Lintel above porch to support brick 1

[MittenBuild]

Hello,

We are in the middle of a new construction and it is being suggested to use a steel lintel fastened to the wall studs (cripples under windows) above the front porch to carry the load of the brick above the porch. Has anyone seen it done like this? Seems like a lot of weight to be relying on a steel lintel bolted to a stud wall to individual cripple studs and hoping for mason to hit the studs dead on. The start of the porch roof is above the rim board which is engineered rim board since engineered floor joists were used. The smaller gable cantilevers out a 1’. This is in Michigan, snow is a factor and in Seismic zone 1. See attached pictures for reference. *Note the blocking between the mono trusses are just nailed into the wall sheathing and are not structural as depicted in photo from below and can be seen from window picture looking down on porch in between the trusses.

Thank you.

 

[SWComposites]

Are you the owner, engineer (EOR) or builder?

 

[BAretired]

What is the thickness of the brick veneer? What is the extent of brick veneer? What do the drawings show for brick support?

I don't think you can support 4" brick veneer on a lintel fastened to studs. You may have to consider using a different finish such as stucco or thin, lightweight brick veneer.

 

[GeorgeTheCivilEngineer]

I would have thought the lintel is bearing on the adjacent masonry and bolted back to the timber.

 

[kipfoot]

There are conditions when brick supported by wood framing is permitted in the International Residential Code. Study section R703.8.2.2. It's not something you do as an afterthought, and I don't think your situation satisfies what the code prescribes.

May I suggest a Hardie plank in a lovely shade of taupe?

 

[phamENG]

Yes, this the normal means of doing it in a situation like this. But as kipfoot said, it cannot be an afterthought. If you weren't planning on it from the beginning, it's a bit late to go back and do it now. The headers all have to be sized for it, the studs and connections designed for eccentric loading, etc.

 

[MittenBuild]

@swcomposites I am the builder

@phamENg, @kipfoot, @BAretired The plan did not specifically spec the requirements of the application, but shows 3" brick veneer over the porch roof line on both gables. The AOR says it will be fine with a steel lintel fastened to the cripples and on the small gable can be bricked as well with the same application. I have contacted the local building official who physically visited and a local engineer who took a look at photos only and he said should be fine as well. I personally am just second questioning this as this is not a typical detail for me as usually we carry/start brick from the ledge and lintel around doors and windows. The roof frieze/soffit has been framed already to accept the brick to tuck but weary of proceeding. So losing a bit of sleep over this as again relying on the lintel to be perfectly fastened also comes into play. HOA is in play requiring 90% brick which all elevations will have but maybe change the gables and still meet requirements and change the façade or at this point should I get an engineer stamped approval and assure the verbal okays from everyone to proceed? P.s I attached another pic of the second floor showing the cripples.

 

[BAretired]

@MittenBuild,

Since your plan did not specify brick support, your safest course of action is to have it reviewed and sealed by a competent engineer. Verbal assurances based on casual observations are not going to help one iota if there are problems after completion of the work. Deflection of members supporting brick should be limited to span/600. Otherwise, cracks will likely become apparent.

 

[phamENG]

I'll second BA's advice - have a structural engineer familiar with this kind of construction review the project and provide you with details to follow.

 

[MittenBuild]

You’re all right and thank you for the help. Had an engineer come out today so I’ll share the details. For the cantilevered area small gable the front door header has triple lvl so we are going to reinforce the webbing of the tji joists cantilevered into the porch exterior area to bear the load even more and not allow the lintel to shear as we will be blocking the on both interior gable walls between the 2x6 interior studs with double 2x8 to 2x10 material built in a header fashion with cripples so the lintels can be fastened to existing studs or the 2xs without worrying about anyone missing to fasten lintel to using lags.

 

[JoelTXCive]

Mittenbuild - Aside from the structural issues, make sure there is a way for water to get out. If not, water will accumulate in the the porch roof region.

Often this is done with a piece of flashing that sits on your lintel.

 

[Greenalleycat]

I've done calcs on trying to get this to work before
In general, I do not support doing it as it is very difficult to resolve the moment in a satisfactory and reliable way
This is particularly important as the load is permanent and brick veneer is very deflection sensitive

At minimum I would be wanting to use double studs at the fixing locations, using an angle with a long vertical leg (to give better lever arms), and would suggest bolting fully through the join of the double stud then fixing onto the back of both with a solid plate washer
To be confirmed by engineering review 100% though, contractor cannot eyeball this one

 

[XR250]

I hate this detail but what I do to make it better is to add a 2x4 cripple wall in the plane of the gap between the upper and lower veneer (where possible). That allows the lower brick to support the upper brick. Sure there is shrinkage and construction gaps, but it is a lot better than without. I have seen countless houses with large cracks in the upper veneer using the code detail.