BASC Search | Building America Solution Center

Masonry Detailing Series

Reference

Webpage featuring hundreds of illustrations of masonry construction details for brick, congrete, stone, tile, stucco, etc.

Building America Building Science Advisor

Reference

Web based tool providing decision-making guidance for selecting wall assembly components.

Moisture Control for Residential Buildings

Reference

Report providing extensive guidance on controlling moisture in building envelopes through proper selection and installation on air, water, thermal, and vapor barriers.

Weep Holes in Brick and Stone Veneer

Reference

An article written by Don Jackson of The Journal of Light Construction on how to detail brick veneer siding wall.

Moisture Management in Residential Construction Series - Stone Veneer Internal Drainage Plane

Video

Video from Home Innovation Research Labs on installing a stone veneer exterior with an internal drainage plane to protect the home from moisture issues.

Moisture Management in Residential Construction Series - Building Enclosure: Exterior Wall Overview

Video

Video from Home Innovation Research Labs giving an overview of moisture problems common to exterior walls and how to mitigate these problems with proper framing, flashing, sheathing, cladding, and insulation.

Improving Drainage and Drying Features in Certain Conditions: Rain Screen Design for Absorptive Cladding

Reference

Guide detailing best practices on how to build wall assemblies with absorptive claddings such as brick, stone that drain and dry well.

Rain Screen Acknowledgement Form

Reference

An example of a form a building codes department created to ensure builders are fully aware and have taken steps to provide drainage so that water doesn’t accumulate behind siding. This example is from the city of Newberg, Oregon.

Brick Masonry Rain Screen Walls

Reference

Document focusing on the design and wall components that contribute to a pressure equalized rain screen wall, including the frequency of the weep holes and other brick masonry rain screen wall requirements.

Nashville's Home Inspector reveals clogged "Weep Holes"

Video

Video showing how the weep holes in a brick façade are sometimes filled by the homeowner or subsequent contractor who mistakenly thought the holes are the result of an installation error during the brick laying work. These holes are important to the drainage and ventilation of the wall, please don’t...

Wall Performance by Design: Role of Rainscreens in Moisture Management

Reference

A presentation about the need for rainscreens including the damage water and moisture ingress into a home’s siding and framing can cause, and ways to design a resilient wall that drains and ventilates well.

Construction Defects – Mortar Bridging and Mortar Droppings Still Plague the Industry

Reference

Article about how mortar droppings during the installation of a brick veneer can clog the weep holes in the wall assembly causing moisture damage. The article also illustrates products that can be installed in the ventilated cavity to mitigate this problem.

Standard Specification for Manufactured Polymeric Drainage and Ventilation Materials Used to Provide a Rainscreen Function, ASTM E2925–19a

Reference

Specification describing criteria for manufactured polymeric materials used to provide a rainscreen function, a means for the drainage of liquid moisture and the ventilation of vapor moisture that enters an above-grade exterior wall assembly which was published in the year 2019, and is available for...