Matt, It has been fun following this project. As an architect I really enjoy watching these videos and hearing about the thought process behind the building science. Brick facades have a lot to offer in terms of longevity. The long term window detail that accounts for future changes is my favorite.
I know this is 3 years old… but I will say I love the thought towards the future, and maintenance. But at the same time, I don’t love the trim like that. Just brick it like usual. Then 50 years later piece out some brick to change the windows. Always drives me nuts. Window companies will take siding off the seal the WRB but won’t with brick. I get it. It harder. So that means don’t do it right? What Matt did here is a good idea to be able to replace windows, just don’t love the looks and think it’s worth the extra work down the road to keep the full brick look.
Hi Matt, nice to see your brickwork. Im a builder from South Africa and we build almost exclusively with brick and in coastal areas like Cape Town we build cavity walls with two skins of brick seperated with about 60mm of air cavity. We wash the mortar out of the cavity every day and we remove every 2nd brick on first exterior course to enable the mortar to be washed out before it sets. After completion we insert a brick again and leave a “weephole” simmilar to your brillo stuff but just a cleaned out “perp” the same size as vertical mortar bit. If mortar lands on brick ties it creates a moisture path to inside. We only now realizing the importance of insulation although its not taken too seriously yet. The weather not as cold as by you but with rising energy bills its becoming an issue. I love your attention to detail. Our building standards are no where near yours. Its mainly cause its not enforced and theres no barrier to entry of unskilled contractors which is sad as qualified builders have to compete with the cheaper rates of the fly by nights, giving our industry a bad name. Anyway keep up your good work and informative video’s. Regards Conrad, Johannesburg, Ebcon Construction
As a cabinetmaker and carpenter I cannot express my appreciation for doing things correctly and taking it a step further. So few owners are willing to do anything that increases time or manpower. Taking a few minutes to do it 'right' makes all the difference later. Fewer callbacks and happy customers mean more to me than saving 20 minutes per man per day.
Too much mortar residue on face of brick Muratic.acid might clean it up. Sills look messy to me. Evidentially you have not been around skilled union trained bricklayers... Matt
@@mathiastb32 Muratic acid is a thing of the past. Prosoco makes product now that do a far better job than muratic acid to clean brick. I will agree the bricklayers on this job really smear thing up. There are other companies besides Prosoco that also make cleaners. Muratic acid eats the cream off of the mortar joints and creates leaks. It also discolors the brick. I am a retired union trained bricklayer so I know what is right. I am also very picky.
@@Bricky-gs3lp I am sure you are up to date. This was based on my dad who was a union brick and stone mason. He would wait a few days after mortar was set then wet brick job down good and mix the acid in 5 gal buckets and scrub the brick work down with Stiff bristle brushes,it didn't stay on long before he washed it off. Always turned out well. He was like many of his generation an artist at his work, me I never had much interest in it, I'm 73 ,so I don't think I'll start now .😂 Matt
@@mathiastb32 Hell your still a young pup. I'm 68 and retired from laying brick. We all learned how to use the bucket and brush method years ago. The cleaners we have today weren't around when i started or they were to expensive to use. When I got into the trade i had one old forman that was always in a hurry. If you weren't running you were going to slow. He would mix the muratic acid with water and the batch would be so hot he burned the brick and the mortar. Never did like that SOB. Later I worked with a true tradesman. A man who was an artist at his craft. He was particular as hell and you knew there was no half assing it. Take pride in your work and you will always have something to be proud of. That old man taught me a lot. One thing your dad did was wet down the wall before he started and that is the key. If you do not do that the acid soaks into the brick and begins to react with the salts in the clay used to make the brick. That and some moisture down the road would cause the white powder to form on the wall we now call efloresence. Bricklaying was an honorable trade and we gave a good days work for a good union wage. I am still a member of my union. Won't be long and I will get my 50 year pin. Time sure does fly and I hope you get to enjoy many more years. Always good to remember those who came before us. Pass on the past.
@@Bricky-gs3lp one other thing,the reason I criticized this brick work was the 3 foot or so from the footing to the clean layer was done a day or two earlier, it was dry and chalky, the two areas will never match. Don't matter how much you clean that bottom layer. It's an old construction ploy, they wanted the customer to think they was on the ball so they got the wall started then they went back to the last job and finished that job, maybe 2 days,then came back and finished this job in a big hurry.. my dad called these brick layers. "Boots",same as worms,or scabs. Matt
Hey Spencer as a fellow woodworker I have to say your channel is my favorite on RUclips. Brilliant attitude, skill level and your explanation is second to none. Best wishes for 2021
I was finding it hard to learn about construction just from my university lectures with a few drawings online. Your channel is a gold mine! Has been very helpful, thank you heaps for sharing
As a mason I can appreciate the extra detail you put in there. I'm especially impressed by that massive air gap The only things I would add are deepening those ties and putting a 1/4" deep and wide cut under those sill brick as a drip edge to prevent premature mortar wear. Especially since your lime washing. You don't want water running down the brick making the finish wear inconsistent under those windows.
Great video Matt, very informative, and it couldn't have come out at a more perfect time. I'm currently splitting my screen between this video, and brick details I'm drawing! Glad to see that I'm using similar techniques. I used similar details when designing a brick and stone clad high-rise in downtown Dallas, TX last year. Now, I'm using them to clad a 600sf ice cream shop in Export, PA. The size and location of the building may change, but the science behind how the assembly works is all the same. Keep up the great content!
35 year Mason here . We haven’t used “brick” as a sill since the late 80s. We flash the sills and We use one piece sills . Way to many issues with “brick” for sills. I also question the slope and I question how far those ties made it to the brick , in the video it looks like they barely caught it . Those Masons were also extremely sloppy without going into detail on their work. .
Matt, I hate to be “that guy,” but the masonry ties must be embedded at least 1-1/2” into the depth of the veneer in order to meet code and this video clearly shows the mason installing ties that are barely touching the back edge of the veneer (check out the 4:50 mark in this video). That whole wall fails to meet code and those ties aren’t doing any work. Code issues on this project aside, I’d be careful about showing something so wrong in a video titled as if it should be a how-to reference for others.
How about these so called 'mason' are really just landscapers at best. The bond is totally fucked and heights are never hit for windows. This guy is clueless when it comes to Masonry. The wall ties had me laughing as well
@@Ryan-oy6gi Ah, yes I see now. Strange Matt didn't catch that. I mean, ties are normal length but it sounds like 2" gap is way above the standard so that's why it's not matching
Matt, you really pissed off a lot of bricklayers with this video. Good Lord! I love the channel though. Would love to hear you make another video with regard to the comments you got on this one.
Matt, I really hope there will be a final walk through before y'all move in and get comfortable. Been following this project for what feels like forever. Awesome job man.
G, day Matt from Sydney, Australia. * Australia standards * first course of brick, remove every fourth and clean out mortar at each 4ft. * more slope on still brick * weep hole (perpend) at least one every 4ft on the lintel. * 3/8 control joint at least every 6m Thanks 🌏🇭🇲
Hello mate. I am hear in America, Illinois to be more specific. Always wanted to go down under and lay some bricks. Union says my card is international and it would transfer to Australia. I checked on it years ago. I could not bring any tools into the country i had to buy them there. Also had to buy a bond for my support if I did not have a job before I got there. I am now retired. Many years ago I did a job for the Corp of Engineers hear in the states. We had 1x2s with ropes on them that we would lay on the wall ties. We would have to parge the back of the brick as we laid each course and after 6 courses or 16 inches we would pull the 1x2s up with the ropes removing any mortar from the wall cavity. That has mostly been done away with now. When building with block that has to be grouted with rebar if you go more that 4 foot at a time you have to leave the bottom course open for cleanout and the rebars have to be tied. It is easier to grout every 4 foot. We have rebar precut so we have the proper lap and amount sticking out after grouting. I agree more slope on the window sill. The masonry institute of America doesn't approve of rowlock for window sills. Also the bricklayers should have put flashing below the window. Weep holes every 2 foot minimum on the lintel and there should be a drip edge and flashing there as well. As far as the control joints on commercial jobs they are used. On residential not so much. You say 6 meters or about 18 foot. In the US the standard is no more that 30 foot on block or brick. I agree a lintel that long on the sun side should have a control joint on each end of the lintel. There is a lot of movement there. Also they should put roofing paper or better yet a 1//16 inch shim plate under each end of the lintel. When the lintel moves, and it will on the sun side it will not cause the brick it is bearing on to spall or chip from the movement. Hope you are enjoying your summer, winter hear. 40 plus years as a union bricklayer now retired. Do your mason tenders or hod carriers as we call them use this limerick, "slop for block, thick for brick, aggravate, aggravate aggravate".
@@Bricky-gs3lp G, day from Sydney, Australia. Brick and block laying in NSW Australia. *A licenced Bulilder or Contractor (Fair Trading NSW) can provide this trade in the State. * Any person can provide handyman work unlicensed up to ($500.00) including materials. * Brick and Blocking laying is a certificate 3 qualification under the National Framework package of competency-based. Therefore you can receive this quality qualification on application to a Registered Training provider. *Any person can be employed as a Bricklaying labourer (good mud, clean worksite always welcome). * Tools of the trade ; you're responsible. * You are restricted at present (Border force, Home Office, ASIO, NSW police, NSW Health, Customs) Until you meet compliance with laws, regulations and orders that are currently in force and administration by them. (Other than that; "come on down"). 🇭🇲🌏🚶♂️
One day I will be able to build a house with much detail. Currently building a spec house in South Carolina. Learn new stuff with every video. Thanks for sharing.
Great video and information. The details are great and forward thinking. It's nice to see new products and methods incorporated in construction. A lot of folks have a hard time adapting to change. Props to the kid busting his butt. Reminds me when I started working with my dad when I was a kid.
the masonry work does look to be pretty poor. what first caught my mind was the use of "speed joints" instead of full head joints. also saw some apparent violations of irc requirements. but i think that risinger is responsible for the code violations because he had the masons use his chosen wall ties instead of the wall ties that the masons would have otherwise used. i think the windows are going to hold up longer than will that masonry wall.
Rain vent system with the color guard plus James hardy is an excellent way to keep the water out. We actually used a liquid Tyvek over the plywood at 25 mils thick and flashing sealed all the windows. Everything thing has been awesome on this channel so I can’t wait to see what you did with yours!
Best paint for stone and brick is a potassium silicate coating as its a permeable coating. I get it through a company in NYC specializing in stone restoration and maintenance, Cathedral Stone. Landlords who opted for the cheaper elastomera coating are now stuck with horrible water penetration and brick spauling issues.
@@rossmcleod7983 yes it works as well depending on the existing condition of the substrate. Potassium silicate is great as you can cover almost any blemish or old stain; best for restoration jobs. It gets a great color especially when used on original limestone or terra cotta.
Great video! Very informative! Great explanations and detailing of the construction process! I like learning from Matt! Thank you sir! Great brick building video!!
Never disappointed by your videos Matt, the abundance of great tips and usable info is almost overwhelming!! Good thing I can always watch it again. Happy New Year all! Now I need to start thinking about adding some brick.. ;)
that brick seal under the window will be the first location that needs mortar repointed. My old VA house, we had massive issues with the same style brick, ended up replacing the brick seals with concrete seals. Hopefully the new orders don't have to mess with them for many years to come. love all your details!
the problem is that a standard air gap is 1", but risinger decided to go with a 2" gap. that meant that the wall ties that he selected (for a 1" air gap) were too short. if he was going to use a non-standard air gap, he needed to take that into account when he selected his wall ties. it is hard to anticipate all of the ripple through effects of your decisions, so you really have to spend time thinking through every decision that you make. but nobody is perfect. expect to see this in a future risinger "mistakes i made" video.
@@paperwait9611 lol yeah i totally agree. We all make mistakes. Im more surprised the brick guy didnt mention the importance of it to risinger. Or that the brick guy even went along with it. Maybe he did something else off camera. Idk. Just thought it was worth mentioning.
Big respect for that. It's a tough job. I was a hod carrier in the 1960's-70's working for plasterers on commercial buildings big and small... building staging, mixing, carrying, cleaning and also blowing asbestos on high rise iron and in tunnels, etc., etc. Whenever I was on a crew with plasterers from Italy it was tough, because they were incredibly demanding perfectionists. Keeping up with mixing, climbing staging with a hod (especially with sloppy finish putty) and loading boards was a real workout. Anyway, there was so much more to the job, more than I could ever say here, but I was in the best shape of my life.
Love it, I was watching something else the other day from Dirt monkey and he was showing just a little bit of those wicking things. Cool to see them here! :)
When looking for a quality brick mason look for a union contractor. If you notice Matt used a high dollar brick tie but when installed the tie into the brick lays less than an inch into the joint. Masonry standards call for the tie to come out 1 inch from the face of the brick. The way these are installed they will hold nothing. Also he uses all the proper flashing except at one crucial area, the window sill. There should be a flashing under the rowlock sill that is tied into the flashing that was installed before the window. Any moisture leaking at the window sill will then be diverted out to the front of the wall. Weep ropes should also be installed on the flashing to aid in the movement of water. I have seen the vents he used on the bottom of the wall cut in half and put into the joints of the rowlock. As far as the rowlock goes the masonry institute of America does not recommend its use as a wall topping or for sills. Limestone sills seal out moisture better and look better and in the end makes for a better product. Believe me rowlock will leak. The lintel at the top of the window should also have a metal drip edge and flashing covering the lintel and continuing to the building wall or in this case the insulation board. Any moisture getting into the wall cavity will then be diverted to the face of the wall. Vents and weeps should be used hear also. On the electrical boxes use a piece of plastic conduit from the back of the box and thru the wall. The conduit can be sealed to the wall and would allow for installation of the wire later. Also the toothings in the brick at the end of the wall will show up for years to come. Toothing should be avoided. Untrained bricklayers use them to gain speed but it is not the proper way to install brick. Also safety is always a concern on a construction site and using only one board as a walk board when on the scaffold is not safe and it is not approved by OSHA. I like this channel and Matt does a really good job of building a house. I am a retired union bricklayer with over 40 years in the trade and i was taught by one of the most particular bricklayers you could meet. He taught me well and I like things to be done correctly. No cutting corners. Take pride in your work and you will always have something to be proud of. Don't just do it for the dollar. The old timers were artists and that needs to be carried on into the futute.
Bricky1952 - well said. Labor unions have invested so much time, research, science & real-world experience into RAISING the standards of construction, for the betterment of all. Union electricians, Union welders, Union masons, Union carpenters have put in the human-hours to KNOW what’s good 🇺🇸
Matt next time get the masons to measure the bottom and top of windows and lay out the brick and mortar joints on your wall so you want have those little pieces of brick above and below your window sills
We no longer use brick for a sill. We did that in the 80s but we have learned a lot since those old days . One piece sills is all we use now. We are in a freeze thaw climate and brick sills just never hold up.
FYI you can make your own limewash very cheap...$4 bag of hydrated lime mixed with water. Used it on my home's exterior, still looks great years later.
Because I think he was attempting a more modern style. He should have kept the sill all wood with minimal height and projection. Row lock is too traditional for this.
@@aayotechnology I think the limestone would look more modern than what was done in the video. It really depends on what the owner is looking for, although (as with other commenters) I’d worry about this design leaking. It’ll probably be OK until the Zip tape comes unstuck.
Matt, I have been watching your channel through the pandemic, taking your building class, now putting it to practice. I have completed my plans (architect and engineer completed), site prep, have all my permits, and sub contractor is putting in the septic. Currently getting proposals from all the trades now. I am looking forward to watching the videos you will be putting up on your house build. One product I am using on exterior is EasyTrim Reveals with Hardie shiplap and panels, do you have any experience with EasyTrim?
Looks amazing ! DOnt paint the brick white it will totally cheapen the look and make it tacky ;) Just an add on looking at the zoomed in clips, the brick works seems totally covered in mortar smear, hopefully it will be fully cleaned off in the end
I usually work with my brick guys on the coursing to eliminate those little slivers under the window rowlock sill. It looks like 9 or10 courses which even adding a 1/8" to each course would have eliminated them. I understand the central/south American guys are the majority of brick layers now but I have worked with them to bring their work up to our quality standards. Admittedly, just having housing in their country is a different priority than here but it's a matter of training.
In Texas it probably does not matter as much due to less rain and few if any freeze thaw cycles, but here in the Midwest I would go with limestone sills Vs brick with all of those exposed joints.
Okay here's a few comments from a design engineer and building code. You need a galvanized angle that goes up behind your waterproof system and out at the mortar joint to The brick with weep holes. You put your insulation outside of the water barrier which is wrong and that's where EFUS had so many problems. If you would put a drainage system house wrap over the outside of the insulation that might work .
"so when you want to replace the windows in 50 years" Me: looks around at his less than 20 years old house, with half of the windows replaced recently because the "builder's special" windows it was built with were falling to pieces. At least we went with proper Andersen this time, instead of literally no-name windows like the previous owner.
Isn’t Anderson considered to be “builder grade”? I mean, there are worse windows on the market, but there are many many window choices that are much better. I would equate Anderson windows to Bose speakers: decent enough quality but lots of marketing hype has convinced people that they are higher quality than they really are.
@@jpe1 maybe, I'm not sure to be honest. But I've had good experiences with them in the past, and these new ones (Renewal by Andersen) are leaps and bounds better than the no-name vinyl crap we had, and were put in by a respected contractor. (Literally no manufacturer is listed on the old ones, and there were some that still had their original stickers on them, eg in the garage) The previous owner who built this house had some good ideas, and it's a good house in general, but some choices reek of "whatever's the cheapest" (most of the receptacles are worn out, two of three toilets have defects in the ceramic making me think he found some place to buy factory seconds) or "there's literally no way this was up to code" (one electrical receptacle in a bathroom big enough for two beds when used as a servere weather shelter) Let me have my "I paid 20x per window what cheap ones cost at the home store, they must be good" 😜
@@rpavlik1 and, Anderson’s Renewal are a better grade within the Anderson line. They seem to be good windows from everything I have read about them, and I know people who have used them and found them to work well.
@@jpe1 oh well that's nice to hear. Hey, any time I can open and close a window without having the pane break or having to replace the little cast pot-metal double hung slider thing, I call that a victory 🤣
In the U.K. we always use brick and sometimes blocks. We build the brickwork first and put windows in last. Just like you say it means the windows can be changed every 40 years or so.
Wondering about the brick sill. I was told to use a stone sill because it is not porous. The mortar in Matt’s sill will allow water to penetrate. Mortar is not meant to be vertical. Perhaps in Texas it would work. However, in colder climates it would lead to early failure due to frost heaving. Any thoughts?
In the south, the brick sill developed with flashing and weep holes with rope wicks to dam and channel the water out. No leaks. The lintel flashing should also be dammed with weep holes on both sides. The dam is just folding the flashing into the brick joint in the right places where the water will get caught and moved out through the weep hole. My grandfather's brick house in Alabama had these weep holes but in the 1970's I think they disappeared when home building became an assembly line using not so skilled labor. I plan to hire real masons when I build my house, that is if I can't find a thoughtful builder that knows his craft and have to sub it all out myself.
If you read the installation directions that come with windows you will see that you are supposed to leave a gap at the bottom of the window above the sill and also at the sides. This is substandard installation.
Love your channel. I have learned so much. Love how you take time to explain everything. Would love to see you do a video on spray cork. Would love hear your opinion.
Only thing that would anoy me is the detailing of the bricks below and above the windows. If you're drawings are correct you can layout your bricks so that you don't need to cut youre brick length ways.
Honestly that’s on the bricklayers to lay that out with a spacing ruler. Same think as not putting little sliver cuts next to a door or window but “house brickers” don’t usually learn those things until they hire on to us desperate commercial masonry companies that are willing to suffer through training them....so they run off to another company for .25 more an hour!
This is what I came to the comment section for. I am an architect in SC, if this is my house, I'm making sure the GC knows that the coursing should align with the top and bottom of any openings... and if the masons don't do that, they're gonna do it over.
Interesting as always , but I don’t really like that used recycled / irregular brick , You have a very sleek modern window detail in a “rustic” looking brick wall , Feel like they clash . Painted brick is always tacky in my mind! Think painting that window trim a brown or brick reddish color would help . Great video as always !
Hey matt i am buying a home but there one thing i saw the home that are building now i see the way they building it that the exterior wall dont have plywood with the studs but only have a 1/2” rigidfoam as exterior wall and then they installed the bricks is that the right way to do a exterior wall
i do not see weep holes on the top of the wall there like you said @matt; could you please show that in some way in one of your upcoming videos please? I see a lot of images googling around for the weep holes but not so much on the holes on the top of the brick wall for air venting like you mentioned.
I wish you would have gotten more into the weeps and venting, as well as what type of wrb’s work behind brick. I’ve been trying to explain to my friend that’s a builder but he and apparently every other builder in the Chattanooga area just don’t get it. Around here they use commodity grade osb sheathing with lumber yard brand housewrap that isn’t taped behind brick with no weeps and no vents. When I refer to brick as a “reservoir cladding” they look at me like I made up that term. I’m a retired electrician but I’m pretty sure I know more about building houses than anybody I’ve met since moving to Tennessee 5 years ago.
My wife and I had to have a heated discussion when she wanted our brick painted last year. Her argument was that everyone just paints with latex and it's fine. I told her it would bite us in the butt, plus repainting and peeling every few years. What won the aguement was that romabio lasted much longer (she wasn't sold on the building science argument because there is not much out there in white paper or professional form except from paint companies). Thanks for the great video.
My favorite home-building related channel.
I can totally relate. I'm going to apply so many things from this Channel towards my own house. Planning on going the owner-builder route.
Love hearing that! Thanks!
@Nanashi You can totally do it! I hear from owners doing their own builds all the time. Just spend the extra time in planning. It pays off later
Another great video, you rock 🤛
@@buildshow if you love brick housing so much you should visit the Netherlands they do this way of building over 4 decades
This is how we build in The Netherlands for 90% of the time. So many ways to use brick. All sort of colors and sizes. Really love the look Matt.
Matt,
It has been fun following this project. As an architect I really enjoy watching these videos and hearing about the thought process behind the building science. Brick facades have a lot to offer in terms of longevity. The long term window detail that accounts for future changes is my favorite.
I know this is 3 years old… but I will say I love the thought towards the future, and maintenance.
But at the same time, I don’t love the trim like that. Just brick it like usual.
Then 50 years later piece out some brick to change the windows.
Always drives me nuts. Window companies will take siding off the seal the WRB but won’t with brick.
I get it. It harder. So that means don’t do it right?
What Matt did here is a good idea to be able to replace windows, just don’t love the looks and think it’s worth the extra work down the road to keep the full brick look.
@@justinstevenson2061the
The attention to detail is really amazing on these builds!
Hi Matt, nice to see your brickwork.
Im a builder from South Africa and we build almost exclusively with brick and in coastal areas like Cape Town we build cavity walls with two skins of brick seperated with about 60mm of air cavity. We wash the mortar out of the cavity every day and we remove every 2nd brick on first exterior course to enable the mortar to be washed out before it sets. After completion we insert a brick again and leave a “weephole” simmilar to your brillo stuff but just a cleaned out “perp” the same size as vertical mortar bit. If mortar lands on brick ties it creates a moisture path to inside.
We only now realizing the importance of insulation although its not taken too seriously yet. The weather not as cold as by you but with rising energy bills its becoming an issue.
I love your attention to detail. Our building standards are no where near yours. Its mainly cause its not enforced and theres no barrier to entry of unskilled contractors which is sad as qualified builders have to compete with the cheaper rates of the fly by nights, giving our industry a bad name.
Anyway keep up your good work and informative video’s.
Regards Conrad, Johannesburg, Ebcon Construction
Project is coming along very nicely!
As a cabinetmaker and carpenter I cannot express my appreciation for doing things correctly and taking it a step further. So few owners are willing to do anything that increases time or manpower. Taking a few minutes to do it 'right' makes all the difference later. Fewer callbacks and happy customers mean more to me than saving 20 minutes per man per day.
Too much mortar residue on face of brick Muratic.acid might clean it up. Sills look messy to me. Evidentially you have not been around skilled union trained bricklayers... Matt
@@mathiastb32 Muratic acid is a thing of the past. Prosoco makes product now that do a far better job than muratic acid to clean brick. I will agree the bricklayers on this job really smear thing up. There are other companies besides Prosoco that also make cleaners. Muratic acid eats the cream off of the mortar joints and creates leaks. It also discolors the brick. I am a retired union trained bricklayer so I know what is right. I am also very picky.
@@Bricky-gs3lp I am sure you are up to date. This was based on my dad who was a union brick and stone mason. He would wait a few days after mortar was set then wet brick job down good and mix the acid in 5 gal buckets and scrub the brick work down with Stiff bristle brushes,it didn't stay on long before he washed it off. Always turned out well. He was like many of his generation an artist at his work, me I never had much interest in it, I'm 73 ,so I don't think I'll start now .😂 Matt
@@mathiastb32 Hell your still a young pup. I'm 68 and retired from laying brick. We all learned how to use the bucket and brush method years ago. The cleaners we have today weren't around when i started or they were to expensive to use. When I got into the trade i had one old forman that was always in a hurry. If you weren't running you were going to slow. He would mix the muratic acid with water and the batch would be so hot he burned the brick and the mortar. Never did like that SOB. Later I worked with a true tradesman. A man who was an artist at his craft. He was particular as hell and you knew there was no half assing it. Take pride in your work and you will always have something to be proud of. That old man taught me a lot. One thing your dad did was wet down the wall before he started and that is the key. If you do not do that the acid soaks into the brick and begins to react with the salts in the clay used to make the brick. That and some moisture down the road would cause the white powder to form on the wall we now call efloresence. Bricklaying was an honorable trade and we gave a good days work for a good union wage. I am still a member of my union. Won't be long and I will get my 50 year pin. Time sure does fly and I hope you get to enjoy many more years. Always good to remember those who came before us. Pass on the past.
@@Bricky-gs3lp one other thing,the reason I criticized this brick work was the 3 foot or so from the footing to the clean layer was done a day or two earlier, it was dry and chalky, the two areas will never match. Don't matter how much you clean that bottom layer. It's an old construction ploy, they wanted the customer to think they was on the ball so they got the wall started then they went back to the last job and finished that job, maybe 2 days,then came back and finished this job in a big hurry.. my dad called these brick layers. "Boots",same as worms,or scabs. Matt
At this point I feel like Matt's house is like R-239 and capable of sustaining life on Mars.
Bugman spotted
Seriously tho.
Nuclear bunker too.
Awesome when most of your material is free, too! This would be like a 2 million dollar house if it wasn't Matt.
Yet not ICF
Great foresight with future proofing those windows. Great video Matt.
Hey Spencer as a fellow woodworker I have to say your channel is my favorite on RUclips. Brilliant attitude, skill level and your explanation is second to none. Best wishes for 2021
I was finding it hard to learn about construction just from my university lectures with a few drawings online. Your channel is a gold mine! Has been very helpful, thank you heaps for sharing
As a mason I can appreciate the extra detail you put in there. I'm especially impressed by that massive air gap The only things I would add are deepening those ties and putting a 1/4" deep and wide cut under those sill brick as a drip edge to prevent premature mortar wear. Especially since your lime washing. You don't want water running down the brick making the finish wear inconsistent under those windows.
Great video Matt, very informative, and it couldn't have come out at a more perfect time. I'm currently splitting my screen between this video, and brick details I'm drawing! Glad to see that I'm using similar techniques. I used similar details when designing a brick and stone clad high-rise in downtown Dallas, TX last year. Now, I'm using them to clad a 600sf ice cream shop in Export, PA. The size and location of the building may change, but the science behind how the assembly works is all the same. Keep up the great content!
Hey I wouldn't copy Matt too close if the comments from other masons on this video are any judge!
35 year Mason here . We haven’t used “brick” as a sill since the late 80s. We flash the sills and We use one piece sills . Way to many issues with “brick” for sills. I also question the slope and I question how far those ties made it to the brick , in the video it looks like they barely caught it . Those Masons were also extremely sloppy without going into detail on their work. .
Matt, I hate to be “that guy,” but the masonry ties must be embedded at least 1-1/2” into the depth of the veneer in order to meet code and this video clearly shows the mason installing ties that are barely touching the back edge of the veneer (check out the 4:50 mark in this video). That whole wall fails to meet code and those ties aren’t doing any work. Code issues on this project aside, I’d be careful about showing something so wrong in a video titled as if it should be a how-to reference for others.
May be a little parallax, but it seemed the same to me.
How about these so called 'mason' are really just landscapers at best. The bond is totally fucked and heights are never hit for windows. This guy is clueless when it comes to Masonry. The wall ties had me laughing as well
I won't pretend to know any thoughts of those on site, but again, seems the same to me; 5/16 too short at least.
@@Ryan-oy6gi
I also don't get why the depth of ties isn't even along the length of the wall. Can't be optical illusion.. uneven walls? I don't know. 🤔
@@Ryan-oy6gi
Ah, yes I see now. Strange Matt didn't catch that. I mean, ties are normal length but it sounds like 2" gap is way above the standard so that's why it's not matching
Matt, you really pissed off a lot of bricklayers with this video. Good Lord! I love the channel though. Would love to hear you make another video with regard to the comments you got on this one.
Yes, I'd like to hear Matt's response also. There are more negative comments here from brickies than I ever would have expected.
Amazing video! Thank you for showing the behind-the-scenes construction details. I learn something new every time I watch one of your vids.
Matt, I really hope there will be a final walk through before y'all move in and get comfortable. Been following this project for what feels like forever. Awesome job man.
Great explanation+presentation! Thank you for sharing! Well done mate 🙏🏻
G, day Matt from Sydney, Australia.
* Australia standards
* first course of brick, remove every fourth and clean out mortar at each 4ft.
* more slope on still brick
* weep hole (perpend) at least one every 4ft on the lintel.
* 3/8 control joint at least every 6m
Thanks 🌏🇭🇲
Hello mate. I am hear in America, Illinois to be more specific. Always wanted to go down under and lay some bricks. Union says my card is international and it would transfer to Australia. I checked on it years ago. I could not bring any tools into the country i had to buy them there. Also had to buy a bond for my support if I did not have a job before I got there. I am now retired. Many years ago I did a job for the Corp of Engineers hear in the states. We had 1x2s with ropes on them that we would lay on the wall ties. We would have to parge the back of the brick as we laid each course and after 6 courses or 16 inches we would pull the 1x2s up with the ropes removing any mortar from the wall cavity. That has mostly been done away with now. When building with block that has to be grouted with rebar if you go more that 4 foot at a time you have to leave the bottom course open for cleanout and the rebars have to be tied. It is easier to grout every 4 foot. We have rebar precut so we have the proper lap and amount sticking out after grouting. I agree more slope on the window sill. The masonry institute of America doesn't approve of rowlock for window sills. Also the bricklayers should have put flashing below the window. Weep holes every 2 foot minimum on the lintel and there should be a drip edge and flashing there as well. As far as the control joints on commercial jobs they are used. On residential not so much. You say 6 meters or about 18 foot. In the US the standard is no more that 30 foot on block or brick. I agree a lintel that long on the sun side should have a control joint on each end of the lintel. There is a lot of movement there. Also they should put roofing paper or better yet a 1//16 inch shim plate under each end of the lintel. When the lintel moves, and it will on the sun side it will not cause the brick it is bearing on to spall or chip from the movement. Hope you are enjoying your summer, winter hear. 40 plus years as a union bricklayer now retired. Do your mason tenders or hod carriers as we call them use this limerick, "slop for block, thick for brick, aggravate, aggravate aggravate".
@@Bricky-gs3lp
G, day from Sydney, Australia.
Brick and block laying in NSW Australia.
*A licenced Bulilder or Contractor (Fair Trading NSW) can provide this trade in the State.
* Any person can provide handyman work unlicensed up to ($500.00) including materials.
* Brick and Blocking laying is a certificate 3 qualification under the National Framework package of competency-based. Therefore you can receive this quality qualification on application to a Registered Training provider.
*Any person can be employed as a Bricklaying labourer (good mud, clean worksite always welcome).
* Tools of the trade ; you're responsible.
* You are restricted at present (Border force, Home Office, ASIO, NSW police, NSW Health, Customs)
Until you meet compliance with laws, regulations and orders that are currently in force and administration by them.
(Other than that; "come on down").
🇭🇲🌏🚶♂️
If your good at your work and willing to get amongst it . F%%@ck the unions . We have the right to choose .
Good brickies are pulling $2 a brick
One day I will be able to build a house with much detail. Currently building a spec house in South Carolina. Learn new stuff with every video. Thanks for sharing.
Great video and information. The details are great and forward thinking. It's nice to see new products and methods incorporated in construction. A lot of folks have a hard time adapting to change. Props to the kid busting his butt. Reminds me when I started working with my dad when I was a kid.
Really appreciate this level of detail, thanks Matt!
Matt's family in their super insulted house .. "Dad, it's a little chilly in here.." Matt.. "I guess it's time to light the candle.."
Hope he has an air exchanger in the house
More like one of those LED candles...don’t want the house to over heat😂🤣
@@michaeljustiniano2958 I think he’s got 2 actually
Awesome. Just now ordering black brick and mortar for my house. Great tips and things to look for.
I'm thinking about getting back into the Masonry field. A lot of people have been having a hard time finding quality job.
That is apparent from this video.
Crappy work at a premium price is what we're seeing in our "older" neighborhood. Every house has brick somewhere on the exterior and a brick chimney.
the masonry work does look to be pretty poor. what first caught my mind was the use of "speed joints" instead of full head joints. also saw some apparent violations of irc requirements. but i think that risinger is responsible for the code violations because he had the masons use his chosen wall ties instead of the wall ties that the masons would have otherwise used. i think the windows are going to hold up longer than will that masonry wall.
Love this channel. It helped me decide to get into project management after getting a degree in finance
Great tips Matt....making notes 📝 for my personal house 👌👌
Rain vent system with the color guard plus James hardy is an excellent way to keep the water out. We actually used a liquid Tyvek over the plywood at 25 mils thick and flashing sealed all the windows. Everything thing has been awesome on this channel so I can’t wait to see what you did with yours!
Good tips buddy, glad to see you back @home
It's coming along really well there.,
Excellent videos & great information, Matt!!
Thank you,
I agree, Matt. I LOVE work! I could watch it for hours. ;-)
Very nice work!
Best paint for stone and brick is a potassium silicate coating as its a permeable coating. I get it through a company in NYC specializing in stone restoration and maintenance, Cathedral Stone. Landlords who opted for the cheaper elastomera coating are now stuck with horrible water penetration and brick spauling issues.
Lime wash is excellent too. A distressed white lime wash is unsurpassed imho.
@@rossmcleod7983 yes it works as well depending on the existing condition of the substrate. Potassium silicate is great as you can cover almost any blemish or old stain; best for restoration jobs. It gets a great color especially when used on original limestone or terra cotta.
Awesome video!!! Please post more!!!!!
Great video full of good content, number one reason I subscribed.
Thank you for the window detail!
Great video! Very informative! Great explanations and detailing of the construction process! I like learning from Matt! Thank you sir! Great brick building video!!
Never disappointed by your videos Matt, the abundance of great tips and usable info is almost overwhelming!! Good thing I can always watch it again. Happy New Year all! Now I need to start thinking about adding some brick.. ;)
Happy New Year Matt. Thanks for all the knowledge you share every week.
that brick seal under the window will be the first location that needs mortar repointed. My old VA house, we had massive issues with the same style brick, ended up replacing the brick seals with concrete seals. Hopefully the new orders don't have to mess with them for many years to come. love all your details!
Did you mean to say sill?
@@briankendall9974 probably ya smart butt..
Those ties are barely in the morter. Should have stuck with the old ties.
Cheers. Happy new year.
the problem is that a standard air gap is 1", but risinger decided to go with a 2" gap. that meant that the wall ties that he selected (for a 1" air gap) were too short. if he was going to use a non-standard air gap, he needed to take that into account when he selected his wall ties. it is hard to anticipate all of the ripple through effects of your decisions, so you really have to spend time thinking through every decision that you make. but nobody is perfect. expect to see this in a future risinger "mistakes i made" video.
@@paperwait9611 lol yeah i totally agree. We all make mistakes. Im more surprised the brick guy didnt mention the importance of it to risinger. Or that the brick guy even went along with it. Maybe he did something else off camera. Idk. Just thought it was worth mentioning.
This was a very good explanation.
Worked as a Mason tender when I was younger so I really liked this video
Big respect for that. It's a tough job. I was a hod carrier in the 1960's-70's working for plasterers on commercial buildings big and small... building staging, mixing, carrying, cleaning and also blowing asbestos on high rise iron and in tunnels, etc., etc. Whenever I was on a crew with plasterers from Italy it was tough, because they were incredibly demanding perfectionists. Keeping up with mixing, climbing staging with a hod (especially with sloppy finish putty) and loading boards was a real workout. Anyway, there was so much more to the job, more than I could ever say here, but I was in the best shape of my life.
Very informative. Thank you
I like your channel, great work👍👍👍
some solid advice in this video
I drink every time he says “detail”
Great video, Matt! I’d love for you to make a video about how home owners can properly insulate foundation walls and rim joists on the inside.
Love the content on your channel. Happy New Year
Brick was a great choice, this is one of the few nice looking high performance houses on RUclips.
Love it, I was watching something else the other day from Dirt monkey and he was showing just a little bit of those wicking things. Cool to see them here! :)
Dieing to see the video on the verxatex pvc trim install !
When looking for a quality brick mason look for a union contractor. If you notice Matt used a high dollar brick tie but when installed the tie into the brick lays less than an inch into the joint. Masonry standards call for the tie to come out 1 inch from the face of the brick. The way these are installed they will hold nothing. Also he uses all the proper flashing except at one crucial area, the window sill. There should be a flashing under the rowlock sill that is tied into the flashing that was installed before the window. Any moisture leaking at the window sill will then be diverted out to the front of the wall. Weep ropes should also be installed on the flashing to aid in the movement of water. I have seen the vents he used on the bottom of the wall cut in half and put into the joints of the rowlock. As far as the rowlock goes the masonry institute of America does not recommend its use as a wall topping or for sills. Limestone sills seal out moisture better and look better and in the end makes for a better product. Believe me rowlock will leak. The lintel at the top of the window should also have a metal drip edge and flashing covering the lintel and continuing to the building wall or in this case the insulation board. Any moisture getting into the wall cavity will then be diverted to the face of the wall. Vents and weeps should be used hear also. On the electrical boxes use a piece of plastic conduit from the back of the box and thru the wall. The conduit can be sealed to the wall and would allow for installation of the wire later. Also the toothings in the brick at the end of the wall will show up for years to come. Toothing should be avoided. Untrained bricklayers use them to gain speed but it is not the proper way to install brick. Also safety is always a concern on a construction site and using only one board as a walk board when on the scaffold is not safe and it is not approved by OSHA.
I like this channel and Matt does a really good job of building a house. I am a retired union bricklayer with over 40 years in the trade and i was taught by one of the most particular bricklayers you could meet. He taught me well and I like things to be done correctly. No cutting corners. Take pride in your work and you will always have something to be proud of. Don't just do it for the dollar. The old timers were artists and that needs to be carried on into the futute.
This ☝️
@@lolMyke And your problem is?
You mush not be in Texas. Union masons don’t exist here. These masons did more than a wall in a day. Union guys would take all week lol
@@Bricky-gs3lp He doesn't have a problem. He's saying he agrees with you.
Bricky1952 - well said. Labor unions have invested so much time, research, science & real-world experience into RAISING the standards of construction, for the betterment of all. Union electricians, Union welders, Union masons, Union carpenters have put in the human-hours to KNOW what’s good 🇺🇸
Matt next time get the masons to measure the bottom and top of windows and lay out the brick and mortar joints on your wall so you want have those little pieces of brick above and below your window sills
They need to get a brick spacing rule www.amazon.com/dp/B00002N5KH/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_3LP8FbW70TD4D
Thanks, Matt! Quality content, as usual :)
Love the video on masonry details. Some things are different from how we do them in Ohio but still great to see.
Mexican hit squad getting everything done ✅
We no longer use brick for a sill. We did that in the 80s but we have learned a lot since those old days . One piece sills is all we use now. We are in a freeze thaw climate and brick sills just never hold up.
UK brickies are having heart attacks.
Most of Latin America and Europe too, hahaha
Let’s not forget Australia too.
Yeah there work looks shabby. Lots of mortar in the cavity I bet
Feel like the Americans don't have a clue when it comes to masonry
Them cut bricks under the cills though haha. Nightmare. The architect obviously missed that
FYI you can make your own limewash very cheap...$4 bag of hydrated lime mixed with water. Used it on my home's exterior, still looks great years later.
Lime wash over the brick is a great idea. Helps pump moisture out of the brick and looks fantastic.
Matt, why brick sills? We use limestone in the North because of the freeze / thaw. A nice slab of limestone looks so much nicer IMO.
Because I think he was attempting a more modern style. He should have kept the sill all wood with minimal height and projection. Row lock is too traditional for this.
@@aayotechnology I think the limestone would look more modern than what was done in the video. It really depends on what the owner is looking for, although (as with other commenters) I’d worry about this design leaking. It’ll probably be OK until the Zip tape comes unstuck.
Have you done a show on building in Great Britain? All masonry. Love to see the process.
Hard working men 💯
Matt, I have been watching your channel through the pandemic, taking your building class, now putting it to practice. I have completed my plans (architect and engineer completed), site prep, have all my permits, and sub contractor is putting in the septic. Currently getting proposals from all the trades now. I am looking forward to watching the videos you will be putting up on your house build. One product I am using on exterior is EasyTrim Reveals with Hardie shiplap and panels, do you have any experience with EasyTrim?
Looks amazing ! DOnt paint the brick white it will totally cheapen the look and make it tacky ;) Just an add on looking at the zoomed in clips, the brick works seems totally covered in mortar smear, hopefully it will be fully cleaned off in the end
Agree!!
It is recycled brick.
@@TerryPullen That explains it, thanks !
I usually work with my brick guys on the coursing to eliminate those little slivers under the window rowlock sill. It looks like 9 or10 courses which even adding a 1/8" to each course would have eliminated them. I understand the central/south American guys are the majority of brick layers now but I have worked with them to bring their work up to our quality standards. Admittedly, just having housing in their country is a different priority than here but it's a matter of training.
In Texas it probably does not matter as much due to less rain and few if any freeze thaw cycles, but here in the Midwest I would go with limestone sills Vs brick with all of those exposed joints.
Thanks to matt I see building in an entirely new light, I look for quality and durability now vs flashy mouldings and granite countertops..
Okay here's a few comments from a design engineer and building code.
You need a galvanized angle that goes up behind your waterproof system and out at the mortar joint to The brick with weep holes. You put your insulation outside of the water barrier which is wrong and that's where EFUS had so many problems. If you would put a drainage system house wrap over the outside of the insulation that might work .
How does the air vent out from behind the brick? Does it vent out through the soffit?
I like the brick natural. Reminds me of New Orleans.
Straight powdered brickies lime . 20:1 off white cement 30ml bycol . Slap on with a yanky brush . Easy to touch up
Brick laying is such an art....terrific. Thanks for sharing. Stay Safe. God Bless.
"so when you want to replace the windows in 50 years"
Me: looks around at his less than 20 years old house, with half of the windows replaced recently because the "builder's special" windows it was built with were falling to pieces. At least we went with proper Andersen this time, instead of literally no-name windows like the previous owner.
Isn’t Anderson considered to be “builder grade”?
I mean, there are worse windows on the market, but there are many many window choices that are much better. I would equate Anderson windows to Bose speakers: decent enough quality but lots of marketing hype has convinced people that they are higher quality than they really are.
@@jpe1 maybe, I'm not sure to be honest. But I've had good experiences with them in the past, and these new ones (Renewal by Andersen) are leaps and bounds better than the no-name vinyl crap we had, and were put in by a respected contractor. (Literally no manufacturer is listed on the old ones, and there were some that still had their original stickers on them, eg in the garage) The previous owner who built this house had some good ideas, and it's a good house in general, but some choices reek of "whatever's the cheapest" (most of the receptacles are worn out, two of three toilets have defects in the ceramic making me think he found some place to buy factory seconds) or "there's literally no way this was up to code" (one electrical receptacle in a bathroom big enough for two beds when used as a servere weather shelter)
Let me have my "I paid 20x per window what cheap ones cost at the home store, they must be good" 😜
@@rpavlik1 and, Anderson’s Renewal are a better grade within the Anderson line. They seem to be good windows from everything I have read about them, and I know people who have used them and found them to work well.
@@jpe1 oh well that's nice to hear. Hey, any time I can open and close a window without having the pane break or having to replace the little cast pot-metal double hung slider thing, I call that a victory 🤣
Thanks for sharing. Like #1.8K+
Thats a house you can be proud of.
In the U.K. we always use brick and sometimes blocks. We build the brickwork first and put windows in last. Just like you say it means the windows can be changed every 40 years or so.
Wondering about the brick sill. I was told to use a stone sill because it is not porous. The mortar in Matt’s sill will allow water to penetrate. Mortar is not meant to be vertical. Perhaps in Texas it would work. However, in colder climates it would lead to early failure due to frost heaving.
Any thoughts?
In the south, the brick sill developed with flashing and weep holes with rope wicks to dam and channel the water out. No leaks. The lintel flashing should also be dammed with weep holes on both sides. The dam is just folding the flashing into the brick joint in the right places where the water will get caught and moved out through the weep hole. My grandfather's brick house in Alabama had these weep holes but in the 1970's I think they disappeared when home building became an assembly line using not so skilled labor. I plan to hire real masons when I build my house, that is if I can't find a thoughtful builder that knows his craft and have to sub it all out myself.
Is a smart detail, thinking ahead for the grandkids!!! ..lol👍👏Change them windows out in 50 years, you kiddos..Gpa looking out!
If you read the installation directions that come with windows you will see that you are supposed to leave a gap at the bottom of the window above the sill and also at the sides. This is substandard installation.
Love your channel. I have learned so much. Love how you take time to explain everything.
Would love to see you do a video on spray cork. Would love hear your opinion.
Tisk tisk. Matt, you should’ve had them leave out every 3rd brick to wash out the mortar. Even us production guys do that.
hey Matt, love your videos! I had a quick question on why your front window does not match the header height of the other windows?
Ese Berna. Una leyenda en vida. Bien.
My father-in-law and brother-in-law are both brickmasons and the amount of work those guys do is crazy. I couldn’t do it.
Do you paint the metal between the brick skirting and siding? Our metal extends all the way to the end of the brick
Matt can you do a follow up and explain in detail how you put the trim on an angle?
Excellent
My dream house
Can you walk through your material costs on your full rehab and maybe also discuss labor as well.
Only thing that would anoy me is the detailing of the bricks below and above the windows. If you're drawings are correct you can layout your bricks so that you don't need to cut youre brick length ways.
Honestly that’s on the bricklayers to lay that out with a spacing ruler. Same think as not putting little sliver cuts next to a door or window but “house brickers” don’t usually learn those things until they hire on to us desperate commercial masonry companies that are willing to suffer through training them....so they run off to another company for .25 more an hour!
This is what I came to the comment section for. I am an architect in SC, if this is my house, I'm making sure the GC knows that the coursing should align with the top and bottom of any openings... and if the masons don't do that, they're gonna do it over.
Interesting as always , but I don’t really like that used recycled / irregular brick , You have a very sleek modern window detail in a “rustic” looking brick wall , Feel like they clash . Painted brick is always tacky in my mind! Think painting that window trim a brown or brick reddish color would help . Great video as always !
Tests of water repellent coatings on bricks would be interesting to see. There are several options. Some claim Infrared heat reflection attributes.
Hey matt i am buying a home but there one thing i saw the home that are building now i see the way they building it that the exterior wall dont have plywood with the studs but only have a 1/2” rigidfoam as exterior wall and then they installed the bricks is that the right way to do a exterior wall
i do not see weep holes on the top of the wall there like you said @matt; could you please show that in some way in one of your upcoming videos please? I see a lot of images googling around for the weep holes but not so much on the holes on the top of the brick wall for air venting like you mentioned.
We experienced the same thing. We replaced all of the windows and sliding doors with Pellas. It was worth the extra expense.
I wish you would have gotten more into the weeps and venting, as well as what type of wrb’s work behind brick. I’ve been trying to explain to my friend that’s a builder but he and apparently every other builder in the Chattanooga area just don’t get it. Around here they use commodity grade osb sheathing with lumber yard brand housewrap that isn’t taped behind brick with no weeps and no vents. When I refer to brick as a “reservoir cladding” they look at me like I made up that term. I’m a retired electrician but I’m pretty sure I know more about building houses than anybody I’ve met since moving to Tennessee 5 years ago.
My wife and I had to have a heated discussion when she wanted our brick painted last year. Her argument was that everyone just paints with latex and it's fine. I told her it would bite us in the butt, plus repainting and peeling every few years. What won the aguement was that romabio lasted much longer (she wasn't sold on the building science argument because there is not much out there in white paper or professional form except from paint companies).
Thanks for the great video.
Why is the tie at 4:38 half way into the brick but the others are barely touching the bricks? How does that happen?