by Tracee
Uneven brick on several walls of new construction.
+8
We are building a home and have hired a Brick Mason who came highly recommended. He did a fabulous job on the side and back of our house however he had to start jumping around because the brick pocket wast do e and he was trying to work out of the heat. As a result, a few of the walls appear as though they’re leaning and when you look closer you can see the brick courses are not even all the way across. My husband put a level on the last course of brick on the top of this wall in the picture and it is off by 1 inch. I’m just wondering if this is just me being petty or I should be concerned about? As most of you know on this forum masonry can be quite costly. Personally I would like for it to be fixed but I’m not sure what the fix is.
These are used as spacers! There is nothing wrong as far as I can see
The troubling part to you might be structural (load bearing) vs home inspection (safety issues).
Here is a to help you sort this out:
https://homeinspectioninsider.com/structural-inspection-vs-home-inspection-whats-the-difference/
I would contact the mason who did the work and explain your concerns to him. If you're still not satisfied, get an opinion from another mason.
An inch out is a lot. I would tell the mason that it needs to be corrected. You are undoubtedly paying a lot of money to him. Shoddy work is unacceptable. Tell him you want it corrected before it is too late.
get second opinion of the area before you make a decision
Get another mason to take a look at it and get their opinon, and then if it really bothers you, now is the time to have the original mason do something about your concerns. I've found that it pays to be picky as it will likely irritate you each and eery time ou look at it....especially in a new home....you want to get as much of it right to start with as possible.
Agree with Ann call the person who did the work and express your concerns to them. You paid for this you should get a acceptable result.
Likely the mason was hired only to install the brick on to the existing walls.
The job description was unlikely to include straightening the walls first.
Is the interior side of these two walls already enclosed or are they still exposed with the framing showing?
Have you checked to see if this side of the wall is level or not?
Are the outside and inside corners 90 degrees or are the angled?
I think you should get the original mason out and get a second opinion. If something goes wrong down the line or you just can't stand the way it looks, it is going to be a woulda coulda shoulda situation. Get it fixed to your liking.
First, talk to the original mason and find out if there were issues with the wall prior to his work. It was most likely existing issue since the bricks are tied to the wall using brick ties and 1" would be a huge variance. Then if you still feel uneasy get an inspector to take a look.
Hi Tracee: I'd have the city ordinance guy come out and take a look at it. Get his comments in writing, dated and signed. If he finds a problem, ask him what the fix would be. If it needs to be taken down, call the original contractor back and have him redo it. If he refuses, there's always small claims court and you will have the ordinance guys comments in writing, dated and signed :) This is a lot of money you're talking about, I wouldn't let it go if you're worried about it.
Call your big mention it to him tell him you don’t like the way it looks you want it fixed don’t finish paying him till it’s the way you want