In the North Fort Worth, Irving, Keller, and Southlake areas you may notice quite a few shifts in your foundation, more so than throughout the rest of the United States. If this continues without proper care, then the foundation shifts can put pressure on the bricks around your home, causing them to crack.
What’s Causing Bricks to Crack Around Your House
The culprit may be due to the expansive clay soil that is all over the North Texas area. Expansive clay soil in large volumes, i.e. everything under your house is susceptible to swelling and shrinking based on the water content. If you’ve lived in Texas for at least a couple years I’m sure you’ve noticed that there are severe rainy seasons and extremely hot and dry seasons as well. This means that the clay soil below and surrounding the foundation of your home is known for swelling up in the rainy season and then drying up and cracking in the hot/dry season.
In April of 2019, we’ve seen some pretty dry weather with bursts of rain. If these burst of rain last long enough, the soil can absorb so much water that it presses on your foundation and when it dries, it will crack. Other signs include cracks in the walls and tile, doors not fitting within their frames, and of course uneven and sunken floors. If you notice any of these signs, you should feel prompted to call a trusted foundation repair company in Irving or the North Fort Worth area to provide accurate analysis of the damage and determine if foundation repair is necessary for your home.
However, you might find out that foundation repair isn’t necessary or even the culprit. If that’s the case, then why are your bricks cracking?
Why Are The Bricks on My House Cracking?
First off, did you know that bricks are also usually made out of clay? This seems counterproductive of course, but the walls on that beautiful home you have are also susceptible to expansion and their size can fluctuate based on how much moisture they absorb. In fact, bricks are made in a kiln with extreme heat, causing them to be completely dry and then shipped. The only adjustment they have is the time during shipment and sitting outside the home when it is under construction to adapt to the changes in moisture, heat, cold, etc. Those bricks can then expand up to ½” from moisture absorption. This is why we sometimes see diagonal cracks in the brick later on.
Preventing Bricks from Cracking
Most homes in Texas are built with weep holes to help prepare for the expansion of bricks due to moisture changes and can prevent the bricks from cracking or the bricks separating from the foundation. If you are building a new home, make sure that the home builder is aware of the need for these weep hold in the brick veneer to prepare for expansion without putting the integrity of the wall at risk. Just keep in mind that you’ll want to make sure you use some sort of pesticide to prevent bugs, mice, and other crawling things from entering those weep holes.
If there are cracked bricks already on you home, don’t guess at the cause. Give our foundation repair specialists in Irving or Watauga a call and we’ll come out to diagnose the damage and give you an accurate analysis of what’s causing your bricks to crack. If it is the foundation, then we’ll give you an estimate for the repairs. We’re honest and straightforwards about the repair costs and happy to give you time to call around. We don’t overcharge for our work, and provide a quality service that lasts. We also provide warranties for all of our work.
Just don’t wait around for the damage to get worse. Foundation repairs become exponentially more difficult and costly to fix as time goes on. Call Discount Foundation Repair Specialists today to schedule an appointment.
