Replies

1. 
   hcheng | Jan 30, 2017 12:39am | #1

   Please see the photo in the attachment.

   
2. GBA Editor
   Martin Holladay | Jan 30, 2017 04:38am | #2

   Hong Cheng,
   It's impossible to tell without a site visit. But here is my guess:

   1. The discolored area in the center of the wall is wetter than the areas on the right and left.

   2. The designer of this building forgot to include a roof overhang or wide cap flashing to protect the brick.

   3. The most likely cause of the moisture accumulation is cap flashing with a lip (drip edge) that isn't wide enough. It's possible that the metal flashing got slightly bent during installation -- just in the middle of the wall -- so that rain dribbles down the facade.

   .

   
3. GBA Editor
   Martin Holladay | Jan 30, 2017 08:24am | #3

   Hong Cheng,
   Here is a link to an article with more information on this topic: Brick Buildings Need Roof Overhangs.

4. 
   hcheng | Jan 30, 2017 01:49pm | #4

   Thanks so many for help. I think the flashing is not installed yet, which caused the problem. But this photo took after 1 week dry days.

5. Expert Member
   Dana Dorsett | Jan 30, 2017 01:53pm | #5

   If you look at the drip edge flashing along the top of the wall in the picture you see mulitiple defects and bowing over the discolored section, which means it was probably dripping onto the exterior of the brick in multiple locations in that mid-section.

   Toward the left edge there appears to be a gap, a missing section, which doesn't seem to have discoloration below it, but that may be because the water wasn't making it all the way to the exterior there, but going into the inside of the building instead.

6. GBA Editor
   Martin Holladay | Jan 30, 2017 02:02pm | #6

   Dana,
   It's even possible that a worker on the site noticed that the wall was getting soaked, and, in a crude attempt at a fix, used a flat bar to try to make the flashing drip a little further from the building.

7. 
   hcheng | Jan 30, 2017 02:39pm | #7

   hi all,

   thanks for help, another building with newly installed flash.

   
8. Expert Member
   MALCOLM TAYLOR | Jan 30, 2017 08:53pm | #8

   I think the first picture just shows the roof membrane lapped over the parapet. The second one Hong posted shows the finished cap flashing.

   I'd be more worried about the windows.

9. 
   hcheng | Jan 30, 2017 09:42pm | #9

   hi all,

   Thanks for your help.
   What is normal procedure for the construction ? is it ok to put flashing after brick ? Since the wall has "wet" patch, anything should do to correct this ?
   What's wrong with the windows ?

   Thanks
   hong

10. Expert Member
    MALCOLM TAYLOR | Jan 30, 2017 09:54pm | #10

    Hong,
    There is nothing wrong with the windows, or the way they have flashed the roof from what I can see, but unprotected walls, and reliance on precast sills, are higher risk building assemblies than many others.

11. 
    hcheng | Jan 30, 2017 10:07pm | #11

    hi Malcolm,

    Thanks for quick response. Those precast sills with brick is very common in here Vancouver. BTW, how to protect the brick wall, paint it ?

    Thanks
    hong

12. Expert Member
    MALCOLM TAYLOR | Jan 30, 2017 10:36pm | #12

    Hong,
    I used precast sills with brick veneer on homes in Ottawa for years, but in that climate you don't have to worry about bulk water intrusion the way you need to in Vancouver.

    Similarly, using a reservoir cladding (one that absorbs and stores water) like brick, especially without protecting it with overhangs is risky too.

    I don't know enough about it to comment on sealing or painting the brick. My gut feeling is it may do more harm than good by limiting the drying potential to the outside, but maybe reducing the amount of water it can absorb mitigates this concern?

13. 
    hcheng | Jan 30, 2017 10:46pm | #13

    hi all,

    thanks for help, appreciate it.

    Thanks
    hong

14. GBA Editor
    Martin Holladay | Jan 31, 2017 05:23am | #14

    Hong,
    Q. "How to protect the brick wall? What is the normal procedure for the construction? What's wrong with the windows?"

    A. The answers to these questions are provided in the article I linked to: Brick Buildings Need Roof Overhangs.

    This is a basic design issue, and it's kind of too late to fix. The designer forgot to include an adequate roof overhang or an architectural feature that protects the windows from rain.

    That said, if the building ever gets wide metal flashing at the parapet cap, it won't be any worse than most brick buildings built since World War II. Most urban residents have gotten used to the look of brick buildings with wet spots and dribble marks. It drives me crazy, but it's the new normal.

15. 
    morganparis | Jan 31, 2017 06:32am | #15

    Q. What is wrong with this new building brick wall?

    A. Architecture School.

16. Expert Member
    MALCOLM TAYLOR | Jan 31, 2017 11:38am | #16

    James' succinct answer pretty much covers things.