Skagit County Courthouse

Various degradation issues and installation deficiencies affected the exterior masonry of this historic courthouse.

The PL:BECS investigation revealed cracking and surface erosion in the stone entablature.

The PL:BECS investigation revealed moderate corrosion of steel lintels above window openings.

RILEM testing by PL:BECS revealed excessive absorption, indicating inadequate mortar bond.

Mount Vernon, Washington 
Client: SHKS Architects
Dates of Service: 2009

Project Summary: The exterior masonry of this historic courthouse was displaying extensive degradation, including mortar erosion, cracking, mortar delamination, corrosion of steel lintels, etc.  The architectural firm of SHKS Architects was retained to prepare construction documents for the needed masonry restoration.

PL:BECS Services: PL:BECS, due to its particular expertise in masonry construction and restoration, was retained by SHKS Architects to provide technical guidance for the masonry work.

PL:BECS visited the site to examine preliminary mock-ups of brick re-pointing and performed RILEM absorption testing to evaluate whether the new mortar was bonding well to the brickwork.  This revealed very high absorption even though an appropriate mortar mix had been used, indicating inadequate bonding.  PL:BECS suggested modifications to the re-pointing methods to enhance bond.

The PL:BECS examination also revealed cracking in cast-stone elements, corrosion of steel lintels above windows, inadequate veneer tie distribution, cracking in the columns, and other masonry issues, which were brought to the architect’s attention, although correction of these elements fell outside the stipulated corrective scope.

PL:BECS also reviewed the architect’s preliminary specifications for the masonry restoration, including mortar mixes and installation methods, sealants, elastomeric coatings, etc., and suggested modifications.