# Adding a Brick Ledge to a Michigan Home



## bajafx4 (Jan 23, 2009)

Hello, this is my first post here. I run a small home-automation business on the side while my full time job is a mechanical engineer at an automotive company. I'm a bit of a jack of all trades, but I definitely do not claim to specialize in the field of masonry. My question is in relation to a house that I just bought... or I guess I should say house that I am buying; my closing date is scheduled for 2/2/09, so I have not consulted with any local masons yet. I just wanted to get a jump start on a little research before I have someone come out to look at the hosue.

The house currently has no brick, so obviously no brick ledge. It's a 2-story house. I would like to brick half way up majority of the first floor and in one area around the front entry door, brick clear to the roof of the second floor. The house is located in SE Michigan area (42" frost line) and it has a "Michigan basement"... it's essentially a basement that's only 5' deep. The basement walls are cinder block construction.

I have heard of bolting angle to the walls for a brick ledge. Is this a recommended practice for CMU walls?

I am also unsure if a conventional brick ledge will work for this home because of the placement of the drain tiles around the perimeter of the foundation walls. At this time, I am uncertain of the exact spacing between the drain tiles and the foundation walls, but I'm pretty sure that a 3-4" brick ledge would overhang the drain tiles... something I'm fairly confident is a no no.

I have skimmed through the forums and read some references to "veneer brick" and "peel-and-stick" brick. These sound like something else I need to investigate. If someone could recommend a brand name, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks for the help and I appreciate any knowledge you can share. I plan on hiring out the actual brick laying portion of this job, but if I have the option of bolting angle steel to the foundation walls, I may consider tackling that part myself. Thanks again for the help and I'll reciprocate the help in any way I can, but my specialty would be adjusting your thermostat, turning on the TV, and brewing a pot of coffee via cell phone on your ride home from work. I haven't figured out how to automate a cold beer on the table next to your easy chair... yet.


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## denver 2 (Jan 1, 2009)

Most likely your soffit and current trim configuration would not permit a full brick veneer being added. Also, bolting an angle into cmu's to hold a story to two stories of brick would not be sufficent for the weight envolved. You would need to go down to the original footer and lay from there a brick ledge out of concrete 4" block in type s mortar. If your current foundation is not centered on your footer, you may need to dial in a new footer expansion. Lots of work. There is no such thing as peel and stick brick. There is thin brick which is applied to a scratch coat of cement and then grouted. This method is more costly that regular brick. I fear you might be buying the wrong house if you want brick. Hope this helps.


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## INTRA (Nov 27, 2008)

Sounds like your only option is dig down to basement footing.
And lay blocks to final grade for ur brick ledge, and tie in block to existing
Basement this way you will have no problem. I'm a mason in MI. that serves most of the
tri-county. Email me if you need more details [email protected]


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## Joasis (Mar 28, 2006)

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