Expert: Dan Griffin - 6/26/2008

Question
I would like to add a single room addition to me existing brick home (single brick thickness on 2x4 frame). I want the new walls to also be brick.  How should one connect a new brick wall into the middle of an existing brick wall? Second, how does one extend an existing brick wall to make it longer?

Answer
Daren, these can be handled in two ways.  The existing brick work can be toothed back removing the bricks and mortar and tying the new brick work back in the same running bond pattern.  This is quite normal for brick layers and they are well prepared to perform.  Another approach would be to cut a straight line and lay new brick with an expansion joint.  Most commercial buildings are done this way, notice a vertical joint about every 30 feet.  Both methods depend on tying in the footings so there is no separate movement.

The major issues will be finding brick to match size and color.  It would be quite unusual to be able to find a match.  It is also allmost imossible to duplicate the mortar color.