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Brick veneer, chimney or parapet cracked or bulging.

A structural engineer should review pattern cracks first, and a licensed mason should do the repair.

Customers put it like this

  • brick wall is bulging
  • chimney is leaning
  • cracks over the window
  • mortar falling out of the brick
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Stop first if

  • Masonry is visibly detached over a walkway or occupied space.Keep everyone out of the fall zone. Call emergency services and a structural engineer.
  • A wall or chimney is visibly moving.Leave the area and stay clear. Call emergency services.
  • Someone plans to climb or scaffold to inspect.Hold off. Leave work at height to a trained crew.
01

Ask on the call

5

Homeowner? These are the questions a good technician will ask you. Having the answers ready makes the first visit count.

  1. Where is the crack or bulge, and how high up?
  2. Is the chimney leaning or pulling away?
  3. Do you see rust at lintels or shelf angles?
  4. Has it been repointed or cleaned lately?
  5. Did it change after an earthquake or storm?
02

Bring

5
  • Crack gauge card
  • Binoculars
  • Camera with zoom
  • Level
  • Tape measure
03

Check on site

6
  1. Work from the ground and outside the fall zone.
  2. Read crack width and pattern, and note whether cracks cross several units.
  3. Note lintel rust, wall plumb and sill slope.
  4. Look at weep holes and movement joints.
  5. Map veneer height, chimney height above the roof and what lies below.
  6. Send wide, stair-step or out-of-plumb findings to an engineer before repointing.
04

Keep on the record

4
  • Photos of crack pattern from the ground
  • Width readings
  • Lintel and tie rust notes
  • What lies in the fall zone

General guidance for a qualified person, not a finding about any home. The person on site decides.