Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - Deteriorating bricks

After clearing away at the front of my new house I have discovered that some of the bricks are deteriorating.

http://12.158.117.40/pictures/3_16_03/MVC-002F.JPG

I suppose the first thing to do would be dry them out and seal them. But then how do I fix/reface them? Any ideas.

Scotty

Hi,

Thank you for show us a photograph to best understand the situation.

First you need to discover why this problem happened or is happening.

If you have an infiltration or mold problem and you apply a sealer, you will get a worst problem

Hope this helps!

Not a professional, but since the deterioration seems to be at the bottom of the wall I would check to make sure that the drainage spacers in the bottom row of bricks have not been blocked or covered over by a well meaning (but misguided) previous owner.

Hi Guys

Thanks for the responses so far.
A man in Pennsylvania who rented it out for the last 12 years owned the house. He did no repairs to the house and all the tenant did was cut the grass. So there was rotted leaves, Mulch and bushes piled high against the house for a number of years. The gutters were filled and overflowed. That kept everything very wet for a long time. I have cleared everything away from the house but now need a fix. I may have to get a brick mason to replace the bad bricks.
Here is a couple more pictures.
http://12.158.117.40/pictures/3_16_03/h1.jpg
http://12.158.117.40/pictures/3_16_03/h3.jpg

Thanks
Scotty

Hi,

Thank you for the new photographs

Let me ask you some questions:

- That wall is facing North? South?
- The lower part of that wall is just a foundation or you have a basement?
- The bricks are in that way just in that point or all around the house?

Regards

Oh.. good questions!

Well ..The wall is on the East side of the house and probably sits on a slab footer.
No basements...Florida.
It is only on the one front wall of the house.
http://12.158.117.40/pictures/3_16_03/h4.jpg
And that is the only place on the house that has gutters .. if that means anything. Also that side got almost no sun due to the overgrown trees.
I also found out last night from one of my neighbors that there was green mold on the front of the house.
Before they put the house up for sale they used a high pressure power washer to get the mold off.

Thanks
Scotty

Hi,

So.....we know now a little more about why it happened. Pressure washers must be used carefully with bricks.

If the mold appeared by a slab infiltration, it will appear again, so if you repair and seal the bricks, you will be in a problem. (Mold needs to go out)

The first step now is to be 100% sure that there is not moisture inside the bricks and if they will remain dry. Try to make a small hole in the brick, if you get dust it is OK, if not, you need to work on this point.

Other approach: try to take out a layer of the planter's soil and see how are the bricks under this level.

Tell us about these points and we'll try to help you with the solution.

Regards,