Hi Guys,
Hope you all well.
I am currently building my first home and this is the first experience for me. I went to the building site yesterday and took some pictures. I've spoken to the SS about my concern of the quality of work of internal bricks and mortar. It seems some bricks cracked and there are some gaps in between bricks. The SS told me that it's okay/normal but it doesn't seems right to me.
I desperately need some advice / other opinions on the quality of works, please see pictures below.
Thanks in advance.
Tim
Hi, I'm definitely not an expert, but shouldn't these walls have the vertical mortar lines as well (ie. shouldn't there be perpends in between the bricks)?! I'm not sure because you mentioned that this is an internal wall.
Re. cracked bricks - it's OK only if the cracks are superficial.
Here is a standards doco which summarises the main points in the various areas of building:
http://www.buildingcommission.com.au/resources/documents/S+T_GUIDE_07.pdfIf this is a defect, I'd say the only way to fix it is by redoing the wall.
Good luck and keep us informed!
Hi timscales!
I'm far from an expert, but my internal uglybricks look like this. In fact, pretty much all of mine have small lines running through the middle on hot walls from what I assume is thermal expansion - they look more cracked than yours haha. The mortar job is very hasty looking like yours too, with blobs here and there. I do have vertical mortar joints between my uglybricks though, which you seem not to have
Shoot an email off to your site supervisor, he can give you some input as well
im no expert, im not quite at brickwork stage (slab only went down last week) but from what ive been told by family in the building industry and noticed in the houses being built around mine, the internal brick work and brick work that will be rendered is not done with the same care as the facebricks as they will be plastered over.
I wouldnt be worried if the dont look very good as long as its straight but would expect the vertical morter between bricks - and would raise that with the builder and see what they say.
Please let us know what you find out so we can keep a look out for it.
Who you building with?
To me it just seems logical to investigate this in detail, so that you can ascertain if the absence of vertical mortar joints has any efffect on the structural stability of the wall. To me, the issue is not in appearance, it's purely if the wall will be sound or not without these joints.
I know that external walls have to have both vertical and horizontal mortar joints between bricks and there are clear guidelines about them, but internal ...
If you can't find this out via H1 folks or via the S&T doco, a cheap (ie. free) way is to call the BCA or some building government body in your state. If still no answer, then I guess an independent inspection ... actually some inspectors will even tell you over then phone some straight forward rules/standards ...
Thanks for all the replies.
I try to look in the S&T doco but only can find segment about bricks in general, not internal bricks. And I'm agree with Lex, it's not about appearance, it's about structural stability, but I guess since this is a double bricks, I think it wouldn't matter match. But why in some parts they put the vertical mortar joint but not in some others?
I definitely will try to call BCA next week .. I'm building with PrimaVera in WA. I think they are known as Dalcon Construction also.
I did have an independent inspection when the slab has been poured, and it was all good, I will definitely has another one when the bricks works has been completed.