- Q. Are weep holes in a typical wood-frame brick-veneer
home required anywhere other than at the bottom? What about
over and under windows? Also, is it required that a brick
window sill be pitched? Are weep holes required in faux-stone
installations?
A.JLC editor Don Jackson
responds: Yes to all questions: It's important to bring
any water that might be running down the surface of the
wood-framed wall back out on the surface of the brick anywhere
it might enter the framing. The 2003 IRC requires minimum
3/16-inch-diameter weep holes every 33 inches, just above the
flashing (R703.7.6). Flashing, in turn, is required under the
first course of masonry at ground level, above windows and
doors, below window sills, and at any lintels and shelf angles
(R703.7.5, R703.8). Many of these details are included in
Figure R703.7.
The Brick Industry Association
(www.
bia.org) is an excellent source of information on proper
brick-veneer construction; the drawing at right is based pri-
marily on BIA recommendations, which frequently go beyond code
minimums.
Oddly, the IRC doesn't require building paper over the plywood
or OSB sheathing as long as there's a 1-inch air space.
However, both the BIA and the APA recommend paper, and it
shouldn't be left out.
For more insight on weep holes in faux-stone veneers, see
"Manufactured-Stone
Nightmares" in this issue.