Getting really tired of seeing stacked bond on load-bearing walls around here

I walked a new development site over on Maple Drive yesterday and three different houses had all their brick laid in stacked bond on what were clearly load-bearing exterior walls. This is the fourth time in six months I've spotted this on new builds around here. Am I the only one still teaching apprentices that running bond is non-negotiable for structural walls?

2 comments

2 Comments

johnthompson10d ago

Honestly I used to think stacked bond was fine for anything if the mortar mix was right. But after seeing some walls crack and bow on a commercial job a few years back I did a complete 180 on it. You're totally right running bond is the only safe way to go for load bearing.

janac599d ago

Man have I seen this exact same thing on a few jobs lately? There was a house over on Elm Street that had stacked bond on the front wall and within a year the bricks were starting to push out where the window headers were. The apprentice who laid it kept saying the mortar would hold but that wall is literally bowing now and the homeowner is stuck with a repair bill that should have been avoided from day one. It just makes me so frustrated because we all learned the basics for a reason and skipping them for looks or speed is asking for trouble down the road. You're absolutely right to be tired of it.