Discussion of Brick Window Details

In studying the design and install of brick window openings I have come up with some nice details that show the head and sill conditions for the brick using reinforced precast lintel at the head and a three sided precast stone sill. The water resistive barrier and the air barrier are created by using Tyvek as the WRB and the water shedding surface is the brick.

There is some debate about the longevity of Tyvek as a WRB behind brick due to its life span vs. the lifespan of brick. Other more suitable options include liquid applied membranes (LAM). Wetflash is a new LAM that shows promise as an easy to install, inspect and use product that is vapor permeable, robust, and flexible.

I designed the brick to have Stuc-0-Wrap's Flexflash SA membrane in 2" x 2" patches at each brick tie to ensure a seal for the long term at those penetrations. Some people like to put pressure treated battens behind the brick at 8” o.c. to ensure the Tyvek holds to the building and doesn’t get holes created due to wind pressure against the membrane.

I invite all those interested to comment on the details included in this post to help them be improved. I will also answer any questions regarding why I designed certain elements the way I did. Tear em apart, that is how I get better.

Thanks,