anybody seen this before.......

[joeb1934]

so i did a little drywall removal in my attached garage to better run some wiring, etc. to the new garage, and this is what i found. the house was built in the early to mid sixties, and i figured there was no insulation (by the way, there was no insulation), but to see brick was a little shocking. i asked my dad, who has been doing remodeling for almost 40 years, and he said that was the first time he had seen anything like that. my question is, what are my options to seal this? i checked with one guy so far to do the spray in foam, and it was pushing $1000.00 for roughly 2 walls! i can't see spending that kind of money on this garage. anybody have any other ideas on how to seal everything up? so far, it doesn't appear to have any moisture damage after all these years.

 

[toolman1967]

I dont know, but it would be cool to leave it and have a brick wall in the garage. Might not be what you are asking but it would look cool.

 

[Orangestang]

If that wall is next to a living space it might be a whats known as a "Fire Wall" if there is a fire in the garage it keeps it from entering the house.You can just insulate it with R-15

 

[ddawg16]

If that wall is next to a living space it might be a whats known as a "Fire Wall" if there is a fire in the garage it keeps it from entering the house.You can just insulate it with R-15

x2....the mortar work on that brick is a bit rough....not sure I would want to look at that every day.

 

[Kevin54]

If it has been like that since the sixties and there is no sign of problems now, then I'd just throw in some batt insulation, cover it with drywall, and call it a day.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I'm no expert but I know some brick construction is designed so there is an air gap between the back side of the brick and any interior walls or insulation, to allow for ventilation and a way for any condensation to run away. Before you put in any insulation, find out for sure if you have to leave a space between the insulation and the brick.

 

[79firebird]

i my self would use this stuff http://www.roxul.com/stone+wool/water-repellent
I used it in my attic

 

[ForceFed70]

Batt insulation and vapor barrier.

 

[wssix99]

You'll need to do some more research before progressing. Throwing up insulation against this wall could be a recipe for guaranteed mold. Given that this is a garage, it looks like the builder took some short cuts and "artistic license."

If your wall is only one brick wide and is exposed to the outside, it should look like this: (if its more than one brick wide, please post back - that's a different situation.)

Brick is porous, like a sponge and will let water and vapor through. Given that fact, you need a space for water to run down the back of the brick and weep out at the base of the wall. You should also have sheathing and wrap around that to keep the water from coming inside your wall. (Then you can finish the inside as normal.)


Structurally, do you see any brick ties? (Labeled "anchor" in the picture.) If not, you can probably kick that entire wall down with your foot, which may or may not be a worry for you. Its hard to see what's going on with the structure. From your picture, it looks like there may be a beam sitting on top of the brick?

 

[joeb1934]

I dont know, but it would be cool to leave it and have a brick wall in the garage. Might not be what you are asking but it would look cool.

already thought of that. i does have a neat studio feel to it, but it gets cold. my plans are insulation, osb, and white paint, but i could always get 4x8 sheets of fake brick and put on there.

 

[joeb1934]

If that wall is next to a living space it might be a whats known as a "Fire Wall" if there is a fire in the garage it keeps it from entering the house.You can just insulate it with R-15

no living space on the other side, just the back yard. i do know the house has sheating and blackjack on it before the brick, just not sure why they didn't do it on the garage.

 

[joeb1934]

You'll need to do some more research before progressing. Throwing up insulation against this wall could be a recipe for guaranteed mold. Given that this is a garage, it looks like the builder took some short cuts and "artistic license."

If your wall is only one brick wide and is exposed to the outside, it should look like this: (if its more than one brick wide, please post back - that's a different situation.)

Brick is porous, like a sponge and will let water and vapor through. Given that fact, you need a space for water to run down the back of the brick and weep out at the base of the wall. You should also have sheathing and wrap around that to keep the water from coming inside your wall. (Then you can finish the inside as normal.)


Structurally, do you see any brick ties? (Labeled "anchor" in the picture.) If not, you can probably kick that entire wall down with your foot, which may or may not be a worry for you. Its hard to see what's going on with the structure. From your picture, it looks like there may be a beam sitting on top of the brick?

i thought the same thing. it is only one brick thick, and it is connected with the anchors. my dad suggested small strips on each side of each 2x4 close to the brick, and then put in plywood. that way i could insulate, put up plastic,and there would still be a small area for water to run down should any get through. i really don't see and evidence of any getting through yet, so i'm thinking i'll be good. what appears to be a beam at the top of the wall is actually the soffit area, not an actual beam (i don't think). thanks for the suggestions so far.