Truck pushed a brick garage column out of plumb: is it structural or just masonry?

On most houses the brick on a garage front is veneer, not structure. The Brick Industry Association's Technical Note 28 describes anchored veneer as a single brick wythe that carries only its own weight down to the foundation and relies on metal ties to the wood studs for lateral support. A hit like this can damage two things: the brick, and the framing behind it that actually holds up the opening.

The visible crack does not show how far the damage goes. OCI Group, a forensic engineering firm that investigates vehicle impacts for insurers, reports that the real harm often sits behind finishes: damaged jack and king studs beside the door header, broken bottom plates, shifted posts. In one of its cases the brick next to a garage door showed only cracks while the steel post beside it had moved 1.5 inches. A column or wall now leaning out of plumb means the ties or the framing they are nailed to have moved, since the ties are the brick's only lateral support.

The order of work follows from that. OCI says impacts near garage doors need temporary shoring in almost 80% of its cases, with posts no more than 12 inches from the ends of lintels and headers, and the brick shored along with the framing. It recommends stripping cracked finishes so a structural engineer can see the studs and header. For the rebuild, BIA guidance calls for at least 4 inches of lintel bearing at each end, one tie per 2.67 square feet of wall and extra ties within 12 inches of openings larger than 16 inches. OCI notes that a permit is almost always required for this kind of restoration.

On insurance, Insure.com says a homeowners policy covers damage when you drive into your own house, minus the deductible. Get the full scope priced first: if the engineer, shoring, framing and masonry together come in under the deductible, a claim would pay nothing anyway.