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Hi – I was wondering what it would take to install a window in an exterior brick wall. Is there much more than getting a sill, header and cutting a hole in the wall to fit? I would appreciate any help or direction to information on this subject. Thanks -Greg-
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I depends a little on the building construction. In Pittsburgh I work on 150 year old houses that are really built of brick. In my opinion the trim, doors, mantels and stairs make these old buildings worth saving. Generally the exterior walls are two withes of brick with plaster applied directly to the brick on the inside (no insulation)and load bearing. The mortar is soft and lime based and the bricks vary in strength since they were fired in hand built stacks. In these houses if you just cut a hole the whole wall will collapse. If you examine the wall carefully from the outside you will see every tenth row or so is a tie row with the bricks running at 90 degrees across the two withes. If I have to create and opening for a door or window I first find the tie row above the height of my lintel. I work one withe at a time usually starting on the out side. I remove bricks in the first row below this tie row and work down creating a whole big enough for my lintel. I am careful not to disturb the inside withe. The bricks above are held up by the tie row and the fact that they are embedded in the inside withe. I then install the exterior lintel and brick it in securely on both ends and brick back up to the tie row. When the mortar has cured I do the same thing on the inside. When that mortar has cured I have a good solid header support on both sides and I can break out bricks below them to my desired opening size, install the jack supports and sill, brick around everything and whala a door opening where there wasn't one before.
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Hi - I was wondering what it would take to install a window in an exterior brick wall. Is there much more than getting a sill, header and cutting a hole in the wall to fit? I would appreciate any help or direction to information on this subject. Thanks -Greg-