Brick-filled wood frame browstone? Common construction type?
Hello everyone, I checked DoB records on a brownstone I am about to place an offer on, and I found an application to acquire a C of O, which they withdrew (not sure why they even bothered to acquire C of O when it’s unnecessary for houses built before 1938, but that’s another question mark…). The application stated that the construction type of this house is “II-D: PROTECTED WOOD FRAME”, I found that this means it’s a “brick-filled/lined wood frame”. Apparently, it was done to reinforce and insulate the structure. I was under the impression that all brownstones are brick.This house was renovated fully, but I don’t think they did anything to the facade (I know that sometimes “faux brownstone” stucco facades are done nowadays by some developers – but they are so obvious). Has anyone heard of this type of construction or lived in one? What is your experience with it? I am concerned that this would be more prone to termites and rotting. The other thing that is unusual about this brownstone is that it’s narrower than any of the ones I looked at during my search (about 15-16 feet), perhaps this fact might reveal more about this building’s construction provenance?
Kateruba
in Architecture 13 years and 6 months ago
7
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7 replies
jparnass | 13 years and 6 months ago
The HUGE disadvantage to owning one of these houses is that doing any kind of addition becomes prohibitively expensive due to the requirement for adding sprinklering throughout the entire structure.
Kateruba | 13 years and 6 months ago
Thank you everyone, you’ve all been very helpful and insightful! I’d love to hear more first-hand experiences about the maintenance of such a house.
callalily | 13 years and 6 months ago
We have a wood frame house with brick inside the walls, built about 1893\. The foundation is rubble and the first story is brick. There is no brownstone on the outside — it is wood frame. Are you using the word “brownstone” to mean “row house”? Or is there a mistake in the DOB records? I think wood frames are more susceptible to termites, but if you keep an eye on it and it’s not wet, I doubt you would have a problem. We had termites but our house was terribly neglected. The damage caused the floor to sink in parts (which messes with the staircase and pocket doors). It was easy to get rid of them, and we replaced some of the joists and part of the main beam. Your inspector will tell you if your house has any problem like this.
jockdeboeraia | 13 years and 6 months ago
This was done after the war to allow 1 and 2 families to be converted to three familes. There was such an influx of soilders with no where to live. Above two familles needs to be fire proof construction. You will find it in the 1938 code.
dazednconfused2 | 13 years and 6 months ago
I think Dibs has it right. I’ve come across a number of these, very often in that narrower category. The structure is wood frame and then the bricks are added for fire protection. When these started, no one really used insulation, so it’s unlikely that insulation was the goal, although it does provide a bit of insulation to the assembly. Also, as Steve said, this would not necessarily make it any more susceptible to termites as it is also very common to see termite damage in the floor joists (usually at the rear of the building where there is exposed dirt) in completely masonry shell brownstones. You do also see this kind of construction aften on only the front and back walls, mixed with brick party walls on the sides, but not the other way around, so as for whether or not it’s “real brownstone”, I would say that I’ve never seen real brownstone used in this kind of frame construction. Most likely, the brownstone facade was added later as an improvement. “Faux” brownstone is not always that easy to tell from the solid stuff. Done right, they can be nearly identical, especially when they use real brownstone as the cement mixture.
daveinbedstuy | 13 years and 6 months ago
Steve…OP may also be referring to framing that is filled with brick in between the studs. I have seen this in frame/clapboard houses but not in brownstones where the interior is framed as you describe. Brick is tightly fir in between all the studs and cross beams. I assume for insulation and perhaps it made for a more stable house. In the country they refer to this as “rubble filled” as loose stone is poured in between the studs as they build up from the ground.
stevecym | 13 years and 6 months ago
I am not sure if this is going to be the answer you are looking for, but I will tell you something about two types of construction used in the area where I live. The house we live in was built in the 1920’s and has brick exterior and party walls. All plaster is thrown up directly onto the walls with no wood or lath. It is what I would consider a brick house. Some of the houses a few blocks away, same style, same design, but built a few years later are brick with framing on the inside. In other words, they sticked them out and put plaster to lath. I suspect that is what you are referring to and I have seen brownstones built of brick with framing on the inside of the front and rear walls with plaster directly onto the brick on the party walls. In so far as termites, I cannot gander one way or the other, other than to say that I have seen termite damage in floor joists in full brick houses, so that risk is prevelant either way. I hope this helps. Steve