35
votes
Accepted
Tool to help precision drill 4 holes in a wall?
I make a template with a piece of paper or cardboard (like the box the item came in). This makes drilling holes in a precise pattern a bit easier. In some situations, you might transfer the pattern ...
- 3,363
32
votes
How can I make a long wall perfectly level?
Use a 70 foot water level.
Here is a diagram of one.
Use 1/4 inch tubing or slightly larger.
Fill tubing with water before submerging one end.
The container of water is required because a huge ...
- 2,469
14
votes
Accepted
How do I tell if my house is brick or brick veneer?
One way is by looking at the bond of the bricks. Your bricks are arranged in a running bond or stretcher bond, which is always one brick thick:
To be a structural brick wall it would have to be more ...
- 12.4k
14
votes
Tool to help precision drill 4 holes in a wall?
A traditional way of attaching hanging objects to masonry was to drill a hole, bang in a wooden dowel, and then fasten into the dowel with a screw or nail.
In your case this could help reduce the ...
- 5,216
13
votes
How can I make a long wall perfectly level?
Stakes.
Place stakes in the bottom of the trench. Put them up against the edge to leave room next to them for bricks. They will stick up out of the trench. Run a string along the stakes ...
- 6,553
13
votes
Rusted screws in outdoor outlet box
Hacksaw?
If you saw thru the rusty plate (twice, one for left slot and one for right) and remove it by pulling it out from under the screw, the remaining screw will be sticking up enough for you to ...
- 6,553
12
votes
Should I try to open filled brick weep holes?
Weep holes:
No structure is 100% waterproof, and weep holes allow both water and moist air to escape the structure, so that it doesn't start going mouldy or rotting (which would cause problems over ...
- 2,372
11
votes
Can structural bricks be used as pavers for a patio?
For brick driveways the most important part is a solid compacted base--crushed quarry rock or shale, not crushed river rock. Sand is normally used, not mortar.
For a “green” drive, place the holes ...
- 101k
11
votes
Accepted
How can I remove these screws from a brick wall?
I believe that they are concrete sleeve anchors, something like these†. When you screw the nut on and tighten it down, it pulls the anchor in and tightens the expanding sleeve against the hole. With ...
- 36.9k
10
votes
Mounting a TV above a fireplace
It is a bad idea. TV screens are designed to be viewed basically level from your eyes as you sit in your TV room. If you mount it above the mantel you will forever looking up to see the thing.
The ...
- 62.8k
10
votes
How can I make a long wall perfectly level?
A video mentioned in another answer shows three methods: a string line-level, a laser level, and a water level. These will all work, but I think you'll get your best results with a water level.
...
- 24.5k
10
votes
Can rainwater seep through a single-layer brick wall in large quantities?
Bricks are porous. A single layer is called “brick veneer”. Brick veneer is installed on a structural back wall.
Usually it’s a wood frame wall with a moisture barrier applied to a layer of plywood. ...
- 3,668
9
votes
Accepted
Interior Brick Wall
Even 'half bricks' up 15' vertical is going to be a massive amount of weight that may require additional support underneath. In addition, splitting bricks in half is no easy task. You're going to end ...
- 24k
8
votes
What questions should I ask of a structural engineer about these cracks in my brick walls?
Get a reputable professional structural engineer in there ASAP -- it looks like the wall is severely cracked and would fail at that point when subject to shear loads.
I'm sure that the eyeballs of ...
- 77.8k
8
votes
Would a brick TV stand withstand the weight of a TV?
Bricks will easily withstand the weight of the TV. What you may need to worry about is the floor withstanding the weight of 2 feet of bricks under the TV. Since you don't mention the size of the base, ...
- 166k
8
votes
How do I tell if my house is brick or brick veneer?
The frame is of wood. The brick is a cladding on the outside. It is not a veneer. A veneer is fake layer of thin brick-like parquets that are secured with a cement or glue to a backing of some kind. ...
- 6,723
8
votes
How to get water to hop from patio over brick wall?
I would take a 4-1/2" angle grinder with a diamond wheel and cut out the mortar between the bricks down level with the patio surface, at like 5-10 brick intervals, creating a path for the water to ...
- 16.2k
8
votes
Is there some sort of formula to determine how many bricks I would need to build a completely new structure?
A standard brick is 8" x 2.25" x 3.5". Ignore the 3.5" as that's how thick the wall will be. 8" * 2.25" is 18 sq. in. A square foot is 144 sq. in. (12 * 12). 144 sq. in. divided by 18 sq. in. is 8....
- 211
8
votes
Can structural bricks be used as pavers for a patio?
I am going to say they can... but no.
There are tons of varieties of bricks that are used for pavers. There is no reason to go with your garden variety house brick.
To be clear the OP is ...
- 47.1k
8
votes
Rusted screws in outdoor outlet box
WD-40 is NOT a good penetrating oil. Liquid Wrench is better, but still not that great. The best kinds are called Kroil or PB Blaster, you can find them in auto parts stores. But if you don't have an ...
- 14.7k
8
votes
Can rainwater seep through a single-layer brick wall in large quantities?
some timbers around the window frame have rotted
And that is quite likely the source of your leak. It's not the brick that the "not-so-small" amount of water is seeping past, it's getting ...
- 36.9k
8
votes
Can rainwater seep through a single-layer brick wall in large quantities?
If your house has gutters on the roof, and they are some distance away from the wall, then they form a sort of "umbrella" to stop rain running down the brickwork. Of course, if the wind ...
- 466
8
votes
Accepted
What’s this small metal post sticking out of my wall?
It doesn't strike me as a functional component of the wall, as a brick tie or weep string might. I can't imagine how it would relate to the fireplace. It was probably for hanging something decorative ...
- 115k
7
votes
How can I make a long wall perfectly level?
This Old House has a great video showing you how to set level lines for landscaping projects. I think this is exactly what you're looking for. Video is about six minutes: https://www.youtube.com/...
- 3,363
6
votes
Window sill slant bricks
There may be a brick that has that shape already, but I have not seen any. If there were, they would be custom ordered. To match your brick you have in place would even be a taller order. Bricks made ...
- 32.5k
6
votes
How can I make a long wall perfectly level?
Your question about getting a wall exactly level is presumably intended to prevent overtopping at any one location. In fact, overtopping at one location is preferable so that you can respond to the ...
- 61
6
votes
Surface mount electrical box
Your description is good, search those words. There are plastic and metal boxes designed for surface raceways. But, as long as it has a knock-out in the back, you can use it alone.
https://www....
- 2,084
5
votes
How do I tell if my house is brick or brick veneer?
Open a window and measure from the face of the brick to the inside wall. If it's 14 plus inches, that's at least two courses of brick. It will be obvious if it is; questionable if it's any less thick ...
- 13.1k
5
votes
Accepted
Can I cut a hole in the brick to install a through the wall air conditioner in a basement?
Cutting a hole in your foundation almost always requires an engineer, and is almost never a do-it-yourself project.
You'll need an engineer, to tell you how to carry the load around the opening. And ...
- 130k
5
votes
Can I put an Ethernet port in my brick wall?
Two issues - cable and port.
Cable through brick wall
If one end is on one side of a brick wall and the other end is on the other side of the brick wall, drill a hole with a hammer drill and a masonry ...
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