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Does Construction Type Affect Home Insurance Cost?
Discount ranges based on Checkbook.org's published analysis of how homeowners insurance rates are determined.
Two houses of identical value can carry different premiums for one reason alone: what they are built out of. Here is how much that actually matters.
Data sourced from Checkbook.org
The masonry discount, in plain terms
A masonry home, brick, concrete block, or stone exterior walls, typically costs about 14% less to insure than an otherwise identical frame home. That figure is a midpoint: the actual gap ranges from roughly 8% in areas with strong local fire protection to as much as 20% where fire protection is weaker, since the value of masonry construction is really about how well a structure resists a fire spreading and how much damage it limits before firefighters can respond.
This is a genuinely different risk category than wind, hail, or flood exposure. A brick exterior does nothing to stop a roof from losing shingles in a windstorm or water from entering through a failed seal.
It specifically addresses fire risk, both from an internal source (an electrical fault, a kitchen fire) and, increasingly relevant in wildfire-prone states, from an external one. That is also why the discount shows up consistently across insurers even though none of them publish an identical exact number, the underlying risk logic is the same industry-wide.
Why frame construction still dominates new home building
Despite the insurance discount, wood-frame construction remains far more common than masonry across most of the country, for reasons that have nothing to do with insurance: it is faster to build, generally less expensive upfront, more flexible for design changes, and better suited to regions with significant ground movement or freeze-thaw cycles, where a rigid masonry structure can crack over time in ways a frame structure tolerates better.
The insurance discount is a real, quantifiable savings, but it is one factor among many in a home's original construction decision, not typically something built specifically to chase a lower premium.
The roof-age discount
A roof replaced within the last 10 years typically earns roughly an 8% discount off an otherwise identical policy, drawn from a commonly reported 5%-10% range. The logic here is straightforward: a newer roof is significantly less likely to leak, blow off, or fail structurally during a wind or hail event that an older roof, already worn down by sun and weather exposure, would not have survived intact.
Roof-related claims, wind damage, hail damage, and age-related leaks, are among the most common homeowners claims filed nationally, which is exactly why insurers price roof age as its own distinct factor rather than folding it into a home's overall age.
Some insurers go further and apply a steeper surcharge, or in high-risk states even decline to write a new policy at all, for roofs older than a set threshold, commonly somewhere around 15 to 20 years, regardless of the roof's actual condition.
If your roof is approaching that range, it is worth asking your insurer directly whether an inspection could avoid a non-renewal at your next term, rather than waiting to find out at renewal time.
Getting insurers to actually apply these discounts
Neither discount is guaranteed to appear automatically on your policy. Insurers generally do not independently verify your home's construction type or roof age after the policy is written, they price off the information on file from when the policy started or was last updated.
If you built or bought a masonry home, confirm at binding that it is classified correctly, not as frame construction with a masonry veneer, which many insurers rate differently.
If you replace your roof, report it to your insurer directly rather than waiting for your next renewal, and keep the contractor's invoice or permit as documentation in case it is requested.
Frequently asked questions
Is a brick house always cheaper to insure than a wood-frame house?
Usually, but not automatically. The masonry discount reflects better fire resistance, which lowers the insurer's risk of a total loss from an internal fire spreading through the structure.
It does not reduce your exposure to wind, hail, or flood damage, so in a hurricane- or hail-prone area, construction type matters less relative to those other risks than it does in a lower-risk state.
What counts as 'masonry' construction for insurance purposes?
Insurers generally classify a home as masonry when its exterior walls are brick, concrete block, stone, or stucco over masonry, not just brick veneer over a wood frame.
A wood-frame home with a brick facade is usually still rated as frame construction, since the structural fire performance comes from the framing material, not the exterior finish.
Confirm with your insurer how your specific home is classified, since it affects your rate directly.
Does replacing my roof always trigger a lower premium automatically?
No, in most cases you need to tell your insurer. Insurers typically do not know your roof was replaced unless you report it, whether at your next renewal or by calling to update your policy file.
Keep the contractor's invoice and any permit documentation, since some insurers ask for proof of the replacement date before applying the discount.
Can I combine the masonry discount and the recent-roof discount?
Yes, they apply to different parts of the home (wall construction versus roof condition) and most insurers stack both if you qualify for each. Together they represent a meaningful reduction off a standard premium, though the exact combined effect depends on your specific insurer's rating rules rather than a simple addition of the two percentages.