Bricks cleaned..but a major issue with the re-bricking

We had a major issue this week because when the bricks were redone at the front of the house, a draw-wire that was installed in the brickwork by our automation contractor (for pulling wires for a video doorbell) was moved away from it's original position and then mortared into the bricks. A draw-wire is useless if it's in the wrong position or you can't pull on the draw-wire because it's buried in mortar!!! The builder may have to pull out a lot of bricks to fix the problem.

The bricks were cleaned this week. The side garage door frame copped a hammering (again) from the acid because the frame had not been protected. The building inspector we hired told them to protect the door before cleaning the bricks but some people don't listen. We've been told the corrosion will be scraped off before they paint, so we'll see.

Have a look at the photo:


The brickwork is mostly good........

....but some of the old faults like bricks overhanging the slab (disguised with lots of mortar)....
....and cracked bricks in certain areas (under alfresco doors)...
Unfortunately, because the builder has tried to re-use the other items around the bricks, we have some other faults, especially with the pergola on the front elevation...
The timber cross beam doesn't reach bricks, there is a gap with the guttering to the bricks and the round moulding is not flush against the bricks....

....and the front board is split at the second bottom nail and chipped at the top.

Our patience is wearing thin with all these issues that just keep continuing to occur. The positive thing is we are making some progress.

Re-bricking pretty much complete

The re-bricking has pretty much completed and the eaves have been lined again. The bricks still need to be cleaned and some render is still required above the front door and around the side of the house. We still believe there are some brick defects (overhanging slab) but overall the brickwork is a lot better than beforehand. Unfortunately, there's quite a bit of damage to the colourbond capping over the bricks that will need to be repaired or replaced.

Here are some photos:

The front elevation has been completed and the timber fascia above the entry has been replaced. The fascia will be painted the same colour as the front door.

The entryway. The rendered brickwork above the doorway has been replaced with face bricks. These bricks will need to be re-rendered and painted.


The alfresco area brickwork is done and the ceiling is pretty much lined, apart from the cornice.


An odd articulation joint. Articulation joints normally line up with the edge of the window. We'll get the inspector to examine this joint.


Damaged render finish on the front facade. The lining is probably covering more damage.


The capping on top of the bricks is all bent. It used to sit almost flush with the brickwork.


From the side, you can see how the capping is bent and doesn't sit straight on top of the bricks.

The kitchen bulkhead has been modified to fit the rangehood. Eden Brae have accepted responsibility for the rangehood when it goes in and the rangehood will be "corniced"around. The hole in the wall on the right will accommodate a touch screen and video door intercom.

Re-bricking continues

Last weekend we took some more photos of the re-bricking. It's coming along slowly. Unfortunately there is dried mortar all over the gas meter, electricity meter box and Telstra phone connection cover. We're hopeful they'll fix these issues without intervention from us.

Unfortunately, the sparky installed some lower power heat/exhaust fans (and hence cheaper) than we specified in the bathrooms. We've reported the "mistake" and are awaiting the result.

Here are some photos of the re-bricking and the kitchen glass splashback that has been installed:

The front of the house protected from the elements with Enviroseal. Good idea considering the weather this week. The fascia board still hasn't been replaced and now has "Dune" roof capping.

The side of the garage up to the side door has been done.

The alfresco area and rumpus room are coming along

We asked for Clipsal 375W heat/fans and these are HPM 275W heat/fans (you can see the HPM logo if you look closely)

The kitchen splashback has been installed. The photo doesn't really do it justice.