Are you having issues with mortar deterioration or brick deterioration in your Lancaster, Logan, Carroll, Circleville, Columbus Ohio home?

There are many things that can happen when the mortar and your bricks begin to deteriorate. First of all the major problem behind these issues are moisture and the freezing and thawing of the moisture. When this occurs you may begin to notice that the mortar in between the bricks begin to weaken and break down. Deterioration of the mortar joints may lead to water damage to the building interior and to the masonary itself. In this case you would need to have the joints repointed which can be relatively expensive, and very difficult to match the color and texture of the old mortar with the new. It is very easy to test and see if the mortar has become weakened. You can run a key or any hard object for that matter across the joints to determine how soft the mortar is. If this is an issue at your home please feel free to contact Phillips Inspection Services to do a exterior evaluation and chimney evaluation if applicable on your property. Now on to the brick, When examining brick I am looking for spalling which is flaking of the brick or facings of the brick are crumbling or falling off. I look very intently at areas that may be close to water sources or areas that trap moisture i.e. shrubs, bushes, and especially ivy. Vines can cause a considerable amount of damage to a brick structure. When the moisture gets trapped it can begin to deteriorate what it is in contact with, or when it begins to freeze and thaw. Deteriorating masonary could weaken the structure if it is part of the building skeleton, If it is a vaneer it is not as severe but still can be very expensive to remedy. Ideally I like to see the building have weep holes which are holes located at the bottom of the brick walls and are normally in every 4th to 5th vertical joint. Weep holes allow water that reaches the back of the masonary units to drain out of wall systems. There should be a flashing at the bottom of the wall that directs the moisture to the weep hole. What we want to do is try and keep moisture out of the picture. Here a few items that you can do on a monthly basis or as often as you like to maybe prevent some future costs and headaches:

1.) Making sure mortar is in good condition.
2.) Looking for cracks and or displacement in the bricks or mortar. Especially around doors, windows, or any areas that have had bricks taken out.
3.) Try to keep water directing from brick i.e downspouts and grading. Look at any areas on the structure that can accumulate water i.e at the base of windows and the base of chimneys and where flashing is located that is in contact with brick.
4.) Try to keep vegetation away from structure and try to have atleast 6 inches of clearence between final grade and brick.
5.) Make sure weep holes are not covered over or clogged.

I only touched on a few items involving brick and mortar. If you are interested in learning more or would like for Phillips Inspection Services to come out and do an evaluation we would be extremely happy to.

Feel free to contact us any day of the week. We work Monday to Sunday...

Certified Home Inspector serving Lancaster, Logan, Circleville, Carroll, Columbus and the entire state of Ohio.

Phillips Inspection Services
www.phillipsinspectionservices.com
phillipsfk@aol.com