Cracked bricks on a house are the most common sign of foundation settlement. If a house has stair-stepped cracks in the exterior brick, it is likely that the footing has broken and is settling. But just because there are cracks, does not guarantee that the house is settling.
There are many aspects of home construction that an inspector should know to properly assess foundation settlement. There are many signs that should all be considered when diagnosing how a home has settled and how it is likely to settle in the future. For an accurate assessment, we offer free foundation inspections by our trained Expert Advisors
The Main Causes of Cracked Bricks on a House:
Differential foundation settlement – one portion of the home is settling at a different rate than the rest of the home, causing it to settle unevenly.
Swollen metal lintels – the metal supports over doors, windows, garages, or foundation vents are oxidizing, aka rusting, causing them to swell and lift the bricks above.
Once you know whether the cracks are being caused by differential settlement or swollen lintels, you can proceed with addressing the source of the problem. If a crack is caused by the foundation settling, the soil supporting the footing must be addressed. Any settlement is primarily a problem with the soil once the foundation is broken or cracked. If a crack is caused by the swelling of a metal lintel, it should simply be replaced. New lintels are typically galvanized which means the metal was treated with zinc, to prevent future oxidation and damage from moisture.
The Main Causes of Foundation Settlement:
The soil type cannot support the weight of the structure: footing, walls, floors, roof, etc.
The footing was installed without adequate metal reinforcement
The soil was not compacted properly during construction
Sub-surface water, underground, has washed out the soil from under the footing
Trees near the house were removed, allowing the roots under the footing to decompose and rot
The soil has shrunken due to a decrease in soil moisture, in an area
The soil has expanded to various degrees, with a concentration of moisture in an area
Additional weight was added to the original structure
As with most repairs, the best solution depends on the circumstances. Unfortunately, in the case of foundation settlement, most of the issue lies with the inadequacy of the soils so the best solutions bypass the soil directly underneath the cracked footing.
Solutions and Repair Options for Foundation Settlement:
The most common and highly recommended solution for foundation settlement is foundation push piers. Push piers involve driving heavy steel pipe into the ground, bypassing the problem soils, until they reach strong stable soils. The steel pipe sections are driven into the ground using the weight of the home and powerful hydraulics to reach ‘load bearing stratum’. This essentially puts your home on metal stilts, supporting your home on the strongest soil layers. The engineering and our best practices allow us to guarantee stabilization for life and also allow us to attempt correction for a more level home.
The second-best solution for foundation cracks or cracked bricks is called concrete foundation underpinning. Concrete underpinning should only be used where foundation push piers are not an option. There are times where a footing was not installed during original construction or maybe the equipment used to install the push piers cannot access an area. Only in these instances, should concrete underpinning be used. Concrete underpinning involves digging out under the cracked area and installing a new concrete footing underneath the settled area. This is a good but imperfect system because you’re adding more weight on top of the failed soils, so it is possible for this area to settle again in the future.
Inspecting Your Home for Cracked Bricks and Settlement:
Our Expert Advisors are trained to identify the causes and best repair options for your home. If you’re concerned about the integrity of your home, we offer free no-obligation inspections and estimates. When we inspect your home, we explain the problems, solutions, and explore multiple options to find the best solution for you.
Why Choose BAY for Your Cracked Brick Solutions?
BAY Crawl Space & Foundation Repair is your trusted source for cracked bricks in Virginia Beach, Newport News, Suffolk, and the surrounding region. Our expert teams have over 400 collective years of experience fixing homes in the Hampton Roads, VA & NC region.
Our staff includes engineering experts, repair specialists, and a full support team ready to deliver exceptional customer service and a fast turnaround of your project. This is why BAY Crawl Space can offer great long-term warranties on the installation and materials for your repair.
You can learn more about BAY’s cracked brick solutions by taking advantage of our free crawl space and foundation inspection. Your inspection will give you a much better understanding of the issues at hand, along with your best options for repair.
Contact BAY Crawl Space & Foundation Repair today by filling out our online form or call 757-460-0444 for a free inspection.
About BAY Crawl Space & Foundation Repair
BAY is an award-winning crawl space and foundation repair contractor. We’re proud to service an 80-mile radius around our Norfolk, VA headquarters, Monday to Friday, from 7 am to 5 pm.
BAY is best known for having amazing reviews (quality & quantity), superior expertise, special methods, and affordable pricing options. We have the ‘Best of the Best’ on our team. Our All-Star Team delivers great customer experiences and the best quality for a great price.
Our reputation in the Hampton Roads community is with homeowners, engineers, city permitting offices, home services professionals, and online as a crawl space foundation repair contractor is outstanding.
We have ranked #1 for crawl space repair in Hampton Roads for 8 years (Google: 2015-2023), ranked top 5% in the USA with Super Service Awards for 5 years (Angi: 2017-2022), were voted Best of Foundation Repair locally for 6 years (CoVA BIZ 2018-2023), were voted “Best of the Best” nationally in 2020 for the foundation repair category, and won the “Best Places to Work” award (CoVA BIZ).
Our Reviews Reflect Our Commitment to Taking Great Care of Our Customers
“After shopping companies and getting several bids on the same project,we chose Bay Crawl because of their reputation and price. They had our whole house leveled and stabilized in two days. Left our property cleaner than they found it with a smile on their face. Do NOT plan your next project without getting an estimate from Bay Crawl.”
– Ryan Simpson
“Our experience with Bay was outstanding. From first contact everything was smooth and made as easy as possible for us. We were kept informed every step of the process via email, phone, and text. The work was top-notch. The cost was extremely reasonable. We were impressed that Bay did not try to sell services that weren’t required.”
– Teresa Lackey
“My experience was nothing but the best with Bay Crawl Space. The price was much more affordable than what another company quoted. Scheduling was easy and painless. They were professional and treated my home as if it was their own. They left me feeling very confident in my decision to go with Bay.”
– Michael Turner
“It was an easy decision to choose Bay Crawl Space over the three other estimates I had gotten—not only was the price reasonable based on my research, but Jamie was the only sales advisor who described more than one option that I could choose. The scheduling was very smooth! I am confident that if I have any problems, I can call & they will resolve them.”
– Diane Taylor
“Severe water damage to the structure. We thought we were in real trouble but after talking with them, we felt much better as we were assured that this was “Easy.” Our experience with Bay was better than we have had with any other contractor EVER. Upfront with what to expect, honest in their communications, and fair pricing.“
– Mike O’Neill
“We had our crawlspace encapsulated by BAY three years ago at a fraction of the cost of JES’s estimate. The work was done on time and to exceptional standards. The office has been courteous, the workers arrived on time, and the work was accomplished as promised. BAY gets my highest recommendation.”
– Bob Essman
“I am delighted with the crawl space encapsulation completed by Bay Crawl Space & Foundation Repair. What I particularly appreciate about BAY is their attention to detail & commitment to excellence. They were punctual and very much worth the value. I highly recommend Bay Crawl Space to anyone looking for excellent service & an affordable product.”
– Leslie Ballard
“I’m not one to take home repairs lightly so I try and do my research. I got over 4 estimates to have my crawl space encapsulated and some repair work done. BAY beat the others prices by over 10k. Oh and they actually did more work that what the others quoted us to do. They also do quality work. So value for money, BAY is the company to go with.”
– Benjamin Alexander
“I had an independent civil engineer out to inspect prior to the BAY visit. I was afraid I might be oversold on repairs I didn’t need. This was not the case. BAY made the same observations and gave same explanations or better. Great job BAY on hiring honest and competent assessors. Very professional, will work with you again!”
– Zachary Frey
“I’m super pleased with the work Bay did us, it made a difference almost immediately. Our service advisor, Beau, did an excellent job of identifying the issues in our crawl and offering reasonably priced solutions. The team they sent out to do the work was awesome. They were friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient!”
– David Green
Bay Crawl is by far the number 1 company for all of your crawl space and foundation needs. They are fairly priced. When coupled with the amazing service you receive, its a value that’s unbeatable. Every employee I interacted with was professional, polite, knowledgable, and hard working. You will not deal with a better run company than Bay Crawl.
