When you realize there is too much exterior structural brick wall for you to attempt working on, how do you go about finding an appropriate professional? What do you look for?

Also:, anyone who has had bad brick work (masonry) done, how did you find out it was bad? Are there specific signs of a poor masonry contractor?

Thanks!

You can always call around and ask for references. Then go check out the mason's work.

You can tell it was a poor job if it's uneven, out of plumb, the mortar is falling away...

A good place to start is to check your local yellow pages for "Masonry Contractors".

You can also check your brick supplier to see if they have a list of recommended contractors.

Questions to ask are: How much air space do the plan to leave between the brick and the wall? (1/2" is acceptable)
How many rows do they tie to the wall? (every sixth row is acceptable)
What method of ties do they use? (manufactured brick ties are the best. they have a tab that goes into a brick hole and a nailing flange for attaching to the wall. normally placed about every four feet. These ties also help maintain the air space behind the brick. The airspace increases you insulation value.)

Check the phone book for local masons. They should be able to provide photos of previous work, and provide references from previous customers. If possible, visit sites of previous projects. This seems to be a field where fewer and fewer skilled craftsmen are available. The local Vocational High school discontinued the cource because of lack of interest last year. It's hard ,heavy, work.

I am inspecting a masonry job lately and have seen tow of what i call the best masons around. They are restoring a gap in a brick wall at a high school. The bricks were removed to raise the flashing for a new roof with 6" of insulation being added. It is a real treat to watch masons that know what they are doing. Brick restoration is a difficult job to do correctly. The school administration hired our company to make sure everything was done correctly. I just sit there and watch masters at work. It is a real joy.

This sounds like a masonry repair job, right? Just like to mention that historical masonry should only be repaird by masons qualified in historical repairs. This is because older bricks and mortar are much softer than modern materials, and if an old brick wall is re-pointed with modern masonry mix, the result is that the bricks can break their faces off in a freeze thaw cycle.

These guys knew what they were doing. They made up a mortar equal to a Type N mortar (~700 PSI compressive strength). Most masonry jobs now days use a Type S mortar (~1500 to 1800 PSI compressive strength). Once they get the brick replaced in the area of the flashing, they have to cut out the mortar and re-point up the bricks in areas where mortar is failing.

I had already sent samples off for testing myself - even if a mason wants to re-test I wanted to have my own info sources too. I'm not exactly sure how to read the report, but it looks like my mortar is type K, PSI estimated 80-100, with evidence of "sealer floating in solution," and the lab recommended Type S/SA lime (not historic lime). There are also formulas too - I had no idea mortar was this complicated!

I also had a question - one wall is pretty long (maybe 65-70 feet) to not have control joints (someone mentioned them to me, but I have no idea if they're appropriate), but I'm not sure if an old wall that doesn't have them should have them (I was thinking not myself, but I'm not a mason). Should a good mason mention whether it needs any control joints or not?

Also, I have bricked shut windows, and would like windows (or at least a window in this wall), but I'm not sure if reopening bricked shut window spots would be opening a can of worms in an old brick wall. (Would it?) The people who bricked the openings (before I owned it) pulled the sills and bricked those openings too, presumably to make it look less like a bricked in opening - but it still does because multiple window openings have arched tops, and also because they did not key the brick in but left a vertical mortar joint running the height of the former window opening instead.

The person or persons who worked on my wall last were not very good, it appears. Its really a shame because a properly maintained brick wall can be beautiful even if it has little embellishment. I don't know of any brick suppliers either, actually (my area seems to be stuck in the 'tear it down and build a new one' mode.)

I'm not a mason, but having studied historic structures I've seen the damage that can be done when bricks are painted, sealed, or repaired with the wrong type of mortar. As far as I know, historic mortar repairs are made by mixing custom mortar mix on site, rather than purchased over the counter. My point is that just because a person is a good mason, it does not mean that they know anything about proper historic mortar mainenance. I have seen the pictures. I say maintenance, because I once believed that masonry was "maintenance free," when in fact it is not, at least in the long term, especially the older structures.

As for opening up bricked-in windows, IMHO as long as the lintel (or arch) is still present and structurally sound, there should be no issue with removing the bricks underneath. The sill is not that important, because it can be replaced safely.

I read a document once (I can't find it now, but I think it was some kind of historical preservation guide from the government) that said in historic masonry situations power tools should not be used to remove mortar because of the risks of easily damaging older, softer bricks. Any thoughts on this?

Also, is there any sort of industry or trade group specific to historic masonry?

I got most of my information on historic masonry through the IPTW workshops and such. Take a look at the PTN website, and go from there. www.ptn.org

the masons working on this building are historic mason repair trained by the IMB Union. They mix their mortar according to the formula that the architect submitted. They even made up test mortars for compressive strength testing and color. The architect has been onsite a number of times and has praised the masons for their work. They have many special tools that they use to lay bricks. They are a father and son team that have been masons for many years. I have been on another restoration project and these 2 guys make the other masons look like amateurs. It is a pleasure for me to watch them do such fine work. The architect doesn't really need me there but the design specifications call for an inspector to be onsite at all times.

That sounds like you have done your research and hired the right people. I remember that not all historic mortar formulas are similiar, and this often requires feild testing prior to the actual job.