My home is brick veneer (one layer). Interior is all drywall, mostly put up by the people who sold me the house 4 years ago (it was a flip).
We're in Tampa, so we get a lot of rain, but the only time we had a problem was during hurricane Irma. With hours of driving rain, water began to get through the brick and under our floorboards and carpet on one side of the house.
This leads me to believe the renovators did not install proper flashing behind the brick before handing the new drywall (there also don't appear to be many weep holes, so there may never have been).
From doing research, it seems my options are a) remove all the drywall and install proper flashing and weep holes, or b) apply a sealant to the exterior brick.
So I really have two questions:
1) Which method of preventing future leaks is optimal (optimal in this case not meaning purely 'most effective,' but more like 'most effective for the effort' – removing all the drywall is a tall order, but if sealant is ultimately pointless, it would still be optimal)?
2) Who should I hire (if anyone) to do it? I'm not not handy, but this is kind of a big deal. If I'm going with sealing, for example, is there someone more qualified/specialized than a generic 'handyman?' My understanding is that it has to be done very thoroughly and correctly. When I looked at masons in my area, none of them seemed to offer that service.
Best Answer
I have brick veneer too, but I have a 1” air space between the veneer and stud wall with plywood covered with a sheet of plastic moisture barrier. This allows any moisture that enters the wall to drain down the 1” void and out the weep holes at the bottom of the wall.
It would be nearly impossible to remove the interior drywall and install a correct system like mine.
Rather, I’d invest in verifying that you do not have any cracks in the mortar joints or between the mortar and brick and then install a clear sealer on the brick veneer.
I’d first hire a masonry contractor to “point” all the mortar joints. Then get the best clear brick sealer with the highest amount of silicone available. (I think mine was 5%.) and hire a painter to install it. They will spray it on and you should make sure they “flood” the brick to the point of refusal. They’ll use a lot, but it’s worth it.
The clear sealer will last 5-6 years, depending on the weather. Be prepared to re-do regularly.