Masonry Foundation Wall - Residential

[fbaxley]

I'm designing a house near the coast of SC. Plans call for continuous solid 8" CMU foundation wall (approx 4 to 5' tall w/no backfill) + 4" brick veneer, which makes a 12" foundation wall. Details show brick bonded to CMU with brick-ties and perimeter 2x6 walls/sill plate bearing directly on the outer portion of the foundation wall, which is the brick veneer. Is it adequate or in compliance with Code to support a bearing wall on 4" brick veneer that is bonded to 8" CMU making a 12" wall?

 

[samdamon]

Fbaxley-

The 4" brick is normally used only as a veneer, not a good idea to use it to carry wall loads.

 

[bylar]

Aren't you resting the floor joists on the cmu wall and the frame wall on top of the floor joists? If so, the joists can cantilever the 4" over the brick.

 

[fbaxley]

bylar,
in the case where the floor framing is all spanning left to right, then yes, the floor joists are resting on the left and right perimeter CMU walls. But the floor joists are spanning parallel to front and rear walls and the wall framing above is supported by a double continuous band, which in my question, is bearing on brick veneer bonded to CMU. Does this bond create a composite 12" wall or is special reinforcing required to make wall composite?

 

[JAE]

fbaxley,
You probably shouldn't support your house on the brick veneer - although brick can be a very good loadbearing material (has been for many years until recently), the use of an 8" CMU wall behind it makes for the better support.

Also, beware of tying the clay-based brick with the concrete based CMU as brick will expand over time with moisture exposure (you said you were near the coast) and the concrete will shrink - so any rigid bonding of the two may cause problems.

For your "left to right" walls, I would indeed use the 8" CMU and cantilever over the brick - using an expansion joint material to ensure no load gets transferred.

For the other two walls, you can still cantilever, using a double or triple joist set X feet inside the wall and using a ladder-type framing to cantilever perpendicularly out over the wall.