Vertical crack on brick wall (floors, roof, foundation, townhouse)

[cytydatauser123]

I saw a townhome days ago in which am pretty interested. However, there is a vertical crack on the brick wall from the front side of the townhouse. The crack is about 1.5 feet long and one may put a quarter in. It starts from the lower level of the window on the second floor and ends above garage (below the window and above garage). Also another small crack can be observed below the window next to it. I posted two pics of these two cracks. The property was built in 2001 on a slight downhill. I am wondering how serious this problem is and is there a way to fix it. Would the repair be expensive?

Thanks and I appreciate you helps.

[Hopes]

If it were a 100 year old house, a small crack like that wouldn't worry me. Since it's newer construction, I'd be leary. The cause is more important than the crack. It's not like you can just repair the crack and be certain everything will be fine. If the cause is significant, there will be more cracking, especially if the house is shifting. How is the basement? Is it dry? Are the gutters and downspouts intact?Did you try opening and closing the windows? If settling has made the house out of square, it will be difficult to open the windows. There's always a certain amount of settling with a house. That's why this wouldn't bother me on a 100 year old house because it already settled. It's also one of the reasons I prefer older homes. The only way you can know for sure is to hire a structural engineer to take a look at it.

[chet everett]

Without seeing the whole front and side of the structure I cannot be sure but given the location I really doubt this any 'structural issue' like a shifting foundation.

Becuase it starts at a window area and goes roughly along the direction freezing water would flow I am comfortable saying it is PROBABLY just an issue that goes along with poorly built window area. If this has only been this way for a short time (less than a decade) odds are the bricks can be stripped off, any minor issues wiith sheathing repaired, new bricks laid and a PROPER window sill installed in a water tight manner.

Depending on labor rate, brick quality and amount of hidden damage maybe as little as $2500 to repair.

Of course there is a worst case thant might be 4x or more to repair.

Good home inspector, with the equipment to trace water penetration and assess heat-loss / suspected rot as well as the smarts to assess the overall construction soundness and foundation integrity will be money well spent.

[cytydatauser123]

Thanks Hopes and Chet, you answers are really helpful. It seems like the window area was not well built. There are more small cracks around the window area (see two more pics attached). I am wondering, in general, how long the settlement movement can last for a townhouse? 20 years, or more?

[K'ledgeBldr]

Need an overall pic of the t'house.
And/or is this an interior or end unit?
Is the garage a two or one car?

I'm betting there's an improperly installed or wrong sized brick lintel and or header over the garage opening. Vertical cracks in a brick veneer is a tell-tale sign something is not supported properly, as opposed to stair step cracks that follow mortar joints.
I have seen this before and most every time it was an improperly installed lintel- they were nailed in place instead of being bolted with 1/2"minimum lag bolts. The other times were improperly sized headers- they were sized to handle the floor/wall load but not the brick.

[Ericmaonc]

K’ledgebldr, I’m having a verticle crack in veneer brick. Like you described, I think its the builder defect. Is it easy to fix? Appreciate your comments.

[turf3]

Sight down the mortar lines; that will tell you if there's localized settling. Lay a 6 foot level up against the wall vertically to check for out of plumb conditions. Lay your 6 foot level against the wall horizontally aligned with the top of the foundation and with the mortar lines and you can get a sense of how far out the levelness of the whole thing is. If you have hard surface floors inside, check the levelness near and away from the area of concern. Check door frames near the area of concern for plumb. Check for separation of the fascia boards under the roof overhangs. Is the roof ridge nice and straight, or swaybacked? Is the house down in a low place where water will accumulate, or up high? If threr's a basement, does it smell musty or does it have a sharp moldy smell? When you walk around inside does everything seem nice and level, or are you going up and downhill as you walk around? Do there seem to be places where the floor seems more "soft" or "springy"?


You can use these kinds of careful observation to get an understanding of the overall condition and squareness of the structure.

[turf3]

Originally Posted by Ericmaonc

K’ledgebldr, I’m having a verticle crack in veneer brick. Like you described, I think its the builder defect. Is it easy to fix? Appreciate your comments.

If the only defect is a vertical crack in brick, there may be no need to fix it at all, as long as the bricks appear firmly fixed in place. Brick veneer is not a waterproof sheathing; that's the function of the tar paper or plastic sheet that's attached to the outside of the frame. If water is being shed and not being channeled right into a crack, you probably can just leave it.