mausoleum...er,garage roof

[Jim Zborowski]

OK, now the picture should be here.

[Jerry Peck]

Jim,

What was visible inside? Ceiling or roof? If you could see the underside of the roof, what was it?

I suspect that the bricks were laid on some type of form when they were laid up, may even have reinforcing steel through them and be fully grouted.

At a structural masonry inspection class I took many years ago the instructor showed us photos of a reinforced golf cart bridge designed and built for a golf course over a creek. As I recall, it was only a few wythes thick. It was designed so the masons could lay it up on its side on the ground, laying it up like a brick wall, except that it had the reinforcing in it and was fully grouted as it was laid up. When completed, a crane lifted it by specially placed reinforcing hooks then set it in place over the creek.

No one wanted to trust it for their golf carts, so the designer drove his car onto it and parked the car at the top of the bridge. Made for a great photo opportunity.

By the way, that gable end is deflecting downward over that window (but you saw that anyway).

[Jim Luttrall]

Jerry, that is what makes this forum so interesting, somebody always has a story about most anything. Kind of like your old grandpa, "weell, back in WWII we had one of those things, well, not really one of those things, but kind of like that, well come to think of it not really like that one at all, but it sure was a humdinger!":D

[Billy Stephens]

Looks like a storage shed that someone overlaid with brick & inserted outer wall bolts to steel plates.
.

[Matt Fellman]

We have a major freeway bridge here in Portland (The Fremont Bridge/I405) that was designed using some type of special rivets or fasteners that were used for the first time and have never been used since.

The main engineer refuses to drive across it... It's been up since the mid-70's and hasn't failed yet :)

[Jerry Peck]

but it sure was a humdinger!":D

Jim,

Imagine a bridge like this over a creek, made for golf carts, only with a full size car parked at the top of the bridge. :)

[Kevin Barre]

My money says that the steel plates anchor the ends of threaded rods that span all the way across the building to restrain the walls at the top. I suspect that the shallow arched roof is putting enough outward thrust on the tops of the walls that they are leaning out.

[wayne soper]

You know if you use that as a moter in law suit you can just brick over the door when the time comes and tack a cross on the front. Whallah.
The hard part is waiting.

[John Carroll]

Looks like an old smokehouse, any meathooks on the inside?:cool:

[David Banks]

You know if you use that as a moter in law suit you can just brick over the door when the time comes and tack a cross on the front. Whallah.
The hard part is waiting.

Wayne. Your always thinking like a good inspector should. Proud of ya!

[wayne soper]

wow, moter in law suit, and no excuse, i was not holding a glass of scotch in my left hand. That's Mother Inlaw Suite, but you already knew that. so ashamed, OK scotch

[Jim Zborowski]

Actually, someone told me this dates back to the days of the I&M canal that ran from LaSalle, ill. to Chicago. It is now a historic corridor and now has a brand new repliica of the the original canal boats which is open for tour rides ( and it's pulled along by two mules ) just as it was then. The bottom of the roof is brick, with the tension rods preventing wall spread.

[Jerry Peck]

The bottom of the roof is brick, with the tension rods preventing wall spread.

Any intermediate supports, or just at the front and back gable walls?

With the top sagging (as is visible at the front gable wall) I'm curious if the rest was sagging too. If so, at some point there will only be a pile of old used bricks laying on whatever is underneath.

[Jim Zborowski]

You're right Jerry, there is some sagging. No other support inside, just relying on the compressive forces of the arch to hold it up.