The walls of a home can be made of solid masonry . Usually, there are two thicknesses of masonry. The interior wall may be left exposed, plastered over, or covered with drywall. The masonry wall can be made of such materials as brick, stone, and concrete block.
Asolid brick wallcan usually be
identified by the header rows, where
the brick is turned with its small end facing out. The header rows serve as ties to hold the bricks together. (Header rows are not present in brick veneer walls.) The thickness of brick walls has declined over the centuries from 20” thick to 16” to 12” and finally to 8” thick. Most brick homes built since the early 1970’s are, in fact, brick veneer over a wood framework.
The solid masonry wall may be built of two materials — an inner and an outer layer. This is called a
compound wall. Metal ties are used
to attach the two layers together and give strength to the wall. The positioning of header rows in the brick outer layer can be random, not necessarily every five to seven rows.
If a dead air space is left between layers, the wall is called a cavity wall.
A masonry wall with an air space left between the inner and outer layers of the wall is called a cavity wall. In older
construction, both inner and outer layers were often brick. A header row of bricks laid with the small end out, traversed the cavity and held the wall together. In more modern construction, the inner layer could be stone or concrete block. In the
compound cavity wall, where you find different inner and outer
materials, the brick could be attached to the inner layer with metal ties or with header rows.
Header Row
Header Row
Header Row Solid Brick Wall
Compound Wall Metal Ties Stone Brick Header Row Header Row Header Row Solid Brick Wall
Compound Wall
Metal Ties
Stone Brick
Definitions
In a brick veneer house, an outer layer of bricks is attached to the wood framework of the house using brick ties, which are accordion-style metal fasteners. Weep holes are openings in the bottom row of brick providing an exit for water accumulating behind the brick veneer. A flashing placed at the foundation is sheet metal which prevents water leaks into the foundation.
In a solid brick house, three layers or wythes of brick are used to construct a solid wall with no wood framing. Header rows are rows of bricks turned small end out to act as ties to hold the wall together. A compound wall is a solid masonry wall built of two different materials. A cavity wall is a masonry wall with a dead air space left between layers.
The home inspector will note the following problems that may be seen with solid masonry walls.
• Cracking: Cracks can appear in a masonry wall for a
variety of reasons. Some cracks are the result of foundation settling and movement. Refer back, if you wish, to pages 22 to 25 and pages 33 and 35 in this guide for the discussion on cracking involving the foundation. Refer also to Photos #18 and #19, discussed in these same
pages, to see examples of cracking that appears as a result of settlement.
Other types of cracks appear because of some problem with the above-grade construction of the home. Step cracksabove doors and windows indicate a problem with
the lintel. A rusting lintel, which expands as it rusts, can lift the masonry above it, causing step cracks to move upward from the top of the window. A sagging lintel may cause step cracks in an inverted V-shape over the top of the opening or a horizontal crackat the top. There can be
lower horizontal cracks and sagging above an opening in the foundation such as a hatchway.
• Deterioration of brick and mortar: Both brick and
mortar can deteriorate if the right materials were not used in the original construction. It’s possible that mortar could have been mixed with too much sand making it weak or with too little making it brittle. And bricks can have a surface that is too soft to keep out water .
But generally, wateris the enemy of brick and mortar.
Depending on how the mortar was finished of f, rain may be allowed to enter into the wall and into the interior of the brick. Deteriorating mortar will wash away. The surface
Brick Cavity Wall Air Space
Header Row
Compound Cavity Wall Air Space
Header Row Concrete Block MASONRY WALLS
• Solid brick wall • Compound wall • Cavity wall
For Your Library
If masonry walls are common in your area and you can expect to be inspecting many of them, it’s a good idea to invest in some books on the subject. Look for titles that will educate you further in problems with
masonry walls and appropriate repair work.
face of deteriorating brick will crumble and fall away if water is absorbed into the bricks. This is called spalling.
Deterioration may be present at the bottom of the wall where rain has been allowed to splash against the masonry . Both brick and mortar can be damaged from condensation inside the wall.
• Bowing or leaning: The masonry wall should be plumb,
but there can be distortions such as bow(vertical outward
curve),sweep(horizontal outward curve), bulgingwhich
is a combination of bow and sweep, and leaning for a number of reasons. Common causes are the deterioration of the mortar and the expansion and contraction of the wall itself.
Masonry walls can be affected by the interior framing.
Expanding or warping joists can cause the wall to bulge outward and even crack. Spreading roof rafters can push out the tops of walls. And, of course, foundation problems and movement can cause the masonry wall to distort. REPORTING: When reporting on wall structure in your inspection report, be sure to identify the walls as wood framing or masonry. If you can’t determine the wall structure in the home, make a note that interior wall structure was not visible. (The inspection and reporting of findings for exterior walls is presented in more detail in A Practial Guide to Inspecting Exteriors.)
Figure #4 Figure #5 Figure #6 Figure #7 Figure #8 Figure #3 ? Figure #1 ? ? ? Figure #2 ?
WORKSHEET
Test yourself on the following questions.Answers appear on page 84.
1. Match the type of construction with the illustration.
A. Balloon framing
B. Brick veneer over wood framing C. Brick cavity wall
D. Compound cavity wall E. Compound wall F. Platform framing G. Post and beam framing H. Solid brick wall
1. In Figure #1, what is the item marked? 2. In Figure #2, what is the item marked? 3. In Figure #3, what is the item marked? 4. In Figure #5, what is the item marked? 5. In Figure #8, what is the item marked?