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Masonry Maintenance

bob.kelly@wickright.com (Robert Kelly) — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 12:28:16 GMT

All building exteriors need maintenance ...

Be sure to have a masonry guru look at your building every 10-15 years, for a small fee, being pro-active can save you a ton of hassles and money.

Don't let your building fall into disrepair. Regular maintenance costs a lot less than catching up on maintenance once damages occur...

- Simon Leverett, Masonry Guru

Blah, blah blah, something about spot grinding, re-pointing, different types of mortar etc.

Mold can make you sick...

bob.kelly@wickright.com (Robert Kelly) — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 13:16:32 GMT

To your respiratory health...

Mold causes respiratory illinesses. Make sure your home is free of dangerous molds

Water intrusion causes mold growth. Mold needs water and cellulose to grow... eliminate the water

Sagging ceilings could mean rotting trusses...

bob.kelly@wickright.com (Robert Kelly) — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 13:14:59 GMT

What to do about a sagging ceiling?

If your client's ceiling and/or floors are sagging, the truss system may be rotting. We suggest opening the roof above the sagging and check the condition of the trusses. Your scope of work has just changed significantly. It's a good thing and a bad thing.

Good thing

1. You found it before the ceiling fell!

2. You now have at least 2 more weeks of work

Bad thing

1. You need to fit this repair into your schedule as soon as possible.

2. Your client needs to come up with more money - possibly a lot of money.

If the damage to several trusses is serious, the trusses could fail and pancaking could happen. We recommend your clients call their insurance agent and move out as soon as possible. Next – schedule a job site visit with a shoring engineer! This is serious business that cannot be delayed – if an upper story falls to the story below, catastrophic property damage and possible fatalities may occur.

Inspectors in Chicago are reporting rotting trusses on regular basis - so be sure to check for this dangerous situation.

Next step - call us to discuss our truss reinforcement bracket system and a 365 Construction Tent.

BEFORE you seal masonry...

bob.kelly@wickright.com (Robert Kelly) — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 13:14:59 GMT

consider the whole building and how the structure functions

Everyone says "Seal the masonry!" as if it is a silver bullet that cures all.

Re-write all this!

Efflorescence – chalky, white stains on the exterior of masonry buildings – happens when moisture and mineral deposits weep through the masonry and stain the exterior. In many Chicago neighborhoods more than 30% of the buildings have efflorescence.

DO NOT seal a wet building before finding and repairing the water source and adding ventilation. Sealing the building may cause more damage, including:

1. Water may leak from ceilings, windows, doors and electrical outlets.

2. Water absorbing into trusses or joists

3. In the winter, water may freeze and crack the face off the brick, or structurally damage CMU.