How bad is this crack? I just noticed it today but I assume it’s been there a while and happened after an earth earthquake we had a few months ago.
Is this something I can just fill in with mortar and keep an eye on?
I plan on reaching out to our insurance company to see if they’ll pay for it but if not we’re pretty strapped for cash at the moment.
Not sure if you’re talking about the top crack or not, but there is epoxy available from home depot/etc that is designed to correct these issues.
You seal the outside of the crack with some sand/plastic sealant, wait a day, then drill a hole near the top of the crack and inject the epoxy. It bonds over the course of a week to be much, much stronger than stone.
Depending on how bad it is, here is a more serious kit. Its the same thing most contractors will use.
You don’t need an epoxy of any sort for this … just a grinder, some more mortar, and a joiner.
This is just something that happens with masonry after decades.
The top crack and the little stairstep pattern crack following below it were my main concern. I’ve just always hear to watch out for the stair pattern and when I saw the big gap I panicked a little.
Thank you so much!
The big gap looks like the mortar has just deteriorated to the point that it’s fallen out. It’s not ideal but not necessarily an emergency yet either. Most likely the ground under the foundation has settled a bit. How urgent it is depends partly on whether the crack continues to expand. I would check it every week or two for a few months and see if it gets any wider. You can use a deck of of cards and keep track of how many you can squeeze into the crack. That will tell you if it’s expanding.
I would also suggest making sure you don’t have rain water collecting anywhere next to the house. If you have downspouts, make they’re they’re diverted away from the house as much as possible.