LIVING STONE MASONRY
  • Home
  • Workshop
  • Gallery
    • Before/After
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Videos
  • Mission
  • Testimonials
  • About Me
  • Instructional
    • Glossary
  • Links

North Asheville brick foundation restoration

6/26/2023

0 Comments

 
A few weeks ago we began the first phase of restoring the brick foundation of a home in North Asheville. The home was built in 1907 by Charles Humphries. Humphries was believed to have owned Blue Ridge Grocery Company, a wholesale retailer formally located at 363 Depot Street. 
Picture
363 Depot Street in the River Arts District
Upon close inspection, the individual bricks of the foundation were in good condition. However, the mortar in-between the bricks had greatly deteriorated. In several areas, the mortar had gotten so soft that it resembled damp sand.  At 116 years old, this was not a surprising observation. 
Picture
Humphries Home today
Given the age and condition of the mortar in the brickwork, We elected to restore the entire foundation. This approach flips the hourglass on the life span of the masonry and ensures that every brick is attended to. 

The approach for repair that we take is called repointing. Repointing is a meticulous process involving the removal of the old mortar and replacement with new. It is critical to ensure that the mortar we replace with is historically appropriate. Mortars that are too hard can do more harm than good when applied to historic masonry. 
Picture
Section of foundation after old mortar removal
The photo above shows a section of foundation where we have removed the old mortar. Our aim here is to remove deep enough that our fresh mortar will act to stabilize loose bricks. This deeper depth also allows for a better cure and thus a stronger repair.
Picture
This section of foundation is ready for mortar!
Before applying fresh mortar, there are a few considerations to make. First being, the type of mortar to use. Every project is different. With our many years of experience, we create a custom blend that is going to be durable, and yet soft enough to not damage the building. For this foundation, we determined a lime-based mortar was the way to go. 

It is also very important to consider what the repair will look like when all's said and done. We never use "just add water" type mortar. By mixing custom blends from scratch, we have far greater control over the finished appearance of our restorations and repairs. 
Picture
mixing lime-based mortar
Once our custom lime-based mortar blend is settled on, we are ready to point. 
The joints are thoroughly cleared of any dust of debris in preparation for new mortar. Once cleaned, the bricks are heavily hydrated. Older bricks are incredibly porous. If bricks are too dry when the fresh mortar is placed, the bricks will wick the moisture out of the mortar. This inevitably results in premature failure. In addition, it is important to keep things damp after the fresh mortar has been applied to help curing
Picture
hydrating restored portion of wall
This was the first phase of the total repair of the Humphries house foundation. We will come back in Spring to complete the rest after the windows in the foundation have been restored.
Picture
1907 foundation has been restored
Picture
a custom limed-based mortar was used to repair the foundation
Picture
extra attention was given to the repair of the load bearing piers
Picture
restorations of brick work should look good
0 Comments

    Author

    William Waller, owner Living Stone Masonry 

    Archives

    June 2023
    June 2021
    October 2018
    April 2018
    June 2016
    March 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    May 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    July 2014
    February 2014
    February 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • Workshop
  • Gallery
    • Before/After
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Videos
  • Mission
  • Testimonials
  • About Me
  • Instructional
    • Glossary
  • Links