Damaged wall, what can I do now?

[stem]

A few years ago we had a new wall built at the front of our house. After the first winter, several of the bricks had suffered from frost damage, so in the spring we had the bricklayer who built it chop out the damaged bricks and replace them. Then during last summer I treated the wall treated with this, which is promoted as "a waterproof repellent for brick and stone".

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• stem
• 27 Jan 2015
• 1

It was expensive at about £100, but I deemed it worthwhile to protect my wall from any further damage. Last week we had our first severe frost of the winter and I was smug in the knowledge that all would be well..........except it wasn't!

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• stem
• 27 Jan 2015
• 1

Two bricks have lost their facings. So I need to know what I can do to prevent further damage, so far I have forked out for the wall, repair of the wall and an expensive yet ineffective product. The idea of having a wall was because it would require less time and money in maintenance that a fence.

 

[footprints]

Has the wall a DPC is it retaining any soil? If water can soak up into the wall sealing it in will probably have only made it worse I would think

 

[stem]

Yes, the wall does have a DPC, however all of the damage is in the top half of the wall (it's 8 rows high) You can see in the photograph that it's the first row under the engineering bricks

No. there's no soil behind it, at least not above the DPC.

The 'cream' was applied after probably the driest period in the last decade, and according to the manufacturers application instructions it says it allows masonry to breathe naturally anyway. They also say it stops rain penetration and improves flood resistance.

 

[footprints]

Seems bad for bricks to spall so quickly if the wall is correctly built as you say, hopefully a brickie can enlighten us further, kind of makes you think dodgy bricks doesn't it.

 

[tony1851]

Problem 1. The bricks are clearly not frost resistant, and will always be an issue.

Problem 2. The engineering bricks at the top are useless - there should be some sort of overhang (eg a projecting coping or even a tile creasing) to keep water off the front of the wall.

Problem 3. A free-standing wall should not have a dpc (unless it is of engineering brick);

Problem 4. A free-standing wall should not be coated with anything regardless of what manufacturers say.

 

[stem]

Thanks for that, but it's raised some questions.

Problem 1. The bricks are clearly not frost resistant, and will always be an issue.

Surely they should be, otherwise can they be said to be "fit for purpose" walls are usually outside and we do get frost in the UK.

Problem 2. The engineering bricks at the top are useless - there should be some sort of overhang (eg a projecting coping or even a tile creasing) to keep water off the front of the wall.

So should I need to tell the bricklayer who built it that his method of construction is wrong and he needs to put it right?

Problem 3. A free-standing wall should not have a dpc (unless it is of engineering brick);

It is engineering brick, you can see it in the first photo of the tub, the wall is behind it in the distance.

Problem 4. A free-standing wall should not be coated with anything regardless of what manufacturers say.

Can you clarify what you mean please? Do I have a claim against the manufacturer for making false claims and selling a fraudulent product?

Finally how can I fix it and stop it getting any worse please?

 

[noseall]

This is down to a poor choice of brick. Free standing unprotected garden walls are especially vulnerable to frost spalling.

Who chose the brick?

Who designed the wall. Why was a tile crease or a brick oversail/corbel course not used?

Were engineers or F/L rated bricks used at ground level?

Sometimes it is bad luck with bricks. However your bricky should have advised. If it is a case that you bought the bricks or insisted on a particular type of brick then it's tough luck.

 

[tony1851]

Problem 1. The bricks are clearly not frost resistant, and will always be an issue.

Surely they should be, otherwise can they be said to be "fit for purpose" walls are usually outside and we do get frost in the UK.


Finally how can I fix it and stop it getting any worse please?

It's a common misconception.

Bricks manufactured in the UK have three degrees of frosr-resistance;

F = frost-resistant, M = moderately frost-resistant and O = not frost-resistant.

Your bricks are probably grade M, and these should not be used in exposed positions where they will be permanently wet. They are usually OK in house walls because they only get wetted on one side, and heat from the house and exposure to the sun/wind soon dries them out.

But even a small free-standing brick wall has a high degree of exposure. It gets wet both sides, and there is no heat to dry it out. Hence in winter it is permanently wet and subject to frost attack.

As to whose fault? Probably down to bad luck - you may have to live with it.

 

[stem]

Thanks all. We just told the brickie that we wanted a wall and the size it should be, he chose the construction and obtained all of the materials, it's a shame, because we were really pleased with it when it was first done, before the frost got at it.

So looks like an annual replacement of the damaged bricks or demolish it and replace it with a fence after all, which was actually our aesthetic preference. We only chose bricks for less maintenance.

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

The other problem is that the mortar is too hard. I have seen this in garden walls like yours before. In the summer the course of engineering bricks expand more then the bricks underneath, this cause the top course to lift and become detached from the wall. if you look at the top of the spalled brick , you can see a horizontal crack where the top course is coming loose. Water then gets into this crack and soaks the bricks which can then then freeze and cause the spalling.
I am not sure of the spalling/water retention properties of bricks. My Victorian house was built of a really soft red brick. An old timer called them "red rubbers". They soak up a fantastic amount of water, a pint+ per brick yet they do not spall, even in a 150' long garden wall (except for 4 - must be duds), but on the other hand the wall was built with a soft lime mortar. If you look at the way the face has broken off, one wonders if the face of the bricks could have expanded sideways, if it would have survived.
Frank