Have a few questions: flashing windows and doors and brick ledge

jonblack

Hello everybody.

I am having a metal building built. It will have a brick veneer wall along the front side of it with commercial type aluminum frame windows. I have a few questions that I hope you can help me with.

1. Is it OK that the entry door was installed before any kind of sheathing or vapor barrier wrap? If not, please make suggestions as to what should be done.

2. Can you look at the brick ledge and tell me the proper brick ledge flashing to use and whether it should be installed below or above the first course of bricks. Any product suggestions that I should use here. Please take note that the first course of bricks sits below the sidewalk to the right of the door.

3. Can you tell me the best way to prepare the framed openings prior to the installation of the extruded aluminum frames that will hold the insulation window units? The glass company will be installing a 4.5" frame and I don't think it will have a nail-on flange, just extruded aluminum.

4. Can you make recommendations as to the best type of vapor barrier? The walls will be sheathed with 7/16" OSB. How should this be wrapped, taped, etc.

I have purchased lentils for use over the door and windows. I have not purchased any other window flashing material or brick ledge flashing.

Guys, any help here would be greatly appreciated. Product links or links to threads would really help me out.

I just want to have enough knowledge to ensure that this is done correctly before the windows are set and the bricks are laid.

Thanks a million
jonblack

joecaption

Is that a non pressure treated bottom plate?
Any wood in direct contact with concret needs to be pressure treated.

jonblack

The bottom plate is definitely pressure treated.

Thanks
jonblack

mae-ling

The brick ledge is recessed into the concrete?

jonblack

There is a sidewalk outside of the building. The sidewalk is 1.5" inches below the finished floor (stained concrete) of the building. The sidewalk slopes upward to meet the finished floor at the door. The slope takes place over a 3 foot span, if I remember correctly. So, the brick ledge is only recessed into the concrete along a 3' span. The remainder of the brick ledge is flush with the concrete.

If you look at Photo #5 and Photo #6 you can see where I placed bricks on the brick ledge to illustrate where the brick ledge is recessed and where the sidewalk begins and ends its slope with respect to the brick ledge.

If you look closely at Photo #7 you can see that the brick ledge is flush with the sidewalk.

Hope this clarifies things.

Thanks
jonblack

jonblack

My goal is to have the building look something like this one when it is complete.

Thanks
jonblack

Gary in WA

I moved your thread to "Concrete" for some brick answers on the flashing since the foundation is below sidewalk grade. The vapor barrier/retarder depends on location, where are you? http://www.buildingscience.com/docum...commendations/

Gary

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tony.g

With regard to the flashing of the brickwork at ground level, has your designer not detailed this for you?
Obviously this is an important point which will cause problems if not done correctly.

hammerlane

Here is an article by the Brick Institute of Association(BIA) regarding the proper use of flashing:

http://www.acmeclay.com/download/BIA...ofFlashing.pdf


Then here are many other artciles from the BIA:
http://www.gobrick.com/TechnicalNote...4/Default.aspx

Technical note #7 has good info on flashings.

DannyT

shouldn't you be asking your contractor these questions?

hammerlane

Not that some contractors do not know the proper way of doing something or just refuse to do something the proper way I think the poster wanted to have enough knowledge to ensure that this is done correctly before the windows are set and the bricks are laid

jomama45

As for base flashing, I'd set it on top of the first course, and then install open weeps on 2' centers.

Not so sure I like the brick sitting on the front sidewalk though. Where are you located, geographically?

jonblack

This is exactly, right. Thank you for stating it so eloquently.

jonblack

jonblack

Hello everyone and thank you for your help so far.

The building is located in North West Louisiana.

I definitely don't like the fact that the brick ledge is the same level as the side walk. I am thinking about talking to the concrete contractor about this issue. However, I need to be able to present a viewpoint based on good building practices as well as building code.

Is this issue the concrete contractor's responsibility to rectify or is this my problem to take care of.

One idea I had was to use a concrete saw and cut a 3-4" slot in between the brick ledge and sidewalk. I think this will give the brick ledge flashing a place to drain as well as create a capillary break so the brick ledge does not wick water from the sidewalk.

I have attached a photo to illustrate my idea. Do you guys have any other suggestions? Any ideas to help me tackle this problem will be greatly appreciated.

jonblack

jonblack

Tony

There is no detail in the plans for the brick veneer wall, nor the brick ledge, nor the sidewalk.

I am sure the concrete contractor did the best he knew how in this area. However, we can see his approach was not ideal.

It is unfortunate that property owners learn so much after mistakes are made. As the guy writing the checks, I should not have to know anything about construction, but that is not my reality.

I want the work to be performed correctly so I am trying to learn as much as I can about the correct way to do things, so I can recognize the problems before they happen.

In this case, now that we have an existing problem, I am trying to learn the correct way to rectify the problem.

Thanks for your help
jonblack