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Considering the folks moving into Texas, we have shortages of brick here. It probably isn't an issue in other parts of the nation where folks aren't moving to. But in Texas, you can sell just about every house you can build. Our brick manufacturers are not in New York, they are here as freight would be a killer. There is a waiting list for brick and that's common crap like US Brick or Acme.
You're probably right, but the question here is, even if the builder was willing to do so, would anything short of removing and replacing all the brick incorrectly installed satisfactorily alleviate the problem caused by the builder and compounded by changing mortar colors mid-job?
It certainly looks terrible as is and the builder will have a hard time convincing anyone to purchase such a hot mess.
Unfortunately, if the replaced mortar is still a bit off, it probably won't hold up in a court of law should you challenge it. Only consolation here is that the house that will soon be built in the adjacent empty lot will be built so close to the properly line that the change in mortar color won't even be visible from the street.
I am building a home with a national tract builder. I have selected white mortar as a design option. The brick work has just finished and I see the bottom half of the side wall is done with grey mortar and the rest of the wall/house is built with selected white mortar. When asked the supervisor, I was told that the bricker has messed up but it will fixed in time and will be according to the plan selected. please see attached pictures.
I am concerned as how it will be fixed. Is this fixable? Does the wall have to be teared up and redo the brick? What options do I have and how should I approach the builder? Obviously I am concerned. Please advise.
Regards
Sri
Talk to your lawyer. Find out your options. Follow his advice. Me, I wouldn't take the house. Because they can't fix it right without major effort - not just covering over the wrong mortar or recoloring it. They'll want to offer you money back. Talk to your lawyer.
'Houston’s economy has not yet fully adjusted to the decline in oil prices, and especially the slide in the past few months. There is a pretty good chance that Houston will see negative employment growth next year, along with a rise in its unemployment rate to above 6%. This environment, combined with the lack of any meaningful reduction in housing production to date, suggests that (1) housing production in the Houston MSA should decline significantly next year; and (2) overall home prices should fall as well.'
This may have been unsolicited or even unwelcome advice, but it may be the most valuable post in the entire thread.
My entire house was rebricked while I was living in it. They removed every single brick and put up new brick. The mortar was the wrong color. The mortar lines were huge. Areas that were supposed to be symmetrical were way off. I had them redo the front porch 3 times because they weren't getting it right.
I chose to move into the house with these mistakes because we were already closing 3 months late and I knew it was going to get done. You just need to be consistent with them on what you want and they'll know you're serious.
I was communicated through an email from the builder that "All of the areas where grey mortar was installed will be removed and replaced with new brick and the selected mortar."
As the wrong mortar is on the bottom part, is that doable without tearing down the entire side?
I was communicated through an email from the builder that "All of the areas where grey mortar was installed will be removed and replaced with new brick and the selected mortar."
As the wrong mortar is on the bottom part, is that doable without tearing down the entire side?
Yes. That is a reasonable solution.
The brick is just a façade. It is not structural, i.e., the next row is not held up by the row below it. It is stuck (using metal fasteners or wire lath) to the sheathing for the most part.
Inspect and reject if you feel it does not meet your exact wishes.
The metal fasteners are not every single row, usually. They will need to use something to stabilize the row above as they work from the bottom to meet that row. That row also might have a slightly larger or smaller mortar line as it's never going to be an exact match as they build the wall back up. It shouldn't be too obvious though as they'll notice 2-3 rows down if they need to compensate with smaller or wider joints.
This may have been unsolicited or even unwelcome advice, but it may be the most valuable post in the entire thread.
Lol, as a Texas resident, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the shoe to drop. The economy has become quite diverse for some time now. Houston and Dallas are mega cities. Oil and gas may have ruled for many years and is still a major component of the economy, but all of the people who keep moving there aren't in oil and gas. Finance and tech are big too. If you are in a suburb with excellent schools or the central core, I doubt prices will ever go down short of a depression.
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