The OP (and most of the country) are not in a very high risk area like you where special provisions have been added to the IRC. And I did state that I was not talking about high wind/seismic risk areas. In fact the OP is in a very low wind/seismic risk area (http://www.llr.state.sc.us/pol/bcc/index.asp?file=WS_Maps.htm). Attached is a copy of the 2009 IRC Section R404 for you to compare.
Unreinforced brick foundation walls (no bond beams, no vertical reinforcement, no footing anchors) are perfectly fine as long as it’s not in a higher wind/seismic risk area. In fact a brick wall is stronger that an equal width typical CMU wall.
The phrase as I know it is a double width wall.
Single, double , triple width, and double double width air-gap.
The bond should look like this.
No air gab required between wall.
Staggered ends. No butt or end face meets in any manner.
You use math and brick bats as the fill to offset lining up the walls bond and ends. Queens, closers, 1/4. 1/2 bat.
Bricky or masons Terms.
Bond: a pattern in which brick is laid
Stretcher: a brick laid horizontally, flat with the long side of the brick exposed on the outer face of a wall.
Header: a brick laid flat with the short end of the brick exposed.
Soldier: a brick laid vertically with the narrow (“stretcher”) side exposed.
Sailor: a brick laid vertically with the broad side exposed.
Rowlock: a brick laid on the long, narrow side with the small or “header” side exposed.
Shiner: a brick laid on the long narrow side with the broad side exposed
It’s still a “running bond” wall … with the courses interlocking along it’s length. Although some consider it to be good practice to stagger wythes on a double wythe wall if subject to bending along it’s length, thats not the case here and there is no requirement for that at the wall intersections if there is joint reinforcement. There should also be metal ties between the wythes either way, but theres also no way to tell that from a pic …
If there is anchorage of any type then ladders or mesh. http://www.theconstructioncivil.com/2011/07/reinforced-brick-masonry.html
Every 4th course and for anchorage ever course deep.
Look at the corners in the photo as compared to the photo in the thread.
A http://www.diyadvice.com/diy/patios-walls/masonry/common-bond-brick-wall/
That wall is wrong.
The bond is everything.
I repair mostly stretcher ( common ) But Flemish and Scottish or American bond are common. I redo them all.
That wall has no lock and will fail fast. All the butt faces line up.
There in no bond per-say.
It a single course stretcher bond parallel.
Even with mesh it will fall.
Mesh will add stability for uplift or downward force or pressure. Not lateral stability.
One bond pre-unit length on double with wall.
Stronger methods or bonds would allow for 2, 3, 3.3.etc bonds per- units length and the joining planes must be stronger. ( corners as in photo A.)
Sorry I am doing a bad job and technical explanation. Give me time.
Kevin, the question is a code question…Joe is an building code inspector as well as home inspector. Also, there are those of us who walk the line as both licensed HI and GC’s so when an HI say further evaluation is warranted by a GC then there is no problem in citing code, especially on a new constructed building…chill out.
As to the strap issue, as Robert has said… the ICC report will settle the issue. I often will cite and provide documentation of same especially with siding installation. I venture to say that if you have ever inspected cement siding that it was installed wrong and you probably never knew it unless you familiarize yourself with manufactures instructions which are validated through ICC evaluations… but I digress.
Simpson Ties has a nice website as well as contact number which can address such questions. Of course one also can simply look at the blueprints.
Let me also say, from a builders stand point I (and most of us) have seen homes that are without any foundation anchorage systems…even those that are over 100 years old standing…and somehow with all the hurricanes and tornadoes they are still there; with that said for residential construction I do not put a whole lot of stock as to the need of a certain type / approved anchor system (at least for the Carolinas ~ discounting the coastal area). If God wants to move a home by what ever means he sees fit, it will move.
By the way, whoever posted that sill plate was PT obviously does not know what PT lumber looks like. I also haven’t heard anyone comment on the improper nails being used for the bandjoist (also called header joist) to sill plate connection.
I am sure if Joe provided more pictures I could find also sorts of stuff however his main issue is the legitimacy of straps used for garage wall connection. Without getting into ICC reports, I see these connection all the time and they have been accepted in at least 6 counties I have built.
I would be interested in seeing the pier and curtain wall anchorage system.
Jeff, I’ve been doing AHJ work for a year now and I’ve never seen a set of drawings for a home that provided specific details about to the types of anchors to be used and their placement.
I do not disagree with Joe or Robert. I find that Robert only stands on Codes and that is what is wrong. If you have ever seen the way AHJ act you would know what I mean. Some are easy to talk to and others are like book worms. You just can’t get through to them no matter how hard you try.
I will sight one example and leave it at that. No laws or codes were being broken when 5 People got sick in a bank. Everything was built to Code.
5 people are disabled as a result. One was the Manager.
What caused the problem?
They did not consult with the proper AHJ.
There is an entire page/detail or more here, covering fastener types, connectors etc.
I remember a few years ago, looking at a new home… about 4000 sf single story and a huge, 1000 + sf garage. I told a helper of mine to look at the plans and check a few things out.
My helper came over and asked me “I was going to pull measurements from corners like you asked Tim, but I noticed the strongwalls and their foundations were missing and the hold downs are where the bay windows are going… what should I do now?” Worse yet… there was supposed to be significant footings under the strong walls and SSTB’s etc… OOOPS! <– Concrete was already poured, BTW.
The look on the GC’s face was priceless. It was the first entire home he’d ever built and thought it was all the concrete contractor’s fault. I assured him that according to the verbiage on the **first page ** of the plans, it said otherwise
I think I know what you are trying to describe, which is a running bond double wythe brick wall that has horizontally staggered facing wythes and backing wythes (like in the attached pic), where the bricks interlock with each other at wall intersections … that a tough one …
For lightly loaded brick walls I typically just see ladder/truss type horizontal joint reinforcement (about every 6th brick course or 16" o.c. max) for double wythe brick walls in running bond used to tie the facing wythe to the backing wythe, which also strengthens the wall and the intersections.
The interlocking wall intersections and joint reinforcement also become more critical either when there is no platform framing attached to the top of the walls, or for higher exposed walls subject to more severe earth, wind, or seismic loads (e.g. per IRC R606.9.1 & 608.1)
Okay, so we are on the same page … pun intended …
.
Your wrong again … In addition to having a good working knowledge of codes, I have over 25 years of design and construction related experience, including working as a foreman for a general/masonry contractor before becoming an engineer/inspector. I have also been teaching home inspection nights and weekends for over 8 years. And when I was an AHJ I didn’t just rattle off code sections at builders (although I could have) … I worked with them to get a good quality and safe house for the owners.
I just find that codes helps to substantiate opinions offered based on experience, and helps to form a baseline for home inspectors to work from. Look at any decent home inspection book and you will see constant references to how thing should be base on … yes, codes.
And how does people getting sick in a bank have anything to do with what we are discussing … :roll:
I would double check the general notes page and the wall section for the garage also (sometimes there are call outs on the sections). If there aren’t any notes or call outs on the drawings (you could double check with the designer) then that pretty much settles it for those anchors on new construction … it needs an evaluation.
Here are 2 PFD links. http://www.rmmi.org/documents/guidetoinspectingresidentialbrickveneer.pdf
and http://gov.allconet.org/permits/bulletins2/DWG%2010%20-%20SFD%20X%20Section.pdf
and http://www.endicott.com/pdf/Endicott_BrickDetails0410.pdf
Hope this helps. USA standards.
In the photo for the veneer. #1: The brick should be 6" above grade. #2: the brick bond is wrong for a double wythe brick bond layout.
Double wythe clay brick veneer ( lock ) bonding is paralleled in all directions. #3: I see no weep holes.
**Bonding
**Brick bonding is an essential element of wall strength.
The bonding of bricks (the lapping of one brick partly over the bricks below), together
with the correct mortar mix will give pillars and piers their strength. Where bonding is not
possible, (as with 2 stretcher leafs side by side) tying together with a stainless steel
reinforcement is essential to achieve a satisfactory performance
It is mathematical equation that strengthens the field. ( brick, CMU,S, to wall boards )
Notice how the brick headers ( butt ends ) are staged on the top of the parallel plain wythe in the illustration Joe.
Look at your photo. Headers ( butt joints ) are inline and not staggered. The walls field loses the purpose for the double wythe wall strength.
Headers should appose each other butt face on the common or stretchers bond run when the wythe is double…
The plains intersection ( corners ) is also wrong.
Because of the running band to start with. The mathematical equation is lost. The lateral and horizontal stability diminished.
3.) If the weep hole have been cover up with back-full only to be exposed aging. any heavy rains will back-fill dirt and debris blocking the weep-holes.
Are weep holes necessary?
Remind me to get evidence.
It is not an effective ay to build. Do it twice?
Best I can do. Fuc)(&% compter.
I am going to my smaller one. Out for 4 hours. Sorry everyone.
Never seen that in the IRC. That’s what we go by here in NC/SC.
Weeps holes on a raised foundation (crawl space) are placed where the wall framing meets the top of the foundation wall…way up in the air, not underground.
