Mason to coordinate with concrete subcontractor regarding location of fill cell sleeves, and shall verify location of sleeves on formed decks prior to pour. If possible, double dip this scope by buying dimensioned fill cell placing plan from both the mason and the formwork subcontractor.
Coordinate who owns install of H.M. frames in masonry openings.
It is more economical if window sills can be masonry filled bond beams. Coordinate with concrete scope. Buy precast sills from the mason.
Include off the building mock-up for water testing purposes.
Verify if parapet wall caps are poured concrete or masonry.
Verify if any masonry walls separating AC space from non-AC space need to be insulated.
Verify extent of exposed tooled joints versus float finish. There is significant premium for tooled joints; should be priced both ways.
Buy grouting of cells from mason.
Include installation of masonry rebar. Clarify who purchases, offloads, etc.
Allow for multiple mobilizations per floor (i .e. buck hoist, elevator fronts, shaft walls, etc.).
Clarify all lintel conditions; which are precast versus poured concrete? Avoid use of steel angles where precast lintel header abuts poured concrete column. This can result in waterproofing and caulking issues in the window opening.
Clarify conditions where there are openings at concrete columns that result in less than 8” or 12” of CMU. Submit RFI to get appropriate direction from the Engineer.
Include installation of scuppers in parapet walls.
Mason to provide their own outrigger(s), scaffolding, etc.
Overlay Architectural and Structural plans to verify that CMU walls are shown consistently.
Sample scope language, “Masonry imperfections created by this subcontractor, which are not within the specified tolerances, and does not allow the specified finish material such as stucco, EIFS, gypsum, paint to be installed in a satisfactory manner, must be repaired at this subcontractor's expense prior to the finish work. This shall be subject to Kast's approval prior to finish work.”
Buy dovetail anchors from mason.
Check depth of lintels based on span to determine if there is enough room for the specified lintel based on the required window size. This is a typical design coordination issue. If the plans don’t have a lintel schedule, submit RFI.
Verify detail at the top of CMU wall where masonry abuts concrete slab.
FIELD & QC ITEMS
Review all fire rated walls, check UL assemblies, and verify that appropriate block is used.
Review for special block (lightweight, split face, scored, glass, etc).
Review fill cell spacing for different wall types.
Quality control on exterior wall is critical. If wall is out of plane, stucco thickness will be above or below allowable standards. This is common deficiency in hi-rise construction and difficult to correct. Masonry control joints must line up with stucco control joints. This is a typical design coordination issue, often times the Architect does not show stucco control joints.
Another typical problem area is not fully grouting at the joint between the top of wall and underside of slab. If not done, this joint becomes an easy point of water intrusion during construction.
Do mock-up for each type of wall to establish acceptable level of quality written approval from Owner and/or Architect.
Verify all public accessible parapet/balcony walls are minimum of 42" above finished floor. Include allowance for tenant flooring (2" +/-).
Verify balcony scupper type (e.g. pvc, precast, etc) and coordinate location and number of balcony scuppers with balcony slopes. Verify scupper size, maximum height permitted by code is 4”. Buy with masonry scope so the scupper can be set as the block is laid.
Verify consolidation of filled cell concrete on a floor-by-floor basis by sounding cells with 2 lb. sledge hammer. Have threshold inspector sign-off on each floor. This is critical on condominium projects.
FPL vaults require 4-hour rating; all cells must be grouted solid.
Review toilet/dryer exhaust to verify that wall cap is not located in fill cell.
