Brick veneer cracks

[AusTes7]

Software eng here, so this one’s out of my realm — hoping to get some direction on this from you all.

I’m seeing some cracks develop in the brick veneer around a window, and I’ve been concerned about soil movement and settling on this corner of the house since it gets a lot of water against the foundation.

Does this look indicative of something structural, or just thermal?

Thanks!

 

[AusTes7]

Here’s the other crack, lower right corner

 

[Greenalleycat]

Kinda strange cracks
Doesn't look thermal to me - wouldn't expect that to track through the brick
The crack coming off that weephole through the brick etc is a bit of a telltale to me of load tracking through that region
What is causing that load is very difficult to tell without seeing the building - could be lateral (wind or EQ) or settlement
If you think that is a very wet area then settlement due to soft soils is a plausible starting area

If nothing else, having a very wet area on your site, and especially against your house, is not a good time
So you may as well fix that issue and monitor the cracks over time to see if they change
<obviously I am giving friendly opinions and not a professional opinion given the lack of actual detail>

You could also pay a local structural engineer to come and take a look and prepare a proper report

 

[AusTes7]

Really appreciate the opinion — here’s a broader view of the area. The horizontal crack across the column seems the most odd, but not a trained eye here. I wanted to see what this forum thought first, but so far just reinforcing my instinct to get a local out to do a proper assessment.

 

[Greenalleycat]

Being honest, I think if this was my place I would start by getting the drainage assessed and sorted by a pro
Then, if it bothered me, I would get the brick repairs done as best as possible, also by a pro
I would also probably get my laser out and take lots of floor level measurements through that area
This would give a starting point to see whether there is settlement now, and also whether there is change over time

I would monitor that closely over the next 12 months (allowing for a full seasonal variation of wetting and drying) and see whether the cracking reappears or there is further evidence of movement

 

[hokie66]

Not having any control joints in the veneer is likely contributing. Brick grows with time, and that can lead to cracking at the thinnest sections, and the two sections in your photos are thin. This cracking in veneer is not indication of settlement or other structural problems, so if it bothers you, get a mason to repoint it. Make sure he knows what he is doing, as amateur repairs can stand out worse than the cracks.

 

[Tomfh]

Get a laser level and shoot it along the mortar courses to see what’s moving Up/down. Also check for out of plane movement.

 

[hokie66]

My opinion is that it is moving in plane, left to right in those photos.

 

[AusTes7]

Thank you all, this is tremendously helpful — and it does seem like step one is getting someone to assess the drainage. It’s only significant after strong rain, but that’s a good 3-5 “lakes” per year that will form out there. Glad to hear it doesn’t seem like something that is immediately concerning as far as structural issues.

 

[sdz]

First I'd ask where you are and what type of soil you have? If you are on an expansive soil some cracking would be expected.

Next look in AS2870 Table C1, CLASSIFICATION OF DAMAGE WITH REFERENCE TO WALLS
Hairline cracks <0.1 mm Negligible
Fine cracks that do not need repair <1 mm Very slight
Cracks noticeable but easily filled. Doors and windows stick slightly <5 mm Slight

You should at least improve the drainage around your foundations.



Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang

 

[dik]

The first crack is just joining the corner of one opening to the other. The second one appears to be caused by restraint and occurs at the smallest height of wall. Are there any control joints in the wall? Do you have an elevation of the wall showing where any control joints are located?

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[AusTes7]

I’m in the Austin area, and yes — expansive clay soil and limestone on the edwards plateau. There’s also no control joint in the brick veneer on this side of the house. This area also collects a lot of water during heavy storms, which is likely contributing to movement with the clay soil.

Considering that, is cracking of this sort to be expected with a 30+ year old house and considered “normal”? Sounds like it’s likely not a structural concern?

 

[Greenalleycat]

It depends what you mean by 'structural concern'

If you have expansive soils and that is leading to damage to the veneer of the house (I'm assuming this is brick veneer, not solid brick walls?) then I would consider that there is a fundamental 'structural concern'
Under our Code, it is explicit that the foundation is meant to protect other non-structural elements (cladding in this case) from damage
This includes consideration for the effect of expansive soils if present
If your veneer is damaged then clearly your foundation is not doing its job properly - a structural concern
Remediating that in an older house is probably pretty difficult and I have never dealt with expansive soils (they're not in my area of the country) so I don't know where to start there
The practical impact of this is that your veneer damage could continue to reappear even if you fix it, or new veneer damage could pop up - watertightness or aesthetic concerns, perhaps a hit to property value

I would say it is unlikely that this is a 'structural concern' in the sense that you're likely to have any form of collapse or risk to health & safety (though of course I haven't seen the place)

 

[Tomfh]

If you have expansive soils and that is leading to damage to the veneer of the house (I'm assuming this is brick veneer, not solid brick walls?) then I would consider that there is a fundamental 'structural concern'

The terminology might differ in your area, but in Australia, minor cracks caused by footing movement are not categorized as structural cracks, even though they caused by movements in the structure.

 

[Greenalleycat]

Agreed, Tom, this is a bit of semantics perhaps.
However, it is one of the difficulties of trying to address the word 'structural' being tossed around without a clear definition of what that means to OP

In my opinion, the veneer cracks themselves are most likely not a structural issue (structural here being defined as a crack that indicates collapse or further significant damage to the veneer is likely)
They are also not a 'structural issue' in the sense of the veneer being a primary structural element - obviously, it is not typical for a veneer to be a primary lateral or gravity element

However, to me, the cracks are indicative of an underlying structural flaw - the foundation has not been designed or built to the standard required to prevent cosmetic damage to the veneer (assumed to be related to moisture, expansive soils, or a combination of both)
This flaw seems unlikely to result in major structural failure of the veneer or anything else, but it is plausible that there is ongoing/increasing veneer damage (including failure of repairs) if the underlying structure issue (foundation design) is not addressed
So, it is a 'structural' issue from a Serviceability Limit State perspective, but not an Ultimate Limit State perspective

Hopefully that makes sense

 

[hokie66]

As I indicated before, I would not consider this to be a footing problem. It is most likely due to lack of control joints in the brick veneer.