Hank pointed to her downspout. “There’s your clue. That downspout dumps all the roof’s water right next to the foundation. Rain soaks the soil, soil swells, pushes against the wall, and — crack.”
Hank taped a simple “crack gauge” over the largest crack — two strips of paper with a line and a date. “Check it in six months. If the line still matches up, you’re fine. If it’s pulled apart, call me.” cracks in brick veneer
She stopped staring at the wall. Instead, she watched her downspout and kept the soil sloped. And every spring, she thanked Hank for teaching her that a little knowledge turns a scary crack into a simple to-do list. Hank pointed to her downspout
One Saturday, her neighbor Hank, a retired mason, saw her staring at the wall. “You’ve got the crack stare,” he said, smiling. “Don’t worry. Most cracks in brick veneer aren’t a crisis. They’re just clues.” Rain soaks the soil, soil swells, pushes against
Hank walked her through it step by step.
He also showed her how the soil sloped toward the house instead of away. Two simple fixes: extend the downspout 6 feet out, and add a little fill dirt to create a gentle slope away from the foundation.