Our firm is designing a multi-story steel frame office building with brick masonry insulated cavity walls. The shelf angles are designed with horizontal expansion joints beneath them at each floor line, roughly 10 feet on center. The windows are a relatively wide 12 feet and we would like to hang the window lintels from the floor above.Can this plan create problems since the lintels will be attached to a different floor beam than the masonry on either side of the window? More
Many references recommend placing end dams at flashing terminations over window lintels. Are these end dams necessary? If water flows off the end of the flashing, won't it merely be handled by lower levels of flashing? More
Can you support brick veneer on wood framing? In a two-story brick veneer residence with a one-story garage, the brick veneer above the garage needs to be supported on the wood framing. Is this permitted? More
Every contractor spends a great deal of time establishing level, plumb and square. Using a laser level can make this task easier. More
I am replacing the windows on an old building. All the steel lintels have sagged downward in the center, some as much as 1 inch. Were these lintels built this way? Or did loads from the masonry cause them to sag over time? More
Unlike arches, which carry loads in compression, beams and lintels act as flexural members spanning horizontally between supports. More
I am designing a masonry veneer wall with a steel-stud backup. I want to use stainless steel wall ties. How should I connect them to the galvanized steel studs? Should I use galvanized steel screws and washers to separate them from the steel studs? More
