A building material once used for basements in the Chicago area has moved upstairs, sometimes several stories up, in the construction of mid-rise multifamily condominium buildings and single-family houses in some of the city’s trendiest neighborhoods.
Available now in a variety of guises, including a simulated stone variety called split-face concrete block, concrete masonry units (CMUs) became a popular material choice when infill building began to boom in the city.
Cheaper than brick, a concrete block wall can be used as the structural skeleton of the building and its exterior wall. It’s a feature that saves construction time, material and labor costs and adds a few precious inches to the interiors of space-challenged city dwellings. Importantly, the block also qualifies for a better fire rating than some alternative materials.
It also has stirred controversy as poor construction techniques resulted in damage — especially from moisture — to a multitude of condominiums. The bulk of the problem has passed, according to city officials, but the fallout is this: It pays a buyer not to be so overwhelmed by fancy finishes and space in a particular unit that he or she forgets the basics — namely, how well the building is constructed.
Block, especially when the front facade is faced with brick, fits in with older, existing buildings. It looks more durable and expensive than wood frame construction. It has a low-maintenance reputation. And Chicago has had an affinity for masonry since much of the city was destroyed by fire in 1871.
“Nothing was built in the city for decades and then [Chicago] became hot,” says Charles Ostrander, executive director of the Masonry Advisory Council, a trade group based in Park Ridge.
Block, after years as a serviceable structural backup to masonry and as a dividing wall in multifamily buildings, became a material of choice in the explosion of new housing for affluent, but often naive, urban first-time buyers and a stampede of developers, some first-timers, who saw quick potential profits.
“It’s a product that came into use to maximize the livable space on a 25-foot-wide lot,” says architect Jim Plunkard, a principal of Plunkard + Hartshorne, Chicago.
But there have been some bumps along the way with worrisome tales of water leakage and shoddy construction.
Plastic surgeon John Kotis finished his medical residency about two years ago and wanted to live near his work. He and his fiance found and fell in love with a $420,000 duplex in a three-unit building in Bucktown on the Near Northwest Side. With the building’s other two condos sold and occupied, first-time buyer Kotis gave little thought to potential problems. But when the inspector he hired visited the dwelling, he told Kotis, “don’t walk, run” from the deal.
“There’s no flashing, the building isn’t sealed. It’s falling apart,” Kotis says the inspector told him.
“I said, `I really want this condo,’ and the inspector told me, `I want you to have it, but not like this,'” recalls Kotis, who since has bought a house in the suburbs.
Ald. Vi Daley (43rd) heard enough complaints about concrete block buildings from her Lincoln Park constituents several years ago to consider banning concrete block from Chicago residential construction.
After numerous meetings with masonry and builder representatives who argued that it was not the material, but unskilled or ignorant craftsmanship that caused the problems, she says “we agreed to compromise.”
In 2001, she and Ald. Ted Matlak (32nd), whose Bucktown constituents were facing similar woes, co-sponsored a city ordinance requiring any builder applying to use CMUs to file a drawing or plan detailing weather-proofing measures. For an exterior wall of a single wythe, or width, of CMUs, the blocks must have an integral water repellent in the block and mortar.
In addition, the ordinance specifies walls must be built with details such as weep holes and flashing to prevent the accumulation of water in the wall assembly and to provide a way for water to drain from the exterior wall before entering the interior.
“I haven’t heard from anyone for months,” Daley says.
Architect Plunkard suggests there may be a move away from single-width concrete block construction for a number of reasons, including that it requires “a certain amount of maintenance. It has to be waterproofed every three or four years and it is hard to access some of the sides of the buildings,” Plunkard says.
Still, several Chicago home inspectors say problems linger in some buildings built before the ordinance and in some new units.
“I think it is a major problem and a lot of it is in the small buildings, in the three- and six-flats,” says Steve Hier, a principal in Miller-Hier Enterprises, a Chicago home inspection company.
“In the last six to seven years there has been such a rush to put up these buildings that there has been a lack of quality workmanship and in some cases just plain ignorance. A lot of the detailing is done wrong or done insufficiently,” Hier says.
He also cites young, first-time buyers caught up in the “shiny counter syndrome.”
“They are looking at the marble and granite countertops and not paying attention to exterior construction,” Hier says. Sometimes to save money, buyers don’t even want him to inspect a building’s exterior, he says.
Buyers looking at new or existing block construction housing are wise to learn about what they are buying and the track record of the builder, say those who work in building and home inspection.
“When you talk to people buying in the suburbs, they research the builders, what is the experience of other buyers who have bought from those builders and how long the builder has been in business,” says the president of a two-year-old, three-unit condo building where residents have spent $18,000 to repair shoddy construction. But, in the city, shoppers often have different priorities, he says. “In the city, the key question more often was `what’s the most space you can have?'” And single-width block construction maximizes the interior space of homes built on narrow city lots.
“Block wall with proper detailing — if you do it correctly — you shouldn’t have any problem. It can be very low maintenance,” says Steve Preins, a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), a nationwide industry group based in Des Plaines.
However, buyers should understand that concrete block, like brick, is porous, Preins says.
“Masonry is not a waterproof material … It’s a matter of workmanship,” Preins says. “Properly constructed masonry walls have weep holes and flashing, both of which allow water that gets through the masonry to escape and directs the moisture out of the wall.”
Architect Scott M. Conwell says that, unlike some other trades in housing, quality workmanship is critical in masonry because “it is the exterior of the wall of the home.”
Conwell is on the staff of the Chicago regional office of the International Masonry Institute, a non-profit based in Annapolis, Md., that’s funded by the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers and masonry contractors. The institute provides training and apprenticeship for the union; and technical service to architects, engineers and builders; and promotes masonry.
“It is important to have an architect and architectural drawings which specify the correct block, mortar and detailing in any masonry construction,” Conwell says. It is important to catch problems early in construction, he adds, because “this is where a lot of this [problems] can be prevented.”
In traditional brick masonry, there are at least two widths of materials with a narrow drainage cavity in between. But, a single width of block relies on design and construction techniques to achieve the same outcome, the architect says. With only 8 inches of block and a coat of plaster or drywall between the outside elements and a climate-controlled indoor space, Conwell says it is “imperative” that the exterior block and the mortar have an integral water repellent.
After the building is completed, it is important to apply the manufacturer-specified exterior treatment, which does not hold the water but allows the water vapor to escape.
“You do need to do both [the integral repellent and the exterior surface treatment] because the block manufacturers say you need to do it,” says Conwell, noting the exterior treatment needs to be reapplied every few years. “In any masonry, it is good to have redundancy, especially against moisture,” Conwell says.
Just as important as the right block and mortar are the critical details such as proper flashing at the foundation, window sills, lintels and wall caps. Because water should drain through the core of the block, the flashing minimizes the water entering the wall and diverts water out of the wall through the weep holes. Furthermore, a properly built CMU wall should provide for crack control, Conwell says. Moisture can seep through cracks in the mortar, so control joints must be part of the structure to alleviate any potential cracking. They should be specified on the architectural plan.
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Tips for buyers in block buildings
Here are some tips for potential buyers of units in concrete block buidings.
1. Research the builder. Find out how long the builder has been in business and the company’s reputation. Ask for the names of others who have bought from the company. Talk to them. “It’s amazing that some of these guys are doing three or four buildings within a mile and no one goes to ask, `Was the guy good? Did you have any problems?'” Chicago home inspector Richard Handchuh says.
2. Hire an inspector. Do it whether you are considering new construction or buying in an existing building. Those buying new construction should consider hiring an inspector to check at four key times during the building process, advises licensed home inspector Steve Preins.
Private home inspections have to be scheduled with the builder, Preins says, and don’t be surprised if the builder is cool to the idea. Construction is a scheduling nightmare, so fitting in a buyer’s inspector is seen by some builders as a nuisance, at best, and a deal breaker, at worst.
Relying solely on municipal inspectors is risky, Preins argues. “There is a lot of work, and they can’t be everywhere,” especially in a city like Chicago.
For an existing building, tell the inspector you want a report on the home’s interior and exterior. It could give a sense of looming costs and repairs.
3. Hire the right inspector. Because most home inspectors are not trained in masonry construction, architect Scott Conwell urges hiring a masonry consultant by contacting the International Masonry Institute at 800-464-0988. Masonry consultants review plans, go to job sites and write reports.
Preins advises taking care when hiring an inspector. Ask for credentials such as licensing or membership in the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). Know the kind of inspector you need. A new-home inspector makes sure construction is to municipal codes and best construction practices, expertise a resale inspector may not have.
Whether you are buying a new or an existing one, ask for an inspector qualified for masonry and ask how many masonry inspections the person has has done in the last year, Preins suggests.
4. Get documentation. Home inspector Steve Hier urges insisting on documentation that the building — new or existing — was constructed with integral water repellent block and mortar and the date of the last exterior treatment.
5. Visit the project yourself. Conwell, who built a house eight months ago, advises visiting the construction site frequently, with notice to the builder and his or her consent.
— Sharon Stangenes
