What Causes Exterior Brick To Crack?

One of the most noticable of symptoms of foundation damage is cracks and/or seperation in brick siding. The cracking is caused by the wall sinking and/or swelling with the underlying soils. If drainage is not proper, or maybe the initial compaction of the foundation pad was not adequate; these are all reasons that the soils become active over time. In Oklahoma, a majority of our soil is clay. This means it swells and contracts with excessive water exposure. The more you allow your load bearing soils to swell and contract, the more loose they become over time. It is important to pay attention to your structures drainage for this reason. Make sure that run-off water on your property has a path away from the home. Also make sure the downspouts on the house have extensions, allowing the water an easy path 5-10 ft. away from the home. Keep watch for standing water after a good rain, and if you have water that hangs around, create a drainage plan that will remove it before it becomes an issue. Foundation settlement is a slow process but it still needs to be monitored and stopped if/when you start to see symptoms. Doing so will stop the problem from getting out of hand.