PSA: That weird bulge in a wall in Charlotte took me two full days to figure out

Was repointing a 1920s chimney and the mortar line kept bulging out after I fixed it. Turned out the original builders shoved a piece of scrap lead flashing behind the brick as a shim. Had to pull 15 bricks to get it out. Anyone ever find something that weird hidden in a wall?

2 comments

2 Comments

campbell.logan21d ago

What did they use for shims back then, anything they had on hand? I used to think old houses were built perfectly but stuff like this shows they cut corners too. Finding a random piece of lead would have driven me crazy! Makes you wonder what else is hidden in plain sight.

ivan8221d ago

Lead shims are actually a legit old-school trick, believe it or not.