lfrankl1 Posted August 26, 2013 Report Share Posted August 26, 2013 Hello, The duplex is a small ranch with all brick. Built in 1979. Walking around the outside I noticed several cracks. Most seem to be coming from the corner of a window all the way to the ground. Cracks aren't big, but there's are at least 5 around the entire duplex. Any input would be great. Thanks! Click to Enlarge 70.66 KB Click to Enlarge 65.94 KB Click to Enlarge 81.58 KB Click to Enlarge 90.62 KB Click to Enlarge 90.62 KB Click to Enlarge 72.58 KB Click to Enlarge 121.34 KB Click to Enlarge 124.78 KB Click to Enlarge 136.95 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted August 26, 2013 Report Share Posted August 26, 2013 Just a quick guess, but those drop sills (same width as opening, as opposed to lug sills that extend past the opening) let water into the wall....water in the brick could be freezing and causing some of the movement that's cracking the brick. Or, there's incremental settlement in the foundation/footing and you're seeing it in the veneer. Are there any foundation cracks in the basement indicating movement? Show us some establishing shots; a bunch of close ups isn't showing the whole story. Patio cracks are not likely related to the "problem", but they could be...show us an establishing shot of the effected area. Also, Great Stuff/Crazy Foam is not masonry repair material; dig it out and repair the joints with mortar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kogel Posted August 26, 2013 Report Share Posted August 26, 2013 Yes, the repairs look worse than the cracks do. The crack above the crawlspace vent Pic 2 is interesting, because it changes direction. I would be inclined to think it is minor cracking of the veneer. We don't know what is behind the brick veneer, but it could be wood frame. If so, some cracks of that type would be normal, caused by some minor settlement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted August 26, 2013 Report Share Posted August 26, 2013 Yes, the repairs look worse than the cracks do. The crack above the crawlspace vent Pic 2 is interesting, because it changes direction. I would be inclined to think it is minor cracking of the veneer. We don't know what is behind the brick veneer, but it could be wood frame. If so, some cracks of that type would be normal, caused by some minor settlement. Normal? Ain't nothing normal about it. Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Raymond Posted August 26, 2013 Report Share Posted August 26, 2013 It's a rambling ranch set up as a double. I bet it's over 100' long. The veneer has room to expand above the rowlocks but not below them. There should have been expansion joints every 25 to 30 feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted August 26, 2013 Report Share Posted August 26, 2013 Normal? Ain't nothing normal about it. Marc Looks normal to me. Raymond's explanation is probably as close as any of our guesses. Unless there's something we can't see in the foundation, looks like the normal crappy (no flashing, no expansion joints) brick veneer job to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHI in AR Posted August 26, 2013 Report Share Posted August 26, 2013 The texture of that brick looks odd. Are they possibly concrete? If so, it's definitely more susceptible to expansion/contraction cracking. A little of that was sold around here in the 90's. Masons hated it since you had to place a lot of expansion joints to minimize cracking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted August 26, 2013 Report Share Posted August 26, 2013 Normal? Ain't nothing normal about it. Marc Looks normal to me. Raymond's explanation is probably as close as any of our guesses. Unless there's something we can't see in the foundation, looks like the normal crappy (no flashing, no expansion joints) brick veneer job to me. Different semantics. I don't tell any client that brick veneer cracks that bad is 'normal'. I can understand how 'normal' could be taken in a different way on this forum. Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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