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Component Manufacturing dverti$er
Don’t Forget! You Saw it in the
July 2019 #11240 Page #100
Adverti$er
Attaching a Deck Ledger to a Home Through Brick or Masonry Veneer — the BVLZ Solution By Rachel Holland, P.E.
Brick or masonry veneer has traditionally posed a problem to homeowners and contractors seeking to attach a deck to a home without removing large portions of the veneer or siding. No longer is that the case, thanks to the innovative BVLZ brick veneer ledger connector from Simpson Strong-Tie. In this article, Rachel Holland, P.E., an R&D structural engineer at Simpson Strong-Tie, explains the research and insights that went into testing and developing this revolutionary connector. When a homeowner with a brick veneer home wants a deck, how do you safely add outdoor living space? Did you know that the building codes do not allow for the brick veneer to carry any load except for the weight of the brick above it? Because of these code provisions set forth in the IRC and DCA6, it’s difficult to attach a deck to a structure without either removing large portions of brick, as is required by some products available on the market, or building a freestanding deck. But even a freestanding deck comes with its own set of challenges. Many times the deck posts obstruct downstairs windows and doors. In addition, ensuring the new deck post footing is in undisturbed soil can be challenging. Often, that soil is located much deeper than one would guess, especially if there is a basement, because the soil adjacent to a house is disturbed. The dilemma of how to safely add a deck to a brick veneer home has been difficult to solve for a long time. After hearing the challenges our customers face, we set out to develop a new solution that would bypass the brick completely and attach the deck safely to the structural framing behind the brick veneer. We spent more than a year researching and designing multiple iterations of various prototypes in order to develop a part that would meet our criteria. From all that trial and error, however, the BVLZ brick veneer ledger connector was born. There are many field variables that made the design of this new product very challenging, but it was that much more rewarding when we were finally able to hit upon the solutions. For example, across the country, existing airspaces between the veneer and the framing vary, brick sizes also vary, and the list of variables goes on. In order to have one part accommodate the majority of these variables, we designed a threaded compression strut that allowed for adjustability in the field and developed Continued next page
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