How Long Before a House Should Be Bricked After Framing?
In new construction, generally, the sooner you can provide a weatherproof shell, the better it is for the interior wood framing of the home. Installing brick will raise your home value and provide strong weatherproof siding. While there is no set time schedule, there are elements to consider when bricking your home. Some stages must be complete before you call the brick mason, and some should wait until after the brick is in place. Does this Spark an idea?
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Windows and Doors
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Rough in windows and doors before the bricklayer starts. He will cut bricks to fit around the openings and form exterior brick sills beneath the windows.
Brick Ledge and Soffit
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If a brick ledge was not poured during the construction of the foundation, one must be poured before you can lay the bricks. A brick ledge is a solid concrete protrusion that will hold the first row of bricks.
If possible, install the soffit beneath the eaves before laying brick. If the bricks will go all the way up the side of the house, it's tough to install the soffit later, since the uppermost bricks will cover the spot where the soffit meets the wall.
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Electrical and Mechanical
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Before you can lay the bricks, all exterior electrical and mechanical outlets should be in place. The bricklayer will cut around the wires and pipes when he installs the bricks, but it's difficult to cut through the bricks later.
Interior Drywall
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Interior walls are usually made by attaching large sheets of drywall to the studs and then filling the seams with drywall compound. During brick installation, the bricklayer will install brick ties, small metal strips that nail to the studs beneath the boxing and support the bricks. If the interior drywall is already finished, this nailing may crack the compound filling joints or cause nails to pop out of the drywall.
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References
- Photo Credit bricks. image by Saskia Massink from Fotolia.com
