The featured photograph shows a lintel that was removed from over a door opening. The brick wall is about 45 years old and faces west. The age of the brick veneer and the lintel are not known with certainty, but… Read More
Category Archives: What happens when …?
What Happens When… There is a Knot in a Truss Web Member?
Here we have a truss web member that is fully fractured. Close examination of the fracture discloses a knot that extends from the top face down to the bottom face, nearly the full width of the member (Figure 1). The… Read More
A Lesson for DIY Landscapers (& Professionals, too)
Ever wonder what happens when you plant a tree sapling too close to a basement wall? This is what can happen, “Many years later.” This is probably much closer to a wall than anyone would purposely plant a tree, but… Read More
Corrugated Brick Ties
How well do those corrugated brick ties perform over time? Not too well. The wall fallen in the featured photograph exhibited severely corroded ties that contributed to the failure of the brick veneer (Figures 1 and 2). The wall was… Read More
What Happens When…the Top of a Masonry Wall is Left Open? (Case Study 1)
Ever wonder if conventional wisdom, common sense, or old wives’ (in this day and age of political correctness I probably should include old husbands’) tales are accurate? This blog begins what I hope to be a new recurring series of case studies… Read More