new brickwork cracking

[SALIV8]

http://www.boralamerica.com/media/default/resources/bricks/brick-install-guide-best-practices.pdf

13: flashing - is quite similar to what I have. Although I have at least 2 columns of brick (as opposed to one single column or row shown in the literature) it is still the same idea. Mine includes a stainless steel exposed drip edge as well, under the flashing, but the idea is similar.

I don't have any close ups of my lintels afterall. I checked. If you need a pic or two let me know and I can snap a couple, I suppose.

 

[wssix99]

from memory, should be close, good call to ask for this, I should have thought of it

Thanks. This is really helpful and builds a different mosaic than I was imagining. I would also look for any other hairline cracks that might be starting in other areas (parallel to these) in the field between the windows or coming out of the other corners.

This could be consistent with the far corner sinking. Even though the contractor said they put it on "undisturbed soil", that doesn't mean that it necessarily compact or solid - but it shouldn't be carrying a lot of weight.

The item of most concern to me is the gutter that drains in to the pipe at the foundation at that point. If the integrity of that pipe is compromised, it could be undermining the foundation at that point. Do you know where that pipe drains to?

 

[joes169]

the Bricks are solid "no holes vertical" the GC didn't make it Saturday since it was raining hard all day, will come this week.
I'll see what I can do with a picture locating the cracks.

Do you have any brick left over to verify that there's no frog (holes or depression) in the brick? If there isn't, they're actually a paver, which I would never lay on an entire house.

I still don't think it's a settlement issue, or much of an issue at all. I'd be highly surprised if the garage wasn't sitting on a 4' frost wall on top of a concrete footing. Just because you can't see it or go into a crawlspace under the garage doesn't mean it doesn't have an adequate foundation.

On another note, I supply all of the lintels we set for brick & stone jobs, and I epoxy primer and paint all of them in the shop beforehand. Once we set them, we flash them with self-healing, self-adhereing flashing to about 12" above the bottom of lintel, set weeps (not ropes, but true air vents)at 24" centers over lintel, and layer with WRB layer(s)over the top leg of the flashing.

 

[SALIV8]

Joes169 you sound like a thorough professional to me, a mostly uneducated layman.

Quick question. My lentil weep ropes are inside hard plastic tubes that are about the size of a sharpie marker and these ropes can be pulled out somewhat easily actually. Is this what you are talking about regarding the weep holes?

Also, do you see a problem with the OPs lentils as I have?

 

[joes169]

Joes169 you sound like a thorough professional to me, a mostly uneducated layman.

Quick question. My lentil weep ropes are inside hard plastic tubes that are about the size of a sharpie marker and these ropes can be pulled out somewhat easily actually. Is this what you are talking about regarding the weep holes?

Also, do you see a problem with the OPs lentils as I have?

If you're going to refer to me as "a mostly uneducated layman", you should at least give the illusion that you're educated yourself. A "lentil" is a bean, a "lintel" is a steel element intended to support masonry.

Rope weeps have long been discarded as best practice (maybe 20-30 years ago?) as they only deal with solid water, and do not address the water vapor issue that's relevant in modern masonry. Pulling out the rope would certainly help promote air flow behind the wall, assuming there's proper ventilation at the top of the wall/parapet.

I see no current issue with the OP's lintels (lentil's for your understanding) when it comes to degradation at this point, although 20 years from now could be a different story.........

 

[SALIV8]

I was referring to myself as the uneducated layman.

Why would an encapsulated lintel or lentil, whatever the spelling is, be acceptable when you yourself said that there are multiple steps including proper flashing, weep holes, and wrb(?) to installing a proper lentil or lintel while the OP shows none of this with his lintel or lentil?

 

[SALIV8]

Ryan77 this is the only pic I have unfortunately. Hopefully you can zoom in? Also, regarding the lentils- the downtown Chicago high rise that I am responsible for had much permitted and inspected facade brick work done recently, and the vast lentil replacement work also included the same weep hole plastic tunnels and rope as well as the same flashing and stainless steel drip edge that I have now....

 

[wssix99]

I still don't think it's a settlement issue, or much of an issue at all.

Did you see the new picture in post #32? There are two parallel lines, correlating movement in a common direction.

 

[ryan77]

saliv8, thanks for the pic I see what your talking about, was the lintel failure worse on the prevailing wind side, or same all around, and wssix99 yes I know where the gutter goes I will check it out to be sure its draining correctly and intact.

 

[ryan77]

and joes169 the bricks have no holes or formed indents, my wife picked the brick and when my dad seen the stacks he questioned the no holes issue, the place of purchase and the mason said the brick was intended for walls it was just a different style, there are other houses locally that use it, it is a rough tumbled brick, so the flat surfaces really aren't flat, dips and waves with rounded corners and a bit of a rough texture surface.

 

[SALIV8]

saliv8, thanks for the pic I see what your talking about, was the lintel failure worse on the prevailing wind side, or same all around, and wssix99 yes I know where the gutter goes I will check it out to be sure its draining correctly and intact.

Sure. I can take a close up if youd like to see my setup better. The lintel failure was far worse on each one in the front of the building. The others on the sides and garage showed far less issues. I decided to just have each and every one completed at the same time on the garage and building and not worry about it again in my lifetime.

 

[dutchgray]

Frog less bricks are fine, all the old ones were like that, we have bought thousands of reclaimed ones over the years, the frog is mostly to save the brick makers money.

 

[Bill50]

A resource for masonry failures is the International Masonry Institute. This was a good discussion. I am retired Tuckpointer in the Chicago area. Bill

 

[stonesg]

Why are there keystones when it's not an arch and is it possible that the different materials/sizes are expanding and contracting differently?


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[Hilltopmasonry]

Why are there keystones when it's not an arch and is it possible that the different materials/sizes are expanding and contracting differently?


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Keystone are decorative


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[ryan77]

the keystones were requested by my wife...lol

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

Joes169 you sound like a thorough professional to me, a mostly uneducated layman.

Quick question. My lentil weep ropes are inside hard plastic tubes that are about the size of a sharpie marker and these ropes can be pulled out somewhat easily actually. Is this what you are talking about regarding the weep holes?

Also, do you see a problem with the OPs lentils as I have?

The plastic weep tubes have wick rope attached to them so wet mortar doesn't fall behind the wall and plug the hole up when they are building the wall.


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[Hilltopmasonry]

Here's a larger settlement crack on a home built in the 1920s that I worked on today

This one split the sill

Follow it all the way to the ground

p

This is a solid brick wall and you can see it goes all the way through


Usually a small hairline crack in the foundation and it grows on the way up

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[EOC_Jason]

Are there "after" pics???

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

Are there "after" pics???

I was in a hurry to leave and I forgot lol

I have to back in a few days and I'll take some then


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[Hilltopmasonry]

Are there "after" pics???

Here ya go

Hey OP did you make any progress with your issue?


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[sawduststeve]

Nice work HillTop, good match with the mortar.


Steve.

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

Nice work HillTop, good match with the mortar.





Steve.

Thank you steve! There is nothing worse than a "repair" that jumps out and looks like **** after its "fixed" lol


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[bczygan]

It shouldn't do that.

3 years?

Most warranties we did were 12 months.

What's in the contract?

But you can sue for anything.

Bill

 

[oldmxracer]

Here ya go

Hey OP did you make any progress with your issue?


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Hilltop, Great work ! Wish I had the skills !

In My own opinion in the picture I saw, Your home owner might have a bit of a roofing problem.

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

Hilltop, Great work ! Wish I had the skills !



In My own opinion in the picture I saw, Your home owner might have a bit of a roofing problem.

Thanks for the compliment

Actually he has a huge roof problem as in it should have been replaced 22 years ago! I wish i would have taken a pic of it because it is so bad that it looks like the shingles are oozing off of it like they are melting. The homeowner said he tried to call a few roofers out recently to get a bid but no one called him back cause its such a small job


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[EOC_Jason]

Very nice work, I had to look at the original picture to see where the repair was! Blends in so well you don't even notice.

 

[ryan77]

not much changed with the cracks, the GC hasn't made it out yet, I do notice a hairline crack starting right under the one window and heading down.\
nice fix hilltop.....