Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - Morter cracks in brick wall
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RickDIII
10-17-05, 09:22 AM
OK, I'll do my best to explain...
I have a 40 year old brick house. Had serious moisture probs in crawlspace when purchased and the floors had to be torn out, house slightly jacked up to replace bandsills, etc. Now main part of crawlspace has dry wood.
Flash forward 1 year. I notice a crack on the second story that weaves it's way through the brick wall. It crosses the top of the window and the wall mounted ac unit. The crack is about 15 feet long total and in some places the morter has fallen out or the gap is about 3/8 - 5/8" wide.
Had the home inspector out and he said he thought it was a condition of the jacking up of the house and some settling caused by the work. He recommended having the morter redone in the cracks and then watching to see if they open up any more.
Is this something I can do myself? I'm a fairly handy diyer and it seems straight forward. Any reason I should have a mason do it? If so, how much - ballpark - should I expect to pay?
Thanks!
I have a 40 year old brick house. Had serious moisture probs in crawlspace when purchased and the floors had to be torn out, house slightly jacked up to replace bandsills, etc. Now main part of crawlspace has dry wood.
Flash forward 1 year. I notice a crack on the second story that weaves it's way through the brick wall. It crosses the top of the window and the wall mounted ac unit. The crack is about 15 feet long total and in some places the morter has fallen out or the gap is about 3/8 - 5/8" wide.
Had the home inspector out and he said he thought it was a condition of the jacking up of the house and some settling caused by the work. He recommended having the morter redone in the cracks and then watching to see if they open up any more.
Is this something I can do myself? I'm a fairly handy diyer and it seems straight forward. Any reason I should have a mason do it? If so, how much - ballpark - should I expect to pay?
Thanks!
Concretemasonry
10-17-05, 09:32 AM
Was the crack there before the jacking?
It sounds like the crack could be attributed to jacking up the house, especially if the raising was done quickly. It can be expected that cracks would occur or originated at points of stress concentrations, such as window openings.
It would be possible to tuck point the crack. This way you could observe it to see if it is an active crack. The process involves cleaning out loose moratr and replacing it with new. Some prectice is required, but it is doable if the area is accessible and you have patience to go slowly. Someone else of a DIY search on tuckpointing could give you better instruction on the technique.
You may also want to call a mason contractor that does tuckpointing to get a price and some observations on the problem area. Then you could make a decision on whether to DIY.
Good luck!!!
Dick
It sounds like the crack could be attributed to jacking up the house, especially if the raising was done quickly. It can be expected that cracks would occur or originated at points of stress concentrations, such as window openings.
It would be possible to tuck point the crack. This way you could observe it to see if it is an active crack. The process involves cleaning out loose moratr and replacing it with new. Some prectice is required, but it is doable if the area is accessible and you have patience to go slowly. Someone else of a DIY search on tuckpointing could give you better instruction on the technique.
You may also want to call a mason contractor that does tuckpointing to get a price and some observations on the problem area. Then you could make a decision on whether to DIY.
Good luck!!!
Dick
RickDIII
10-17-05, 10:32 AM
Was the crack there before the jacking?
It sounds like the crack could be attributed to jacking up the house, especially if the raising was done quickly. It can be expected that cracks would occur or originated at points of stress concentrations, such as window openings.
It would be possible to tuck point the crack. This way you could observe it to see if it is an active crack. The process involves cleaning out loose moratr and replacing it with new. Some prectice is required, but it is doable if the area is accessible and you have patience to go slowly. Someone else of a DIY search on tuckpointing could give you better instruction on the technique.
You may also want to call a mason contractor that does tuckpointing to get a price and some observations on the problem area. Then you could make a decision on whether to DIY.
Good luck!!!
Dick
Thanks Dick! Just knowing that the procedure is called "tuckpointing" will make the whole process a lot easier! :thumbup:
It sounds like the crack could be attributed to jacking up the house, especially if the raising was done quickly. It can be expected that cracks would occur or originated at points of stress concentrations, such as window openings.
It would be possible to tuck point the crack. This way you could observe it to see if it is an active crack. The process involves cleaning out loose moratr and replacing it with new. Some prectice is required, but it is doable if the area is accessible and you have patience to go slowly. Someone else of a DIY search on tuckpointing could give you better instruction on the technique.
You may also want to call a mason contractor that does tuckpointing to get a price and some observations on the problem area. Then you could make a decision on whether to DIY.
Good luck!!!
Dick
Thanks Dick! Just knowing that the procedure is called "tuckpointing" will make the whole process a lot easier! :thumbup: