Masonry Magazine January 2001 Page. 23
To ensure that masonry will maintain its status as the premier building material, efforts must be made to bridge the gap between the building inspector and the mason contractor.
MASONRY MAGAZINE: As a general home inspector, how much masonry construction do you inspect?
Steve Hier: I'd say 75-80% of the new construction that I inspect is masonry. I primarily inspect single family homes, small condominium/ townhouse complexes, and small commercial buildings. In the Chicago area, both structural and veneer masonry are very popular in the condominium and townhouse markets.
MASONRY: How did you acquire your knowledge about structural and veneer masonry?
Hier: I recognized where the Chicago market was blossoming with masonry in its new residential construction. I took it upon myself to learn about structural and veneer masonry through correspondence with the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA), Masonry Advisory Council (MAC) and some other local masonry promotional groups. I also have quite a few NCMA TEK Notes in my library. Currently, I am preparing to take ICBO's exam for Certification as a Special Inspector of Structural Masonry.
MASONRY: At what stage of a construction project are your services contracted, and for whom do you work?
Hier: In Chicago, the city building inspectors review the architect/engineer's drawings. They then issue the building permits from those drawings. I am a third party inspector that is usually hired by the buyer at the time of the contract negotiations. On occasion, realtors utilize my services.
MASONRY: Split-face concrete block has been a major concern in Chicago's newspapers recently. What seems to be some of the problems?
Hier: Split-face concrete block has been the source of attacks because of the very expensive townhomes that are experiencing some leakage and drainage problems located in the masonry detailing. Most of the problems initiate from lack of proper drainage detailing by the designer, lack of appropriate installation of this detailing, or poor workmanship by the contractor.
MASONRY: Could you be more specific in respect to the drainage detail problems?
Hier: The most prevalent problems occur in untreated concrete masonry, poor joint pointing, flashings and weep detailing, especially around openings such as doors and windows. Untreated concrete will absorb tons of water. Poor joint detailing will negate any water repellant. Flashings and weepholes represent measures to control moisture in walls above ground level. These details are very dependent upon each other. Weepholes will not work without the proper flashing, and flashing means little without weepholes. I am seeing the same few problems occur time and time again. Either one of, or a combination of, these problems arises in 25% of all new construction I inspect, which causes million dollar homes to have drainage problems.