For centuries stone and brick were one of the main building materials for houses. Generally speaking brick and stone are water proof, the joints and mortar however are not.
Houses clad in brick or partially clad are quite common in Connecticut. I know of entire neighborhoods of brick clad houses. Many, many home buyers and home owners I speak with believe that brick is water proof. From the inspections I perform on brick clad houses, the water proof brick myth seems to be alive and well.
On a recent home inspection, walking up to the house I immediately noticed the soil and landscaping over a brick clad wall. At its deepest point the soil was about three feet above the wall sloping down towards the driveway at the garage door frame.
On the other side of the brick wall was a half bath. Examining the finish on the wall, it looked like it had been repaired in the past. Knowing that water proof brick is a myth, I took out my moisture meter and stuck into the sheet rock. The meter almost pegged out.
We haven't had any rain in about a week with the temps in the high 80s to low 90s. Checking further along the wall past the corner to the next wall, I found more of the same. The adjacent framed wall behind the toilet it turned out was also below grade. The main entry porch, a slab, was over and against this wall.
As I also mentioned the soil was sloped towards the garage door. Inside the garage the shared wall with the bathroom where the sink was located was wet. Water running down the slope is seeping into the garage with the wall acting as sponge. So three out of four walls in this tiny bathroom were wet.
While centuries of building have taught lessons, it seems some have been forgotten or perhaps were not passed on. It is hard to know.
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