Mitch27 Posted October 3, 2014 Report Share Posted October 3, 2014 My wife and I are considering buying a house and had a home inspected. One of the main things concerning us is his statement on the brick exterior. There aren't any weep holes installed and there seems to be a fair amount of spalling. The home owner tells us that there is nothing to be worried about, and is having an engineer come to to check it any way. I was wondering if I could get some opinions on here... Album: http://imgur.com/a/NFJ0g Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted October 3, 2014 Report Share Posted October 3, 2014 The old "It's messed up but it's really not" sellers statement. No flashing, no weep holes, and to know for sure what's going on you have to open up the wall and look. The spalling indicates less than competent masonry.....incompatible mortar and brick. The hardness of the mortar relative to the brick matters. A lot. Once you lose the tempered face of the brick, all that exposed interior soaks up water like a sponge. The engineer should harsh this one. If they don't, they're a ****er. I might still buy it, but it would depend on price and a lot of other factors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted October 3, 2014 Report Share Posted October 3, 2014 W a n k e r is censored...(?)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjr6550 Posted October 4, 2014 Report Share Posted October 4, 2014 How old is the house? I'm assuming it is frame construction with a brick veneer. The mortar joints are not great, that particular type of brick may be prone to spalling, and moisture wicking up from the ground may be responsible for much of the spalling. Brick should terminate about grade level. The lack of weep holes is typical in my area for anything other than relatively recent construction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted October 4, 2014 Report Share Posted October 4, 2014 I see issues that may be a result of a lack of separation between below-ground and above-ground courses of brick. They should be separated by flashing and weep holes. Someone has done a lot of patching in that area. Patching is what happens when things aren't done right in the first place. Pretty much what Kurt opined. If the interior side of those walls is concealed with wall finish, I'd be wary about concealed moisture issues. Could be worse issues inside than outside. Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Fabry Posted October 4, 2014 Report Share Posted October 4, 2014 Unless that house is priced way below other houses on the street, I suggest you keep looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkBrandon01 Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 I agree with Chad. Find another house. It's better to invest on a nice and safe house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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