Lateral Deflection and Structural Cantilever – Part I
We’re looking at a relatively small old masonry building. This was built during what we might consider historic times. However, from a strictly masonry restoration
Beam Pockets to Footing as a New Load Path
A while back, we got to look at a really interesting site where an old building had been demolished and it’s being rebuilt with a
Green Serpentine Metabasalt Ashlar Stone Masonry
Today we’re looking at a particular church that’s an interesting case study from a historic type of near local construction. This particular building is built
Warm Brutalist Masonry Architecture in Historic Cities
Warm Brutalist Masonry Architecture in Historic Cities We’re really glad that a lot of the old historic buildings of Washington DC have been preserved instead
Concrete Post and Beams with Brick Infills
Built with one of just a few different types of structural configurations. This is a really interesting counterpoint to the typical traditional historic construction here
Building Abandoned Mid-Project – Part II
Abandoned Building Construction in Washington DC This past week we started looking at an interesting construction project that was abandoned midway. They had started to
Building Abandoned Mid-Project – Part I
Building Abandoned Mid-Project: Construction Details You can learn so much from partially demolished or discombobulated buildings. We recommend you never go into them on your
Extruded Mortar Joints – Part II
Extruded Mortar Joints Washington DC This previous week, we looked at this particular construction with masonry that had an extruded mortar joint. This joint hasn’t
Extruded Mortar Joints – Part I
Extruded vs. Struck Mortar Joints in Historic Masonry – Part I At first glance, the extruded style mortar might look interesting. A couple of different
Learning from Other’s Masonry Mistakes – Part II
Historic Masonry Mistakes and Proper Repointing – Part II This past week we looked at examples of masonry that was built with poor quality. The
Learning from Other’s Masonry Mistakes – Part I
Common Masonry Mistakes in Historic Washington DC Buildings A lot of the things we look at here on our website are not just about the
Formstone Coverings over Historic Brick – Part II
Formstone Coverings Over Historic Brick in DC Town This past week we looked at examples of cementitious type formstone coverings applied directly on top of
Formstone Coverings over Historic Brick – Part I
Formstone is an interesting part of historic row home history here in DC. Formstone is a type of cementitious covering, not entirely different from stucco.
Concave Brick Mortar Joints
Concave Brick Mortar Joints vs Historic Flush Joints This past week we looked at a bunch of different relatively newly restored and refurbished brick mortar
Freshly Repointed Historic Brick – Part II
Repointed Historic Brick After Restoration in Washington DC This past week we looked at an area of freshly repointed historic brick. The brick is old
Freshly Repointed Historic Brick – Part I
Repointed Historic Brick Masonry and Mortar Compatibility Here on our website and in our blog we look at a handful of different parts of the
Open Asphalt Paving to Brick Wall Joint – Part II
Open Asphalt Paving to Brick Wall Joint Repair This past week, we looked at photographs of a historic brick masonry wall alongside an alleyway. The
Open Asphalt Paving to Brick Wall Joint – Part I
Asphalt Paving Adjacent to Historic Masonry – Part I In the past, we have looked at many of the different ways that historic brick buildings
Historic Building with Wood together in Masonry – Part III
We looked at a historic building over the past couple weeks. This building was built with elements similar to masonry interspersed with wooden elements like
Historic Building with Wood together in Masonry – Part II
Historic Buildings with Wood and Masonry: Traditional Methods This past week, we looked at a really old building that has some extremely interesting historic qualities.
Historic Building with Wood together in Masonry – Part I
Historic Building with Wood together in Masonry – Part I Today we’re looking at a really old historic building, built before almost all of the
Masonry Color Change from Chemical Weathering – Part II
This past week we got to take a look at a particular type of very thick sandstone used as a capstone in a retaining wall.
Masonry Color Change from Chemical Weathering – Part I
There are a handful of concepts that people understand about construction, even if they aren’t really trained or haven’t studied the principles of engineering or
Large Span Modern Brick Openings – Part II
Large Span Modern Brick Openings in DC Homes Last week, we looked at this large brick opening and we talked about how brick openings are