision request within two (2) months of receiving your deliverable. After this time, you may request a paid revision and select from the available revision elements and pricing. Please head to our About Revisions page for full details.

We begin work on every project within hours of receiving the order. Because of this, there are NO refunds for work that is in the design process or that has been delivered. If you have specific questions about your order, please contact us. Please note that, if we process a refund for any reason, we will hold back 10% of the refund amount or a minimum of $60 to cover our processing fees.

We ALWAYS RECOMMEND TESTING paint colors and GETTING SAMPLES of stone, siding, brick, etc., because every eye and computer screen shows color differently. Before purchasing siding, brick, stone, etc., ask the manufacturer to send you samples. View those samples in your environment. Before painting your home, test the colors on the surface being painted. Observe at different times of day.

Our mission at brick&batten is to help you envision the exterior design of your dreams and arm you with the plan to make it a reality. In addition to your design, we also now offer a contractor introduction through the brick&batten Pro Network. If we have a vetted professional contractor within the network that services your area, we will introduce you! Our goal is to make the process of finding and working with contractors seamless. Please reach out to pronetwork@brickandbatten.com.