Forensic Masonry Consulting
In the process of renovating, redesigning and or restoring an older masonry building there are a lot of things to consider that require a thorough understanding of the original building structure and fabric. Without this fundamental comprehension informing the process many mistakes are made, oversights and often expensive mistakes and damage occur in the name of ‘restoration’.
Many architects, engineers and property owners have realized the value of a good forensic masonry building evaluation before attempting to write specifications for restoration.
Vintage wood structures are not nearly as complex and materials do not vary to the degree that vintage masonry structures do. These variations and combinations in materials were critical to the original design and are also critical to long-term stability and appearance of the masonry structure, so identifying them and understanding how and why there is failure is not something that can be overlooked without serious adverse consequences.
The best investment you can make in your masonry restoration project is to hire a competent and experienced historical mason consultant. The problem with many who bare the title ‘consultant’ is a lack of field experience. The best consultant is the person who has spent many years working in the masonry restoration field. The problem with many who work in the field, actually pulling the building apart and putting it back together again is that they tend not to be interested in the science of the building methods and materials themselves.
The perfect consultant is the person who has the years of diverse field experience and is as interested in the ‘how and why’, the science of it all, as he is in actually performing the work itself. Having the insight of this person beforehand will reduce or eliminate the guess-work during the process of developing the Historical Restoration specifications and ensure a much tighter regime during the bid process as ‘gray area’, contradiction and irrelevance are removed. This person’s insight also insures better performance during the restoration process as clarity from beginning to end make for a very direct path from beginning to completion without the common ambiguous expectations.
Hiring a qualified Forensic Masonry Consultant is the best investment for your project and something that if neglected all too often results in permanent damage to the vintage structure you intended restore and wasted resources in the process.