Ask the expert

I have a 22-year-old, one-story, slab house with brick veneer. There are no significant cracks in the concrete floors (I’ve pulled up all the carpets over the past year) other than some hairline cracks. However, we have acquired significant brick/ mortar cracks outside with ½ to 1½ inches of separation of old window caulking (can see behind the brick!), separation of fascia boards, cracking of the exterior door in the same area which I can’t open without major grunting, and the problem is worsening as I write. It all started about two years ago. We’ve been in the home six years. To whom do we turn, to ask, to fix, etc.? Help!

“I think your situation is quite interesting based upon the fact that the brick cracks developed about two years ago … in your 22-year-old house,” responds Tim Hennelly, owner of Casa Buena home inspections of Little Rock. “Said another way, your 20-year-old house has suddenly developed significant settlement conditions.

Hennelly adds that it’s also unusual, considering the age of the structure, that inch-and-a-half gaps develop within the span of two years without an apparent cause.

“Typically, any structural flaw will manifest itself within the first few years after construction,” Hennelly says, adding that the effects of deficiencies in a foundation footing, slab, structural member and floor structure can become evident to an untrained eye.

On the other hand, he says, settlement that occurs after numerous years is usually the result of an outside factor - termite-damaged lumber; persistently wet soil, which allows slab or foundation members to settle; or the effects of a tree planted too close to a structure.

“If you did not have any cracks in the brick veneer when you moved in six years ago and if it has just been within the past two years that the settlement has occurred, I tend to think that the structure has a system failure manifesting itself or it is succumbing to the effects of an ongoing outside influence,” Hennelly explains, adding that the system failure would obviously be the exterior brick wall(s).

The brick is just siding, which protects the structure’s exterior and does not provide any structural support, but because of its weight, it needs to be supported with a good foundation.

“Typically, the concrete footing under the perimeter of a house is wide enough that the weight of the exterior brick can be supported on it,” Hennelly says, adding that if it is not wide enough, measures have to be taken to install a foundation for the exterior brick.

Also, a brick wall needs to be connected to the house structure but not in direct contact with the framed walls it’s protecting. Instead, an airspace needs to exist between the wood framed wall and the brick wall so moisture passing through the brick will not adversely affect the wood. This is accomplished by nailing one end of a strip of galvanized metal called a brick tie to the wood framing, with its other end laid in the mortar between the brick. The number of brick ties installed is important in providing stability to the brick wall.

“If the foundation for the brick is not sufficient or if persistently wet conditions allow the foundation to settle, the brick wall will move, allowing cracks to develop,” Hennelly explains. “And if a sufficient number of brick ties are not present, the brick wall can start to pull away from the house,” he says, adding that such conditions can also cause exterior wood trim at doors, windows and at the top of the wall to move.

“I would advise that you contact a structural engineer to access the situation and recommend courses of action to accomplish a permanent repair,” he concludes.

Do you have a decorating or remodeling question? We’ll get you an answer from an authority. Send your question to Linda S. Haymes, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203; or email:

lhaymes@arkansasonline.com

HomeStyle, Pages 37 on 12/28/2013

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