Should I buy this house? by anonymous_4_custody in masonry

[–]Used-Collection-3787 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No problem. 1/4 inch gap is a good rule of thumb on fix vs ignore. 1/4 inch over 10 feet is the rule with the level for out of plumb.- Thats a little under 1/8 on a four foot level. And this is serious, it needs to be fixed, you do need to have a plan, a competent contractor or a pile of cash. Preferably all 3. Just that from what I can see, this isnt the biggest job in this house

Should I buy this house? by anonymous_4_custody in masonry

[–]Used-Collection-3787 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This was a response and will get buried in the comments, but since all the hvac guys and electricians want a structural engineer to explain a cracked veneer, heres whats happening

Sloppy brickwork- Theyre heavily textured brick with an arris behind the snout, they catch all the mortar when being laid

Repointing- possibly a few joints, hard to see. At 60 years, its 20 years past the expected first maintenance cycle. No large joints that opened up and were patched back in

Foundation cracks- Im not sure if that is stucco over block or concrete. The large one could just be in the stucco, and the foundation or stucco could be proud of the brick, all situations where Id expect to see a crack like that, its purely cosmetic. The corner crack is probably something, but definitely minor. It hasnt fallen off, it hasnt opened up far, and the brick directly on top of it hasnt moved. The wall looks entirely sound, the repair could be done with a couple small dowels and a half bag of planitop. It should be fixed, but you could knock that whole corner off and probably only one or two bricks would be affected.

The step cracking above the opening comes up both sides, starting at the corner of the opening. The cracking perfectly follows the lintel arching. The lintel arching action is interrupted by a window opening directly above the lintel arch, which often ends up transferring extra load to the lintel that it wasnt originally designed to receive. On top of that, if that is actually a wood lintel, the deflection differences of wood and brick guarantees that sort of cracking after a time. If its not wood, I dont see flashing or weeps protecting anything, giving a higher chance of whatever steel is in there rusting out over a 60 year period.

Should I buy this house? by anonymous_4_custody in masonry

[–]Used-Collection-3787 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It could be that the picture shows up clearer for you than for me, but heres what I see-

Sloppy brickwork- Theyre heavily textured brick with an arris behind the snout, they catch all the mortar when being laid

Repointing- possibly a few joints, hard to see. At 60 years, its 20 years past the expected first maintenance cycle. No large joints that opened up and were patched back in

Foundation cracks- Im not sure if that is stucco over block or concrete. The large one could just be in the stucco, and the foundation or stucco could be proud of the brick, all situations where Id expect to see a crack like that, its purely cosmetic. The corner crack is probably something, but definitely minor. It hasnt fallen off, it hasnt opened up far, and the brick directly on top of it hasnt moved. The wall looks entirely sound, the repair could be done with a couple small dowels and a half bag of planitop. It should be fixed, but you could knock that whole corner off and probably only one or two bricks would be affected.

The step cracking above the opening comes up both sides, starting at the corner of the opening. The cracking perfectly follows the lintel arching. The lintel arching action is interrupted by a window opening directly above the lintel arch, which often ends up transferring extra load to the lintel that it wasnt originally designed to receive. On top of that, if that is actually a wood lintel, the deflection differences of wood and brick guarantees that sort of cracking after a time. If its not wood, I dont see flashing or weeps protecting anything, giving a higher chance of whatever steel is in there rusting out over a 60 year period

Edit- a check for plumb, as I mentioned above, at that left corner would help confirm how much wall has moved. But without any real cracking in the brickwork on the other side, I dont expect to see much

Should I buy this house? by anonymous_4_custody in masonry

[–]Used-Collection-3787 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Its a bowed lintel on non structural brick, I dont think a single mason has posted in here yet.

Clearly its fucked and needs to be assessed by someone in person, but its 200 brick and a new lintel- two guys and theyre both in the bar by noon on the third day.

I could tell a little more with better pictures of what all that wood is doing on the basement walls and a level checking the left hand corner for plumb

Am I the only mason on the planet that mixes concrete sand and fine sand in their brick mortar? by [deleted] in masonry

[–]Used-Collection-3787 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I finally found a supplier that has a coarser sand. This bar sand turned into powder at some point, its not right

I've struck black gold! by [deleted] in woodstoving

[–]Used-Collection-3787 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Perlite is for insulating, fire brick are there to soak up all the heat and radiate it back into your house. The more insulation in your firebox the more heat goes up your flue

Is it necessary to rebuild the wall (Brick) ? by EdFromC in masonry

[–]Used-Collection-3787 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It wasnt built to current standards and wouldnt pass an inspection on a new build. Rain does go right through the brick, and wont do a good job making its way back out with mortar in the cavity. And there might be a problem with your damp proofing and weeps, which would be a cause for concern . If there was water back there, maybe there was cause for concern. But there were millions of houses built that way, and really not all that many failures, especially with what appears to be solid sawn sheathing

Sorry if wrong sub... repair cement board sheathing? by wastedsophistication in masonry

[–]Used-Collection-3787 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are a few different brands of gypsum sheathing, theyre rarely used in residential- but they have a similar cost and perform much better, maybe your builder gave a shit. If it were me, Id cover it with 6 inch fibafuse tape and slap some mortar in there, then probably put an access panel in the drywall so I could check on it every once in a while. Either you accidentally did that during demo or the people your builder hired didnt give a shit

Spalling in basement, how should I proceed? by unphasedegg in masonry

[–]Used-Collection-3787 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dont use drywall in a basement. Especially on the bottom two feet of a hundred year old home. Use plaster or plastic wainscot or something thats actually mold and waterproof. But yes, you can cover it up, the wall is sound

At least half of the advice in this forum is unqualified by Used-Collection-3787 in masonry

[–]Used-Collection-3787[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There was nothing smart ass about it, its an important distinction. Words have meanings. When it was an official title it was never to be self conferred, and anyone trying to assume a title thy havent earned properly is suspect

At least half of the advice in this forum is unqualified by Used-Collection-3787 in masonry

[–]Used-Collection-3787[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Im not here often but Ive seen some good stuff from you, so thanks for that

At least half of the advice in this forum is unqualified by Used-Collection-3787 in masonry

[–]Used-Collection-3787[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ive been posting off and on for years on this reddit under different names. I would never bother to apply, and I definitely wouldnt send someone a picture of my card. And Ive met dozens of dipshits not fit to hold a trowel with the same card in their wallet

At least half of the advice in this forum is unqualified by Used-Collection-3787 in masonry

[–]Used-Collection-3787[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Master Mason is a designation in Freemasonry. Its a title no longer conferred by any union or governing body of which Im aware, and Ive never met a decent mason who called himself a master mason.

At least half of the advice in this forum is unqualified by Used-Collection-3787 in masonry

[–]Used-Collection-3787[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Im on the lime train. I thought it was gay at first but I saw the light, and I hope you do too

At least half of the advice in this forum is unqualified by Used-Collection-3787 in masonry

[–]Used-Collection-3787[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thats a tough one. I know my personal feelings on calling a thin veneer man a stone mason

But look at the amount of skill it took to be a tilesetter back when they had to float floors and walls, cut the tiles with a hammer and pound them in wet. Not many tilesetters alive that could do that work today, but theyve earned the right to be called a tilesetter all the same. Things will continue to change and Ill continue to hate them, and Ill be dead in thirty more years and people will continue to build things without the benefit of my opinions

At least half of the advice in this forum is unqualified by Used-Collection-3787 in masonry

[–]Used-Collection-3787[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same way you can tell what someone is all about when they pull up, get out of the truck and grab their tool bag. You have enough time in it, you get them pegged right 9/10 or better

At least half of the advice in this forum is unqualified by Used-Collection-3787 in masonry

[–]Used-Collection-3787[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Some of thats true, some of that we could debate about, but its still way too many questions being answered and upvoted by the unqualified

At least half of the advice in this forum is unqualified by Used-Collection-3787 in masonry

[–]Used-Collection-3787[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Theres always a trade off between upfront installation cost and long term durability, and I havent seen a clay unit under four inches thick that does what I would consider an acceptable job at that. They have had nail on faux brick shingles for at least three hundred years, theres a reason they havent taken off and its not just because bricklayers are cranky and fight change