Cracks in Brick Walls in Tallahassee, FL

Why brick cracks in Tallahassee

Heat and moisture. Brick walls grow a little in hot weather and shrink when they cool. The National Park Service says walls facing south or west move the most. These cracks tend to open and close with the seasons. One home inspection guide notes that heat cracks are often near corners and run almost straight up.

Clay that swells and shrinks. Much of Tallahassee sits in the Red Hills, north of the Cody Escarpment. Soils there, like the Orangeburg series, are sandy on top with sandy clay below. Clay holds water after rain and shrinks in dry spells. That pushes and pulls on the footing under your brick.

Sand over limestone. South of the escarpment is the Woodville Karst Plain. It has a thin layer of sand over limestone that slowly dissolves. Ground there can drop as soil washes down into the rock below.

Lots of rain. Tallahassee gets close to 60 inches of rain in a normal year, the National Weather Service says. When gutters spill next to the wall, the soil under one corner gets soft and that corner can sink.

What the fix usually is

The fix depends on why the brick cracked.

1. Find the cause. The inspector checks floor levels inside, looks at the footing, and checks where water goes when it rains.
2. Stop the movement. If one part of the house sank, the crew may put in piers under that section. Piers go down to firm ground and hold the footing up.
3. Fix the water. Gutter extensions, a better slope in the yard, or a French drain keep the soil under the wall from getting soaked.
4. Repair the brick. A mason cleans out the cracked mortar and fills it with new mortar. Badly cracked bricks get replaced.

If the cracks are only from heat, the fix may be just new mortar or a flexible sealant. The National Park Service says cracks that still move should get a flexible sealant, and cracks that have stopped can get new mortar.

Before the inspection

1. Mark both ends of each crack with a pencil and write the date.
2. Take a photo with a coin or ruler next to the crack.
3. Check again after the next big rain.
4. Walk inside the same wall and look for drywall cracks or doors that stick.
5. Do not patch it yet. The inspector needs to see the crack as it is.