DEAR TIM: I’ve just placed an offer to purchase a two-bedroom house. It’s an older building, probably close to seventy, or more, years old. After placing the offer, I then took a closer look around the exterior and noticed some cracks in the brick under the bay window. Is this a serious problem? Like many, […]
DEAR TIM: The brick in the front of my home have been flaking off. This is a southwest-facing wall. Can you tell me why this is happening? Is there a way to repair the brick? What can I do to stop any further flaking and damage? Was the wrong brick used to build my home? […]
"Brick walls leak water. They’ve always leaked water. Builders and masons from hundreds of years ago knew this and..." Brick Weep Holes Tips Water gets behind brick walls Weep holes allow water to exit the wall Mortar can clog weep holes Flashings must be installed too DEAR TIM: I live in a brick townhouse. In […]
DEAR TIM: My husband and I are in a small skirmish about our new brick veneer home. I want it to be somewhat distinctive where you incorporate random pieces of rock in the brick. Among other claims, he says this will weaken the brick and cause leaks. Is this true? He’s also worried that it […]
DEAR TIM: I’ve got a real mess on my hands. I removed ivy from my brick home and the brick is now splotchy. The brick had a slight sanded texture that was lighter in color than where the the ivy was growing. When I removed the ivy, the sand came off and exposed a darker […]
DEAR TIM: My relatives want to repair failing decorative iron columns and short stubby brick pillars that are part of a front porch on a home that's about 100 years old. A giant section of the house overhangs the front porch and I'm certain the decorative ironwork is helping to hold up the second story. […]
DEAR TIM: My wife and I moved into a new condominium building in March 2009. When it rains and there's heavy wind, we get water leaking through the brick. A gentle rain shower with the rain falling straight down causes no problems. What is causing the problem? There are many older brick buildings on the […]
DEAR TIM: My brick house was built in 1921. The brick are a mixture of brown, various shades of red, beige and black. I had some deteriorating mortar replaced and the handyman smeared the mortar on the brick. What do I have to do to clean up my brick mortar making sure I do not […]
DEAR TIM: Our house has a free-standing decorative brick wall with an iron gate. In various places, the bricks are crumbling. In some places, the entire face of the brick has come off. I do not have enough replacement bricks to replace the damaged bricks. Must I replace the bricks that are merely crumbling or […]
Maryann Mosca had an unfortunate loss in her life and now she's trying to finish a stone job and needs to change the mortar color. She lives in Branchburg, NJ. Here's what she sent me: "Let me start by saying my husband was a carpenter and put on a 2nd floor and front porch on our […]
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