Drive through Tinley Park's newer subdivisions and you'll see plenty of brick — but a lot of it isn't solid masonry. It's brick veneer: a single outer layer of brick anchored to a wood-framed wall, with an air gap behind it. Veneer is perfectly sound construction, but it works differently than the solid brick on older homes, and knowing how changes what you watch for.
How veneer is designed to work
The key idea is that the brick is not meant to keep all water out on its own. Some moisture passes through and runs down the back of the brick, into the air gap, where it's meant to drain out the bottom. That's why two details matter so much:
- Weep holes — small gaps left open in the bottom course of brick. They let trapped water escape. Painted over, mortared shut, or blocked by mulch, they can't do their job, and water backs up in the wall.
- Lintels — the steel angles that carry the brick over windows, doors and the garage opening. They take a lot of load and can rust over time; staining or sagging above an opening is worth a look.
Walk the base of your walls and find the weep holes near grade. Make sure they're open and clear of soil, mulch and paint — it's the simplest, highest-value thing you can do for a veneer home.
What still needs tuckpointing
Veneer still has mortar joints, and they still weather — especially up high on chimneys and at parapets, and anywhere water concentrates. The freeze–thaw rules are the same: failing joints let water in, and water plus winter does the damage. So newer homes aren't maintenance-free; they just have their own checklist.
Getting a read on a newer home
If you're not sure whether your home is veneer or solid, or whether the weeps and lintels are in good shape, searching masonry near me Tinley Park will connect you with someone who can tell you a great deal in a single walk-around — what you have, how it's holding up, and what (if anything) deserves attention.