Anchoring to single-wythe brick stem wall?

[niceflipflop]

My 200 sq ft detached garage is a stick frame sitting on a single-wythe brick stem wall, which (I presume) itself sits on a concrete ledge. It rises about 1' above grade and the slab.

It's really just a glorified shed, but hey...it's what I got and I intend to make the most of it.

Pics: https://imgur.com/a/MpFpK

I was already planning to reframe, resheath, and reside it, among other things. But given the condition of the brick (and my desire to do a serious bricklaying project), I'm considering rebuilding the entire stem wall, as well.

But whether I rebuild the wall or not, I'm definitely replacing the entire sill plate, which is pretty rotted. So either way, I need to plan on how to anchor it. But I cannot find any information on how to properly do it on a single wythe of brick. I suppose it's just not a very common base style, even for small garages/sheds.

If you're wondering, 'How's it anchored now?" Well, that's the thing. There's a handful of 1/2" bolt anchors, one of which is almost entirely exposed because the interior faces of those bricks are just gone.

I can't even tell yet how these bolts were installed. Possibly stood up and grouted in the cores when the bricks were first laid?

At any rate, even if I keep (some) of the wall, I doubt I'll be reusing any of those bolts. So how would a pro attack this?

And yes, I agree that a wider, more substantive foundation would be ideal. But the current footprint already defines the corner of my property, so going outwards isn't an option. And I don't want to give up another inch of interior floor space. It's already tight. I want to keep the overall profile.

If I use cored modular brick, could I stand up bolts from the get-go and anchor to them? What about 1/2" x 5" Tapcons? Drilling that wide vertically thru a single wythe gives me the willies. I'm concerned I'll end up cracking several bricks.

Anchor straps instead?

I might eventually get the county building office to advise. But I'd love some thoughts from others first.

Cheers.

 

[Chris705]

Would you possibly consider using 6” masonry block in lieu of brick? You could jack garage up, shore and lay 6” block which could be anchored down to what ever footing may be down there. Then anchor bolts could be grouted in place.....??? Just a possible option. Not sure brick in a single wythe is how you want to make this a solid structural fix?

 

[niceflipflop]

Would you possibly consider using 6” masonry block in lieu of brick? You could jack garage up, shore and lay 6” block which could be anchored down to what ever footing may be down there. Then anchor bolts could be grouted in place.....??? Just a possible option. Not sure brick in a single wythe is how you want to make this a solid structural fix?

I'm still considering it in the back of my mind.

Under different circumstances, I'd strongly consider it. But again, I don't think I can go outwards at all. As you can see in that pic, my neighbors and I all have (more or less) the exact same garages with the same footprints, all abutting a shared drive. And I don't want to encroach on what little floor space I have.

And I'd like to keep the brick stem wall. I prefer the look over block. I don't have any reason to believe that this design in general isn't structurally sound. It just hasn't aged well. Mostly due to a lack of gutters and flashing, which I intend to correct.

In fact, I had an engineer look at it when he inspected the main house. He said the only thing I need to do is replace the sill. I was sort of shocked he didn't really have any issues with the brick.

If I were just going to continue using the garage as storage, I'd stop there. But I want to finish the inside and make it a proper shop. And I just can't justify doing all that work atop such a beat up base.

I'd love to restore it, rather than re-engineer it. But I might not have that luxury.

 

[Bluevista]

You use the "L" shaped masonry anchor bolts, been doing it like that for forever. Those bolts are made to go between the mortar joints and not pull up, drilled anchors are sketchy in brick IMO but may be fine, ask the inspector. I won't go into building a wall on the inside and bracing to hold up things and keep them straight when you tear out the sill plate and stem wall deal. Just that you run up the stem wall setting anchor bolts in the joints every few feet as usual, then you notch the sill plate around the bolts and slide it in from the inside or outside (if it's opened up) then bolt it down and toenail the studs back to it. I'd use treated and remember to use a capillary break material/flexcel sandwiched between the brick and sill plate. It's just basic rotted sill plate replacement plus a brick wall. You'll need a sawzall to get the old plate out from around the existing bolts and cut off the nails holding the studs and other stuff to it.

If you're going to do brick just remember that when you go get it not to say "bricks" plural, then they know you're an amateur. It's brick and block no matter how many there are, just like deer.

 

[niceflipflop]

You use the "L" shaped masonry anchor bolts, been doing it like that for forever...

Nice, I wondered if this were another method, but again, there's NO examples of this type of base. I've googled just about every possible permutation of 'anchor sill to brick stem wall' that you can possibly imagine. All you get are examples of block bases.

Do you happen to have a link or know what manufacturers would call those bolts? Are they just J-bolts, but with right angles?

How many courses deep would they typically run?

Thanks for the install tips as well as the grammar lesson. I definitely outed myself there. ;-)

Cheers.

 

[GMCGarage]

There is alot of new data saying not to use the J bolts. They dont anchor as well as a straight bolt with a oversized head.

You are getting minimal capacity out of a bolt like that into clay brick. Just reuse whats there and put a new sill down and move on.

 

[niceflipflop]

There is alot of new data saying not to use the J bolts. They dont anchor as well as a straight bolt with a oversized head.

You are getting minimal capacity out of a bolt like that into clay brick. Just reuse whats there and put a new sill down and move on.

Yeah I'm mentally going back and forth between, "REBUILD ALL THE THINGS!" and, "the brick is ugly, but mostly fine."

Interestingly, the exterior of the wall looks really good. It's hard to believe those are the same brick on the inside. But I guess that's just what spalling and effloresence looks like.

The worst damage is that one exposed bolt, but that's exactly where I'm putting the man door, so I'll be cutting that section out, anyway.

Is it possible all this wall needs is some repointing, replacing of a few brick here and there, and other TLC?

 

[Radix2]

i know you want to do some brickwork, but I would not do more than some tuck pointing and maybe replacing any bad areas ( are the bricks in the front spalled out by the door?)

If you really fell you need to tie the building down more, I wouldn't try doing it to that bit of brick. Use some steel straps to get down to the floor and anchor there. Or use some lumber at the corners to run down on the inside to the floor, use some angle brackets to tie it down. You won't loose any floor space and the building is small enough that getting the corners locked in will help.

You could epoxy some rod into the floor and tie into some plate bolted to your new sills as well.

 

[niceflipflop]

i know you want to do some brickwork, but I would not do more than some tuck pointing and maybe replacing any bad areas ( are the bricks in the front spalled out by the door?)

If you really fell you need to tie the building down more, I wouldn't try doing it to that bit of brick. Use some steel straps to get down to the floor and anchor there. Or use some lumber at the corners to run down on the inside to the floor, use some angle brackets to tie it down. You won't loose any floor space and the building is small enough that getting the corners locked in will help.

You could epoxy some rod into the floor and tie into some plate bolted to your new sills as well.

This is incredibly helpful (and reassuring). Thank you.

There's some damaged brick at the main door, yes. But it looks intentional, to accommodate the overhead door hardware, which I'm guessing was installed later. No other damage in that area that I see. But who knows what I find once I start removing the trim.

The condition you see in those other pics is pretty much what it's like around the entire interior. But the exterior looks pretty good.

I'm assuming I can't just throw standard mortar in there. Probably a lime mortar to keep things stable? Does it look like prior repairs with the wrong mortar is what caused a lot of that spalling?

Yeah, I'm definitely interested in brickwork, but I've got several other smaller projects around the house that can satiate me. I definitely want to savage anything I can in this garage.

Thanks!

 

[KenC]

This is incredibly helpful (and reassuring). Thank you.

There's some damaged brick at the main door, yes. But it looks intentional, to accommodate the overhead door hardware, which I'm guessing was installed later. No other damage in that area that I see. But who knows what I find once I start removing the trim.

The condition you see in those other pics is pretty much what it's like around the entire interior. But the exterior looks pretty good.

I'm assuming I can't just throw standard mortar in there. Probably a lime mortar to keep things stable? Does it look like prior repairs with the wrong mortar is what caused a lot of that spalling?

Yeah, I'm definitely interested in brickwork, but I've got several other smaller projects around the house that can satiate me. I definitely want to savage anything I can in this garage.

Thanks!

I agree with radix, what you have is very useable with some repairs.

As to the spallling, I really don't see any brick damage of note. What you have IMO, is just brick that when new had one show side and the other was never intended to look good.

the anchor bolt appears to pass through 3 courses and has a large washer under the head to resist pull up. A Z shaped bracket/holddown at the corners would be easy to do and add a lot of holding strength. One leg anchored to the floor with either dropin or epoxy anchors , the other over the lower plate. That with new bottom plates should do ya.

I'd consider a nice stucco finish over the brick. Done well with mesh it would add considerable strength and look fine.

 

[Radix2]

This is incredibly helpful (and reassuring). Thank you.

There's some damaged brick at the main door, yes. But it looks intentional, to accommodate the overhead door hardware, which I'm guessing was installed later. No other damage in that area that I see. But who knows what I find once I start removing the trim.

The condition you see in those other pics is pretty much what it's like around the entire interior. But the exterior looks pretty good.

I'm assuming I can't just throw standard mortar in there. Probably a lime mortar to keep things stable? Does it look like prior repairs with the wrong mortar is what caused a lot of that spalling?

Yeah, I'm definitely interested in brickwork, but I've got several other smaller projects around the house that can satiate me. I definitely want to savage anything I can in this garage.

Thanks!

Unless an experienced mason chimes in with something different, I'd go with regular mortar mix and hit the area with a latex bonder first if you want some extra stick. This is mainly cosmetic, so what if anything to do is based onhow you want it to look when you are finished. No loose bricks, says cosmetic to me.

 

[niceflipflop]

Thanks, guys. Feeling way more confident about this now. I still have this (uneducated and unfounded) feeling that when I jack up the wall and remove the load, this stem will just come tumbling down.

But I don't have any real masonry experience and I'm getting the sense that these brick are far more sturdy than they look to the layman.

Thanks again.

 

[kbs2244]

A brick wall will handle the weight load.
The purpose of the J bolts is to resist wind load.
If the code would allow it I would put a 10 foot piece of 4z4 angle iron 4 feet deep in each corner as a wind anchor.
Have the iron supplier put 2 or 3 3/8 inch holes in each flange of the iron for the lag screws you use to go into the building.
(If code wants the J bolts put both in)
If you are going to rebuild the walls, the angle iron can go on the out side of the corner and serve as guides for plumbing the walls.

 

[DieselNut88]

I just built a 150sqft shed. I used 6" concrete blocks. To anchor the wall I used 10" j bolts and filled the blocks with grout. I filled all the blocks, which because I was on a hill was 3 courses. I used a 6" bottom plate to cover the whole width of the brick. It was my first time laying block and it was not the most enjoyable experience, but it was not that bad. It took me about a month working by myself on weekends.

 

[theoldwizard1]

My 200 sq ft detached garage is a stick frame sitting on a single-wythe brick stem wall,

I don't know what a "single-wythe" wall is. If that is a weird autocorrect for "single-width" then any mason will tell you they are not very strong. To my knowledge, there is only ONE single width brick wall taller than 6' that has remained standing for more than 50 years. (Bonus to anyone who know where it is !) Typically above about 4' the WIND can knock them down.

Is it a "block" wall ?

EDIT : Learned something new !

"Single Wythe" is a CMU (concrete masonry unit, a.k.a. concrete block, cinder block, breeze block, etc) that is only one unit thick. The typical size in the US is 16" x 8" x 8". Thicker units are available typically when they are used for retaining walls.

 

[niceflipflop]

I don't know what a "single-wythe" wall is. If that is a weird autocorrect for "single-width" then any mason will tell you they are not very strong. To my knowledge, there is only ONE single width brick wall taller than 6' that has remained standing for more than 50 years. (Bonus to anyone who know where it is !) Typically above about 4' the WIND can knock them down.

Is it a "block" wall ?

EDIT : Learned something new !

"Single Wythe" is a CMU (concrete masonry unit, a.k.a. concrete block, cinder block, breeze block, etc) that is only one unit thick. The typical size in the US is 16" x 8" x 8". Thicker units are available typically when they are used for retaining walls.

I'm obviously not that experienced, but I've always known a wythe to be a single unit thickness of any masonry block. It's not specific to CMUs, it applies to brick, too. I don't know any of other word to describe that concept. A course is a row that increases the wall vertically, and a wythe is the thickness.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wythe

And this is just a stem wall. It's only 4 courses above grade, about 10 inches. Apparently not a common style these days, but has held this garage up for nearly 70 years.

Cheers.

 

[Radix2]

I don't know what a "single-wythe" wall is. If that is a weird autocorrect for "single-width" then any mason will tell you they are not very strong. To my knowledge, there is only ONE single width brick wall taller than 6' that has remained standing for more than 50 years. (Bonus to anyone who know where it is !) Typically above about 4' the WIND can knock them down.

I don't know where your wall is, but the Romans built with a lot of brick, and a ton of it is still standing...after 2000 years.

 

[kbs2244]

Since there is no limitation on the width of the single unit I dispute the question.
There are thousands of stone building in daily use.
Some of those walls are 3 or 4 feet thick.
Big blocks of stone.

 

[niceflipflop]

Since there is no limitation on the width of the single unit I dispute the question.
There are thousands of stone building in daily use.
Some of those walls are 3 or 4 feet thick.
Big blocks of stone.

I'm not sure if this was meant for me or someone else in the thread, but if you're disputing my original question...

Yes, I would agree that technically, a 'wythe' can be several inches thick. But given the context of my post and the pics provided, it was fairly obvious I was talking about common brick. Cheers.