That was part of the defect. The header was also undersized. The fix was spec’d by the engineer. I don’t recall exactly what the repair entailed. This was just what they discovered when they finally agreed to demo.
The point was that you can’t diagnose this by looking at the brick veneer. It needs a more involved analysis, preferably by an engineer independent of the project.
Per the client
Before they began to do any part of the destructive investigation, they had to wait for a small work team to break the brick, an engineer for Strand, the “new” brick company supervisor and the Pulty warranty representative to be there. I had my copies of the spec sheets for the lintel and the recommendation for supports from Strand. We used that to predict where the sets of holes were on the lintel. They removed a small piece of drywall to measure the wooden laminated support beam which the lintel screws into to verify what was installed and compare it to the measurements. The first set of lintel holes revealed one missing screw and the existing one was at an angle due to the lintel bending upward at the left end. The second set of holes was predicted to be 16 inches away and both holes were missing their screws. Pulty was interested in exploring further to see how other location fared, but the brick supervisor advised them that if the other holes are similarly under supported, bricking more brick could further destabilize the lintel and could cause a collapse so they stopped and accepted what they revealed as enough evidence that the beam was not properly installed. All parties involved took pictures including Strand. They did not discuss the metal straps that secure the brick to the framework, but Pulty said they would discuss it with Strand after I passed on the message to them about it.
Strand took measurements that the laminated beam was 16 inches tall, but the spec sheet says 20 inches. After Strand left, the Pulty construction manager, Javier, arrived and he and the Pulty warranty rep debated about the beam being 16 vs 20. Javier stated that the 20 is for a different measurement and that the company that designs the laminated beam and the one that manufacturers it translate numbers differently? We know that the lintel was not installed correctly. As for the laminated beam, we are waiting on Strand.
At this time, we are waiting on Strand to decide on the lintel as being reusable, replacement needed or stronger design. They should also make a decision on the laminated beam as to being the proper size or not, and finally, what is the best method to support the brick so the full lintel can be accessed and corrected. They dropped off a pallet of brick that afternoon in preparation to do repairs.
They mentioned that the subcontractor who installed the brick and lintel was fired between now and when they did my house due to bad jobs and not paying Pulty for the repairs incurred from those mistakes. I will keep you informed.