Brick Foundation & Brick Wall Defects & Failures InspectAPedia® -
Brick Foundation Defects listed, described & explained
Types of foundation damage organized by foundation materials
Photographs of foundation damage patterns and types
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Here we discuss How to Recognize & Diagnose Brick Foundation & Brick Wall Defects & Failures such as
damage due to impact, settlement, frost or water damage, and other causes.
Types of foundation cracks, crack patterns, differences in the meaning of cracks in different foundation materials, site conditions, building history,
and other evidence of building movement and damage are described to
assist in recognizing foundation defects and to help the inspector separate cosmetic or low-risk conditions from
those likely to be important and potentially costly to repair.
How to Recognize & Diagnose Brick Foundation & Brick Wall Defects & Failures
Examples of structural & other failures in brick walls & foundations
Brick wall settlement: These photographs of a Canadian brick structure (courtesy Carson Dunlop) show what is probably old and recurrent structural damage to a brick building in its above-ground
walls. We suspect there has been ongoing foundation settlement below these problem areas. Further inspection and
investigation were warranted. Any movement in a structural brick wall which risks having
broken the bond courses in the wall, and any movement in a brick veneer wall whch has broken or loosened
the connections between the veneer to the underlying structure are potentially dangerous and risk collapsing masonry!
Structural brick wall collapse: This historic brick structure in Saugerties, NY, had already begun to collapse when we inspected its condition. The root cause of failure was water
from roof leaks and at the building right side (not visible) in-slope grade and surface runoff which soaked the structure's lower
foundation walls and permitted frost damage. As bond coursed break and walls bulge, structures of this type are unstable and
dangerous.
It is likely that considerable portions of this structure will need to be removed before repairs can begin. Inside
we observed other evidence of collapsing foundations below other walls and we considered this building dangerous to enter.
Structural brick foundation collapse: We can see that this collapsed brick wall was a structural brick foundation, and the soil piled up suggests
it was done in by pressure from wet earth - a drainage or roof drainage problem may have been the root cause of this collapse.
[Three photographs courtesy of Alan Carson, Carson Dunlop, Toronto]
Some common brick foundation wall or brick structural wall defects to be observed and reported include:
A catalog of types of brick foundation and brick wall damage and defects is presented here
This sketch of the components of a preserved solid brick foundation with masonry exterior walls is courtesy of Carson Dunlop.
Bulging brick walls: this is likely to be a bond-brick or bond-course failure - potentially extremely dangerous and very urgent - can presage sudden catastrophic building collapse!
Cracks and Bulges in brick walls: frost and earth loading - can push a below-grade brick foundation wall inwards.
Often the wall is bulged inwards
as well as showing horizontal and step cracking and loose bricks over the bulged area. Damage occurs from slightly above ground level to roughly
the frost line.
Cracks and loose bricks: frost, settlement, expansion, usually diagonal or stair-stepped, often at building corners where
roof spillage is concentrated.
Loose bricks and missing or lost mortar: and movement where mortar is severely washed-out by roof spillage or other water movement against the foundation.
Loose and lost bricks may also occur where wood blocks, originally set into a wall to permit nailing of interior components, is
damaged by insects or decay. Similarly, if wood joists are damaged and bend excessively or collapse (insect damage, rot, fire) the
collapsing joist can, as its in-wall end moves, damage the foundation or building wall. (Fire cuts on wood joists in
brick walls were intended to minimize this damage source by angling the end of the joist where it was set into the wall pocket.)
Sand-blasted bricks which have been "cleaned" of old paint, algae, or stains using high pressure sand blasting or possibly
even very high pressure water blasting can be permanently damaged by loss of the harder surface of the bricks which had been provided
by their original firing. Once the softer internal brick has been exposed, the bricks will be more inclined to absorb water and to
suffer water and (in northern climates) frost damage. Sandblasting brick is considered a poor practice in building renovation and maintenance.
Spalling bricks: spalling is caused by water and frost, such as
water leaking into a brick structure at any entry point: a crack, a brick which has lost its hard surface,
or at openings by window and door penetrations. But beware about caulking brick - review our next item.
Exfoliating-rust damage to brick or other masonry walls(improperly) ocurs when brick walls have been improperly caulked
where caulking should have been omitted. The most common example of this defect is the damage that occurs to a brick
wall when a steel lintel over a window or door is caulked tightly between the brick and the steel. Moisture penetrating the brick
wall through cracks or mortar joints is trapped around the steel lintel. Rust developing on steel lintels has tremendous
lifting power as the rusting exfoliating metal expands, sufficient to crack and damage bricks around lintel. We inspected a Manhattan
apartment building which suffered multi-million damage to its brick exterior after a new "super" insisted on caulking tightly all
of the steel window lintels.
Improper repair mortar used durikng "repair work", tuckpointing bricks, or re-pointing bricks can cause
surface spalling of bricks if the mason uses a too-hard mortar high-portland content mortar on soft brick in a climate
exposed to freezing weatehr. The high
portland content means that the mortar will be not only harder, but more waterproof than the surrounding brick.
Water trapped around the hard mortar can freeze leading to surface spalling of the bricks. This is particularly likely to
be seen when a wall has been tuckpointed using hard high-portland mortar where originally a soft high-lime mortar was used and where
the original bricks were soft.
FOUNDATION CRACK EVALUATION discusses detail the process of evaluating foundation cracks and signs of foundation damage by examining the crack size, shape, pattern, and location.
FOUNDATION BULGE or LEAN MEASUREMENTS explains a simple method for determining how much bulge or lean is present in a foundation or wall,
FOUNDATION MOVEMENT ACTIVE vs. STATIC helps determine if the foundation movement is ongoing,
FOUNDATION DAMAGE SEVERITY discusses how we decide the severity of foundation damage and the urgency of further action.
FAILURES by FOUNDATION TYPE & MATERIAL describes the types of foundation damage, cracks, leaks, or other defects associated with each type of foundation material (concrete, brick, stone, concrete block, etc.).
We continue discussing how to inspect and diagnose brick foundations and walls
at: Brick Thermal Expansion Cracking
and how to recognize and evaluate it, and what causes thermal cracks in brick foundation walls or building walls
is discussed and illustrated at
Brick Thermal Expansion Cracking.
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Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.
Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
"Concrete Slab Finishes and the Use of the F-number System", Matthew Stuart, P.E., S.E., F.ASCE, online course at www.pdhonline.org/courses/s130/s130.htm
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, for permission to use illustrations from their publication, The Illustrated Home which illustrates construction details and building components. Carson Dunlop provides home inspection education, publications, report writing materials, and home inspection services. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
"Concrete Slab Finishes and the Use of the F-number System", Matthew Stuart, P.E., S.E., F.ASCE, online course at www.pdhonline.org/courses/s130/s130.htm
Sal Alfano - Editor, Journal of Light Construction*
Thanks to Alan Carson, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, for technical critique and some of the foundation inspection photographs cited in these articles
More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs
FOUNDATION CRACK EVALUATION discusses detail the process of evaluating foundation cracks and signs of foundation damage by examining the crack size, shape, pattern, and location.
FOUNDATION BULGE or LEAN MEASUREMENTS explains a simple method for determining how much bulge or lean is present in a foundation or wall,
FOUNDATION MOVEMENT ACTIVE vs. STATIC helps determine if the foundation movement is ongoing,
FOUNDATION DAMAGE SEVERITY discusses how we decide the severity of foundation damage and the urgency of further action.
FAILURES by FOUNDATION TYPE & MATERIAL describes the types of foundation damage, cracks, leaks, or other defects associated with each type of foundation material (concrete, brick, stone, concrete block, etc.).
...
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