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Photograph of a collapsing brick structure, a historic stable in Saugerties NY Brick Foundation & Brick Wall Failure FAQs
Q&A on evaluating damage to brick structures

  • POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about structural brick foundations & brick walls: crack, leak, or movement diagnosis, defects, & repairs, risks of collapse

Brick foundation and wall damage or leak questions & answers.

This article series explains how to recognize, diagnose, & repair brick foundation & brick wall defects & failures such as cracks, spalling, movement, bulging, leaks, damage due to impact, settlement, frost or water damage, and other problems.

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Brick Foundation & Brick Wall Defect & Failure FAQs

Severe damage to brick wall - unafe (C) InspectApedia.com RobThese questions & answers about damage to brick structures were posted originally at BRICK FOUNDATIONS & WALLS - home - that's a good place to start if you need advice about damaged brick walls or foundations.

[Click to enlarge any image]

On 2019-07-22 by (mod) - house built on a one brick high support on a concrete base.

Ray I don't understand enough of how your home is constructed to prescribe a solution.

But I note that 90% of the time when there is a water problem in or under a house it's from roof runoff not having been directed away from the building.

On 2019-07-22 by Ray

I have had a summer house built on a one brick high support on a concrete base. After our first drop of rain since construction there was wet concrete about 30cm on average from the inside of the brick support all round the summer house,please can you suggest what is causing this problem.

On 2019-06-04 by (mod) -

Pat
I cannot tell from your question whether the wall you are describing is part of a building structure or simply an exterior retaining or dividing wall. If the wall is part of the structure and if there is movement that hasn't been assessed it could be extremely dangerous risking even a structural collapse that could injure or kill people.

The proper person to evaluate structural damage to a masonry wall is a civil engineer or structural engineer in particular who is familiar with the type of masonry construction involved.

On 2019-06-04 by Pat

Our HOA has a perimeter brick wall that has collapsed. Who should we get to inspect the remaining wall for structural integrity.

On 2019-04-19 by (mod) -

Thank you for the comment Jen. In addition to that helpful idea it's important to understand the cause of cracking and to address that or it will simply recur and of course it's important to understand if the structure is damaged or unsafe in some way.

On 2019-04-19 by Jen

Start by raking out the bed joints using a carbide-tipped grout saw , then clean the head joints with 5-in-1 painter's tool and a hammer. After words clean out the head joints and wash the wall, mix the Mortar and fill the Joints.

On 2019-04-12 by (mod) -

Danny

Is this indoors or an exterior wall?

What problem are we solving? I can't quite tell from what you've said so far.

On 2019-04-12 by Danny

This is a supporting wall in a house I’m working on when skirting board was removed we discovered this (see image) what can I do to repair many thanks the shows the skirting board on the opposite side of the wall

IMAGE LOST by older version of Comments code - now fixed. Please re-post the image if you can. Sorry. Mod.

On 2018-12-16 8 by (mod) - watch out for dangerous collapsing brick wall

Ah

So there is a thin block veneer as well as some stucco.

Main concerns:

1. keep people away from area below the wall as a sudden collapse could injure someone or worse

2. similarly, don't park cars below where they could get smacked by falling brick

3. Check inside to confirm that there is no risk that a wall collapse will bring down part of a roof or floor whose joist or beam rests in the wall. (Sometimes an expert might want to add temporary support if that's a possibility).

Yes do keep me posted.

On 2018-12-16 by Rob

The wall consists of 2 course brick and the outside is 3" block. Their is a stucco coating on the top part of the building which I suspect is to cover bad block. But I agree it's in bad shape and ready to come down. I will look up some local masons and get an estimate straight away. Thank you.

On 2018-12-16 by (mod) -

Rob
With the reclama that I cannot see everything of import on your structure and I"m not a licensed masonry / structural engineer, ...

I see indications of a collapsing arch and evidence of what looks like prior superficial repair attempts. - just filling the cracks is not likely to be adequate.

An experienced mason may be sufficient to explain why the arch is failing and what repairs are needed.

Outside the lines look like concrete block but I suspect we're seeing tooling in a stucco coating.

Bottom line: this wall section is ready to collapse and probably needs to be re-built.

Watch out: in any structural brick wall (ID by noting bond courses) - if the bond bricks are broken that whole wall section could collapse suddenly - that's potentially dangerous. So you should look over the building to see the extent of this damage and you certainly should keep people from the area below the damaged wall section.

On 2018-12-16 by Rob

This is a single level house. Used to be a bank built in 1908. I've been here 7 years. I had seen the outside wall seperation when we bought the house. I just opened up the wall and found these cracks. Would it help if I clean out the cracks of debris and pack it with morter to help stablize the section from the inside? I'm in the process of sealing the crack on the outside.

IMAGES LOST by older version of Comments code - now fixed. Please re-post the image if you can. Sorry. Mod.

On 2018-12-16 by (mod) - immediate safety steps for a severely-damaged brick wall

Ah

So there is a thin block veneer as well as some stucco.

Watch out: Main concerns:

1. Keep people away from area below the wall as a sudden collapse could injure someone or worse

2. Don't park cars below where they could get smacked by falling brick

3. Check roof and floor framing details inside to confirm that there is no risk that a wall collapse will bring down part of a roof or floor whose joist or beam rests in the wall. (Sometimes an expert might want to add temporary support if that's a possibility).

4. If the bond bricks are broken - evacuate? - for example if the wall is bulged - the risk of a sudden collapse is increased.

In a building where more than a very small area of damage (maybe a square foot) is present, because of the risk of a catastrophic collapse, immediate action is needed, and you might need to get people out of and away from the structure

Yes do keep me posted.

On 2018-12-16 by Rob - details of brick wall construction

The wall consists of 2 course brick and the outside is 3" block.

Their is a stucco coating on the top part of the building which I suspect is to cover bad block.

But I agree it's in bad shape and ready to come down. I will look up some local masons and get an estimate straight away. Thank you.

On 2018-12-16 by (mod) - severe damage to structural brick wall with block and stucco veneer

Rob

by (mod) -

With the reclama that I cannot see everything of import on your structure and I"m not a licensed masonry / structural engineer, ...

I see indications of a collapsing arch and evidence of what looks like prior superficial repair attempts. - just filling the cracks is not likely to be adequate.

An experienced mason may be sufficient to explain why the arch is failing and what repairs are needed.

Outside the lines look like concrete block but I suspect we're seeing tooling in a stucco coating.

Bottom line: this wall section is ready to collapse and probably needs to be re-built.

Watch out: in any structural brick wall (ID by noting bond courses) - if the bond bricks are broken that whole wall section could collapse suddenly - that's potentially dangerous.

So you should look over the building to see the extent of this damage and you certainly should keep people from the area below the damaged wall section.

On 2018-12-16 by Rob - would it help to clean and fill these cracks in a structural brick wall

Severe damage to brick wall - unafe (C) InspectApedia.com Rob Severe damage to brick wall - unafe (C) InspectApedia.com Rob

by (mod) -

This is a single level house. Used to be a bank built in 1908. I've been here 7 years.

I had seen the outside wall seperation when we bought the house. I just opened up the wall and found these cracks.

Would it help if I clean out the cracks of debris and pack it with morter to help stablize the section from the inside? I'm in the process of sealing the crack on the outside.

On 2018-11-18 by (mod) - is a brick veneer wall crack at a window structural damage?

I'm sorry but just based on your break text I really can't guess at what's going on.

The meaning of a crack in building materials depends on part on (among other things in a longer list) what has caused it, the total movement that has occurred, and what the mateiral is for: structural support for example.

Perhaps you can attach a photo.

On 2018-11-17 by Anonymous -

Is a garage wall with a crack on the brick veneer around a window is this serious is this structural

On 2018-11-17 by Connie -

A brick veneer on a garage wall has a vertical crack around a window what does this mean

On 2018-09-05 by (mod) - a masonry repair expert engineer may specify using an epoxy

Dave

Sometimes a masonry repair expert engineer may specify using an epoxy, but for a typical residential building where the structure itself is not at threat, using a flexible sealant will be one component of avoiding re-cracking at the repair site.

You'll want to diagnose the cause of the cracks (settlement, frost, impact, etc) and to fix that.

And if there was a lot of movement in the foundation such that the building structure is damaged, then more repair would be needed.

I can't guess at those details at your building by e-text.

On 2018-09-05 by Dave Clark -

i'm sorry they put cement block between each corner foundation of brick and they have all been broken away, the break is just between the brick and the cement block can i fill with epoxy or what?

... i have brick foundations, but they put cement in between all of them and the cement is cracked, should i use cement or epoxy

On 2018-05-03 by (mod) - diagnose sandy spots on yellow brick wall

Looks like an insect nest remains or mud splatter.

Have you probed to see if there is actually an opening in the brick behind these spots?

Try cleaning off one of them and show me a photo of what's beneath.

On 2018-05-02 by cdomey65 -

Holes in yellow brick wall (C) InspectApedia.com Chris Domey

Can someone please help me figure out what is happening with the bricks on my house ?

It looks like something is boring tiny holes in the bricks.

See photo above.

by (mod) -

Can anyone help me figure out what is happening with my bricks?

see photo

cdomey65@gmail.com

Thank you

On 2018-03-28 by ernie -

Hi I have a small garden box made from Hebel blocks & rendered, it is approx 1200 x 300, it has been there for 12 months now & the render is bubbling & falling out, how can I fix problem

On 2017-08-09 by (mod) - how to evaluate bricks that were not fired properly

Carl,

Can you use the page bottom CONTACt link to send me some sharp photos of: the whole wall from outside, closeups of the cracks, and any interior signs of cracking or movement and perhaps I can comment further.

If there are actual signs of wall movement (as opposed to hairline cracks in individual bricks that do not cross mortar joints) then you need an onsite expert as there could be more serious risks.

On 2017-08-09 by Car -

I have a newly built extension and I notice that a lot of the bricks have hairline cracks on the face of them Im worried that the builder has used damaged bricks or bricks that have not been fired propetly how can I find out.

On 2017-06-19 by Jayme Fraser - crack running down the entire brick area in the back just off of our deck.

by (mod) -

My husband and I purchased our retirement townhome 3 years ago. We were the fourth building in the first phase of a 2 phase subdivision. Our builder is very reputable in our area. The first phase is completed and phase 2 is underway.

The builder continues to manage the Association related activities and plans to do so until both phases are built out.

Now here's my problem.

Our buildings consist of two story units with either 3 or 4 units per building. Ours is a 4 unit building and we are one of the middle units

. The first summer we were here, we discovered there was a crack running down the entire brick area in the back just off of our deck.

We notified the builder and then the builders architect (he told us who he was) came out and inspected the crack. He told us they had also found the same crack in the first building which is still used as the model and was the only other 4 unit structure at the time.

The crack was repaired by the brick layers by simply smoothing it out with mortar to secure the crack. There was never any evidence of the crack running further down within the foundation.

Last summer the crack reappeared in the same spot.

They repaired it again, but this time we were told they removed the bricks and replaced them. We unfortunately were out of town when the work was done. N

ow this summer we AGAIN see the same crack starting down the outside wall!! We on occasion continue to hear what we think may be settling sounds (moderately loud creaks) in that area of the structure.

So as you would suspect we are becoming alarmed at the reoccurrence of this crack and the unknown nature of the cause. I'm especially afraid that once the second phase of this subdivision is completed, I may lose some leverage with obtaining response from the builder.

Can you please advise us of what our rights might be in this new construction area?

Should I try to secure a lawyer or architect to pursue what the cause may be, and to what extent the builder will be responsible, and for how long ??? Thank you for your help . . Jayme Fraser (fraser3823@aol.com)

On 2017-06-08 by (mod) - describing a brick veneer wall built as a "skin" over a wood frame structure

Lynn,

I am guessing that you are describing a brick veneer wall built as a "skin" over a wood frame structure - let me know if that's right.

To be completely safe you should keep people from anywhere below the wall since falling bricks could certainly injure someone.

If I'm right and it's a veneer wall it may be possible to repair the wall in-place by adding connectors that are drilled through mortar joints to fasten to framing.

See BRICK WALL REPAIR METHODS https://inspectapedia.com/structure/Brick_Wall_Repairs.php

If it's a structural wall and wobbles as badly as you describe I'd think you'd see related damage inside, and the wall may need to be re-built.

Find an experienced brick mason or a structural or civil engineer who has *specific* experience with residential brick masonry diagnosis and repair and ask them to take a look and describe the repairs needed. Let me know what you're told and we may be able to comment further.

On 2017-06-08 by Lynn H. -

We have a 12 year old home with a brick peak in the front. We are having our trim repainted and when they were up at the brick peak he asked me to come out and when he put a little pressure on it you could see the entire wall bounce.

We are scared to death and waiting for the builder to respond. Any help would be appreciated. Thank yiu

On 2017-05-29 by (mod) - detect cracks in brick walls or concrete walls and slabs that are hidden from view by plaster?

Parth,

I've given a very detailed answer to your question in the article BRICK FOUNDATIONS & WALLS - to be moved to a separate page because of its length. You may need to clear your browser cache and it may take 24 hours for the new material to appear in full form.

Several methods can indeed examine a solid masonry structure and some other structural forms for cracks that are not externally visible.

I will welcome your further questions or comments.

On 2017-05-29 by Parth Bathia - detect cracks in brick walls or concrete walls and slabs that are hidden from view by plaster?

2017/05/29 Parth Bathia said:

Is it possible to detect cracks in brick walls or concrete walls and slabs that are hidden from view by plaster?

Like there is no through and through air pockets.

If there is a way. I want to know how is it possible to detect the same.

I get the use of thermal imaging but that is only possible for detecting temperatures on surface.

I want something that might be able to detect cracks that is hidden about 6 - 8 inches inside the walls without breaking or damaging the wall.

On 2017-05-19 by (mod) - a solid masonry wall or masonry wall veneer may leak, especially in blowing rain.

Linda

It's not unusual for a solid masonry wall or masonry wall veneer to leak, especially in blowing rain.

That problem will be more serious if the veneer wall construction also omitted wall bottom flashing and weep holes. A careful inspection of the wall may be diagnostic.

Also search InspectApedia.com for

BRICK VENEER WALL DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

and

BRICK WALL DRAINAGE WEEP HOLES - home

On 2017-05-18 by Linda Avallone -

Hi,Thank you for your reply, I read over all the info, I have my son coming to check the gutters this weekend, but I don't think that is it. I have pictures if it helps.

It looks to me like the water is coming from where the bricks meet the foundation. In the garage there is also moisture on one of the 2 outside walls, ( all of this moisture happens with very heavy rain which we have a lot of )the one that has brick above it

. I never really checked in our crawl space before the house lift as it was mostly inaccessible. We are in nj and live by the river. We had a big problem with our contractor. And I am so afraid he did something wrong.

Any way you can help me figure this out would be greatly appreciated.

by (mod) -

On 2017-05-17 by (mod) re: drying out a brick foundation walled crawl space

Linda

I agree that one needs to find the source of water or moisture in order to be able to correct it, followed by drying out the crawl area.

Please take a look at this diagnostic/repair article series beginning at CRAWL SPACE DRYOUT https://inspectapedia.com/structure/Crawl_Space_Dryout.php

and let me know what specific questions remain.

On 2017-05-17 by Linda - We lifted our house due to flooding from hurricane Sandy.

We lifted our house due to flooding from sandy. Part of our house has brickexterior ( veneer I guess) we now have access to our crawl space and I can see the foundation is wet. I am trying to figure out why? So I can then figure out how to fix it

On 2017-03-13 by (mod) re: signs of footing movement

Most likely the footing has shifted, or if the brick is a veneer wall its support or the attachment of that support to the foundation (some veneers used an L-bracket) may have failed. We'd need to see details or photos - for which you can use the page top or bottom CONTACT link if you like.

Watch out: loose brick walls, if the bond courses or for a veneer the connections to the structure are broken there is danger of a collapse that could cause injuries or worse.

On 2017-03-13 by Nick

What is the possible cause of a brick wall that has shifted on the foundation footing on one end.

There is about 1/2" of overhang of the bricks on the footing on about 1/4 of the wall. There has been movement and repairs to the foundation.

On 2017-02-22 by (mod) re: diagnosing a severe foundation wall failure

Fran

I can't reliably diagnose your foundation wall failure from just your e-text; one needs to look both outside and inside for conditions that affect the foundation.

A foundation damage diagnosis of "failure over time" is 100 % baloney despite your inspector's credentials. It is in essence nearly content-free.

A building foundation is not a consumable that gets "used-up" over time until it fails.

Rather what your engineer may have meant to say (perhaps he skipped Freshman English) was that the cracked or buckled foundation damage did not occur in a single event but rather that it happened over time.

To support that conclusion, and to avoid an endless battle of "opinions" in our current world where objective data and facts are either insufficiently valued or are deliberately de-valued in order to serve someone's purpose, a decent engineer ought to have said what he observed, found, measured, that supported that conclusion.

For example if I find old paint, dust, dirt, inside a horizontal crack in a bulged block foundation wall I am confident that the bulge and crack didn't happen yesterday, even if yesterday's forces might have exacerbated it.

So sad.

The engineer's report is unreliable and insufficient because it

- by your account gives no information to support the conclusion

- fails to explain the cause of the damage

- fails to describe the extent of damage

- doesn't tell us if repairs are needed

- doesn't tell us what actions are needed to prevent further or future foundation damage

IF you have photographs of the foundation wall before the flooding and freezing event that your email suggests occurred then you could prove rather convincingly that the even coincided with the burst hose and - this is correct, right?

- that the soaking of the ground was followed by freezing weather that might have added frost-push to wet-soil loading against the wall.

On 2017-02-22 by (mod)

Anonymous: reposting translated to English

Sir my wall I get damp and mildew-like color white, and then it exits tell Solution

Reply:

It sounds as if you are describing mineral salts or effloresence - search InspectApedia for

to read the details of what this is and how to prevent it.

aisa lagata hai ki aap khanij lavan ya aiffloraisainchai varnan kar rahe hain - yah kya hai aur kaise ise rokane ke lie ke vivaran ko padhane ke lie aiffloraisainchai ke lie khoj inspaichtapaidi।

On 2017-02-22 y Fran

Hi, on my old house cement block basement failure. Back yard has a slight grade toward the house,but, has grade away from house 6 to 7 inchess out about 8 ft a garden hose was left on & it burst under the porch for several hrs in cold weather

, Wall has about 4ft. Of dirt cover & basement height is low , about 5ft 5in., my INS. Co. Sent an engineer & he said failure over time.

I feel it was the hose water that saturated the soil & froze. Bowed in with large cracks & No indication of water now .even after a heavy rain. Thank you for your opinion

On 2017-02-03 by Anonymous

sir meri ghar ki dewar main seelan aati hai aur colour fafundi ki tarah white hokar bahar nikalta hai to iska solution bataiye

On 2016-05-30 by (mod) re: broiken lintels in a London home

Zwai:

As a lintel usually carries weight, I wouldn't assume that a break is harmless unless you mean to say that the lintel was too long for the space into which it was being inserted and one-end broke off; that is, any crack or break in the open span of the lintel is surely going to mean trouble, as might insufficient bearing area under the lintel ends in the wall.

You can send photos using the page top or bottom CONTACT link.

On 2016-05-30 by Zwai, East London

The lintel in my garage is too long about 6m long. It broke while the builder was placing it. I'm wondering if it will not cause problems in a long run. Please advise

On 2016-05-02 by Doug Pera

I have a leaning exterior brick wall that is approximately 5' tall and 20 'long. It is leaning and also needs some tuck pointing .

Is there any way of bracing the way other than tearing it down and starting over? The earth on one side of wall is higher than the other.

Also, I am not sure of any footings.
Thank you
doug

On 2015-12-02 by (mod) re: footing width for a brick wall

Vic

For a brick wall that is supported by a foundation, the width of that footing is determined by the original design engineer, architect or contractor based on soil properties as well as anticipated weight or loading from above.

If the footing width were so wide that you could in principle move the brick wall that rests on it 50cm without finding the brick wall now off of the foundation completely, you could do so, but the risk is that the wall begins to tip or lean, ultimately collapsing.

On 2015-12-02 by victory crown

My question is can I move a brick wall fence, with foundation of reinforced concrete strip foundation, to the right or left up to 50cm?

On 2015-06-18 by Anonymous

Many bricks are chipped mold has repeatedly been corrected, only on inside wall. Soon the new paint on that inside wall is peeling.

This is a COOP. It is now two & halp years.

I cannot get a full nights sleep waking up with itchy eyes.

Question: Aussie readers & brick construction

Great article! Although this information isn't specific to Australia, it has still helped me understand more in my building contractor course. Thomas Wong, 11/29/2011

Reply:

Thomas thanks for the nice comment about our website content. We know that we have many readers in Australia and New Zealand and I'm anxious to add terms and technical details that match those used in your area.

While climate and constuction practices vary around the world, brick and masonry construction in general suffers similar problems in most places - often it's the local names for materials & construction methods that vary more than the materials and pracices themselves.

One man's septic drainfield is another's soakaway bed.

We'd welcome specific questions, comments on different construction terminology used in different parts of the world, etc.

We are dedicated to making our information as accurate, complete, useful, and unbiased as possible: we very much welcome critique, questions, or content suggestions for our web articles.

Working together and exchanging information makes us better informed than any individual can be working alone.

Question: Is it possible to detect cracks in brick walls or concrete walls and slabs that are hidden from view by plaster?

2017/05/29 Parth Bathia said:

Is it possible to detect cracks in brick walls or concrete walls and slabs that are hidden from view by plaster?

Like there is no through and through air pockets.

If there is a way. I want to know how is it possible to detect the same.

I get the use of thermal imaging but that is only possible for detecting temperatures on surface.

I want something that might be able to detect cracks that is hidden about 6 - 8 inches inside the walls without breaking or damaging the wall.

Reply:

What an interesting question; thank you. I have some obvious and some speculative answers:

1. obvious cracks will often show up through plaster if there is ongoing movement in the masonry wall that has been plastered-over, either as plaster cracks or sometimes as a plaster bulge.

2. With thermal imaging there is a small chance you'd see a wall crack IF the crack were leaking water AND you happen to scan the wall when the leak is enough in quantity and lower temperature to show up as a temperature variation - but I'd consider such "detection" speculative.

3. There are non-destructive testing methods (such as the Echo Impact method) that can find cracks or voids in masonry structures, though in my opinion those are going to work best on placed (poured) concrete that would not be expected to have many voids.

A structural brick wall will usually have an interior wall cavity and may have many other smaller voids that can be confusing when using an echo-impact masonry void detector.

Please see CONCRETE or MASONRY DAMAGE TESTS where we provide descriptions of tools and methods that address your question and requirements.


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