The project
The owner of this property contacted us to discuss options for restoring the brick facade on their home. When we showed up to inspect the brickwork it was clear this facade was in bad shape. At a certain point in the past it had been painted and then later sandblasted. The aggressive sandblasting most likely took place in the 70’s/80’s. The owners have lived at the property since the mid 80’s. From their opinion the facade has needed work for a long time but they just weren’t sure what the right approach was. They had received conflicting information over the years from various masonry companies. These ranged from putting a waterproof sealer on the brickwork to just doing patchwork. Unfortunately, when a facade has been aggressively sandblasted and left to weather for 40 years there’s often only one option – a full dismantle and rebuild. This approach is not hastily taken. We only consider this if the brickwork is in a state that warrants it. In this case it did. We explained our approach to the client and outlined the cost. We showed them previous examples of our work and references. They decided to go ahead and hire us for the job.
The approach
When this project took place there was a supply issue with brick. Fortunately we were able to secure some nice heritage style brick that was imported from Belgium. We used these new brick alongside good reclaimed brick that we salvaged while dismantling the facade. Incorporating the reclaimed brick maintained the multi-tonal aesthetic that the original facade had. Our goal was to rebuild the facade and have it look completely original. When dismantling the brickwork it’s important to document the details and their positioning in the wall. We do this by taking notes and taking pictures. Once the entire outer wythe of brick is removed we begin the rebuild from the foundation. All the original details such as arches and corbel coursing are skillfully incorporated in the rebuild.
Challenges
This facade had some nice interesting details in it. The arches alongside the piano course towards the top of the wall give it a classic Toronto Victorian aesthetic. Like all details, they take time to lay. It’s the reason why these rebuilds are more expensive than laying brick on a new build. While beautiful and skillfully done, the way the facade was originally built was far from perfect. The wall goes out of plumb and changes level in various spots. We had to deal with that when rebuilding. Our experience in these types of projects gives us the ability to foresee these obstacles and accommodate them. The original brick was roughly 9″. The new brick we bought was 8.5″. When rebuilding a facade you have to follow the original footprint and to some degree the same bond. That’s not always possible when you’ve a half inch difference from the length of the original to the new brick. Therefore in order to keep nice consistent head joints you have to put strategic cuts into the wall and flip the bond around in places. Its alot more work but its oftentimes necessary if you want a quality finish with nice consistent head joints.
A source of pride
The front of a house is what the public see. It’s the most visible and most defining aspect of a building. It’s what you see everyday when you come home. When we finished the project and the scaffold came down the clients told us how we had restored their pride in their home. It brings a smile to their face every time they walk up to their front door. That is always our goal. The neighbours were also very vocal on their opinion of the project. From comments of “great work guys” to others standing there in sheer awe while curiously asking questions.
