Brick soaks up water like a sponge.
I put this brick wall in front of The New Guy’s house to show you what can happen over time with a driving rain -eventually the water goes through the brick and runs down the wall.
So how do we stop this? We flash the brick above all the windows and doors and at each story.
Here I’m using vinyl flashing. I tuck this up behind the cut in the house wrap, and bend it out ninety-degrees on top of the brick.
The flashing can be held into position with cap nails, I’m actually gonna use house wrap tape to tape top and the bottom- this keeps the air out.
Now any water that runs down the wall gets stopped by the flashing, but we need a way for the water to get out.
Traditionally this is done with weep holes, but I’m using quadro vents.
They have a honeycomb design that lets moisture out, but prevents insects from getting inside.
They also allow to circulate so the wall can dry out.
Code in our area requires a weep hole or quadro vent every 32 inches where’s there flashing.
Let me know in the comments, do you prefer brick or siding? @hausplans
#build #howto #construction #masonry #brick #diy #contractor
