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This wall looks pretty good, no problems here, right?

By
Home Inspector with Aspect Inspection

side wall

This wall looks pretty good, no problems here, right?

Well maybe.

But look up at the second story level.

Look where the decorative front type brick meets the planer single colour side brick.

You can see the joint between the two, right?

The light whitish colour of the mortar, yes.

Why is it like that, we don't see any others like it do we.

So lets go over and take a closer look at it.

Now you can see it ; 

wall detail

  Now you CAN see it!

  There's a bulge

  What does that mean?

  That means that the ties that joined this masonry to the wall framing behind have let go, at least in some areas.

  Why? The metal strips have rusted and broken. This is from water that has gotten in behind the wall bricks over the years.

  This can be from just the weather exposure of the brick, but usually it indicates a weakness in the parapet wall flashing or leaking roof conditions.

  I suspect I already know what I'm going to see when I get on the roof of this property.

  To fix this a mason has to remove the bricks down from the top until he reaches solid wall areas and then rebuild the wall back up to the top.

The bricks all have to be cleaned of the old mortar in the process or be replaced with new. The parapet wall flashing has to be taken off and then reinstalled in process of rebuilding this wall. So even without paying for new bricks this will be a labour intensive repair.

So before you finalize the purchase price of this property you need a masonry contractor to provide the pricing for this repair. It will definitely be a factor in the financing of this property.

 

So if you are in the Montreal area, and are planning to buy or sell property, you need these costly repairs identified. You can contact me for a full inspection or an issue specific consultation.

Not even two weeks ago there was an incident reported on the news here in Montreal where a section of wall masonry fell off a high story building and damaged a neighbouring property about 10 storeys lower. The bricks broke through the roof and ceiling of the upper floor. Fortunately no one was in those rooms at the time.

View news report images: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2011/04/19/outremont-brick-wall-falls.html

So even when you are not preparing to sell or buy property, don't neglect the maintenance inspections. Oh, and by the way this is also a service that I provide.

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Comments (8)

Chandler Real Estate Liz Harris, MBA
Liz Harris Realty - Chandler, AZ
#ChandlerRealEstateAgent

Great point to demonstrate how very important home inspections are!

May 01, 2011 04:12 PM
Robert Butler
Aspect Inspection - Montreal West Island, QC
Montreal Home Inspector | Aspect Inspection

Thank you Liz. Glad you appreciate it. I'll be doing a series of them. you can subscribe ot bookmark them to be able to answer specific client questions.

May 01, 2011 04:15 PM
Robert Butler
Aspect Inspection - Montreal West Island, QC
Montreal Home Inspector | Aspect Inspection

You welcome Valerie. It's all about knowing the way it should be and then spotting when or where it isn't.

May 02, 2011 11:03 AM
Donald Hester
NCW Home Inspections, LLC - Wenatchee, WA
NCW Home Inspections, LLC

Robert,

Good one, out here one shaker and that whole thing is coming down. Sometimes people do not truly evaluate the true cost of a home. That would includes some major repairs, time and yes money!

May 02, 2011 12:29 PM
Robert Butler
Aspect Inspection - Montreal West Island, QC
Montreal Home Inspector | Aspect Inspection

Hi Donald. we occasionally, say every 5 years, get a 'shaker 'that most don't notice. Usually a little bit of frost movement and god ole' gravity does the rest.

May 02, 2011 12:45 PM
Not a real person
San Diego, CA

I was wondering what that was in the picture. So that’s what brick looks like. Interesting. I wonder if we have any brick here. JJJJ

May 03, 2011 01:24 AM
Robert Butler
Aspect Inspection - Montreal West Island, QC
Montreal Home Inspector | Aspect Inspection

You can learn a lot about a building from the brick. It shows everything that has happened to it.

May 03, 2011 02:06 AM