So my garage has this exterior crack running down the brick.

From my assessment, I don't believe it's foundation problems as the house is 5 years old and I'm not sure it's from anything other than normal settling. The masons didn't add a expansion gap joint on this side of the brick like you'd normally see.

My concern is I don't want this problem to get worse. This side of the house faces majority of the weather and sun we get.

Can I just take some exterior caulking and fill in the crack? I'd probably understand if the brick needs to be replaced and repointed. But the brick is painted white so that adds more issue$ with getting corrected…

Hate to be the first voter but

• foundation movement seasonal
• no prudent EJ = spec.house?

If true then
remedies

• garden bedding to hold moisture next to driveway flatwork ... needs more (or less) water near foundation in this spot ... any West facing corners need this in spades
• arrange gutter downspouts - if any - so foundation soils moisture stays constant in this area
• Quikcrete/sealant options (temporary)
• masonry paint options (temporary)
• if things get worse over time, consider foundation repair - Anchor Foundation website tells all

Panhandle garage?

I don't know what that means but I'm assuming the bottom left of the picture is a small part of a garage door that extends significantly to the left.

In my case, there are cracks that stairstep in the mortar of the bricks above the middle of the garage door. If you look closely, you can see a little bit of sag in the lintel. On the right side, I think I have cracking similar to the OP picture but cannot recall as it's hidden by a gutter downspout.

cevans_40 said:

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Panhandle garage?

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Not a panhandle garage. House floor plate is pretty much a square save for the back patio.

dgb99 said:

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Might need more pictures to confirm but my vote is that the lintel above the garage door is not strong/stiff enough and is sagging under the weight of the bricks above.

I have a similar problem and have not decided what to do about it yet. Other houses in our neighborhood have replaced the bricks above the garage door with wood trim/siding similar to other areas on the house. Most of the houses in the area already have a mixed brick and wood siding facade so it doesn't look too out of place.

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I thought it could have been lintel as well but I'm not so sure as the crack is straight/vertical and there is no stairstepping or even signs in the middle of garage.

My research on the internet has led me down the thermal cracks from the repeated heated and cooling. Thankfully, I've kept my eye on the crack since we moved in and it's not gotten any bigger or anything.

But given that this side of the house bears the brunt of all the weather and rain we get - I wanted to limit the potential damage that can occur over time from being constantly exposed to it all.

Steel lintel appears visible in the picture just below bottom course of bricks above garage. Masonry will almost always crack at the ends of lintels when there is any movement and masonry standards call for a control joint there.

To fix it right, you could have a mason cut that joint full depth in a line from the corner of the lintel up and replace bricks as necessary, or you can do what most homeowners would do and just caulk and paint the existing crack.

Aggietaco said:

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Steel lintel appears visible in the picture just below bottom course of bricks above garage. Masonry will almost always crack at the ends of lintels when there is any movement and masonry standards call for a control joint there.

To fix it right, you could have a mason cut that joint full depth in a line from the corner of the lintel up and replace bricks as necessary, or you can do what most homeowners would do and just caulk and paint the existing crack.

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This is your best option OP

Aggietaco said:

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Steel lintel appears visible in the picture just below bottom course of bricks above garage. Masonry will almost always crack at the ends of lintels when there is any movement and masonry standards call for a control joint there.

To fix it right, you could have a mason cut that joint full depth in a line from the corner of the lintel up and replace bricks as necessary, or you can do what most homeowners would do and just caulk and paint the existing crack.

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Thank you so much. This is exactly what I was looking for! Gonna slap some caulk on that bad boy and break out the paint and call it a day.

But I'll keep an eye on it and when we go to sell in 5ish years, I'll get it fixed properly as mentioned above.

I think your crack is caused from 3 potential issues in order of most likely:

1. The steel lintel doesn't extend far enough beyond the end of the opening, which leads to just enough flex at that end which has caused the crack to extend vertically from there.

2. There is always a stress intensity in concrete / masonry at corners. There should always be a joint connecting to any corner, or else you will see a crack extending from that corner. You see this in pavements all the time.

3. Slab movement due to soils expansion/ contraction as soils dry and wet. I don't think this is the cause.

Solution:

1. Lowest cost is to apply a sealant and paint over.

2. Best appearance - install an expansion joint vertical from the corner and replace cracked brick , etc. However technically that has already been installed for you, and you can revert back to # 1 unless you want the better appearance.

Thank you for the advice and deeper understanding! This is why I love the power of Texags and Aggies helping Aggies

any recommended sealant?? or ones to avoid?

You will likely get best results from a silicone, non - self leveling outdoor sealant that can bond to masonry. The only problem with silicone is you need the joint walls to be clean and dry in order for the sealant to adhere to them.

Avoid the "self - leveling" sealant as you will never get it to stay in place in a vertical application

awesome, thanks

Tremco Vulkem is a fairly common one for these joints. You should be able to find a tube at one of the big box stores. I believe it's paintable, but I know it comes in colors if it's not.

If you find The Solution, please post it so we may all learn from it.
Also, I again ask IF this was a spec.house? (vs custom.built)

agcivengineer said:

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I think your crack is caused from 3 potential issues in order of most likely:

1. The steel lintel doesn't extend far enough beyond the end of the opening, which leads to just enough flex at that end which has caused the crack to extend vertically from there.

2. There is always a stress intensity in concrete / masonry at corners. There should always be a joint connecting to any corner, or else you will see a crack extending from that corner. You see this in pavements all the time.

3. Slab movement due to soils expansion/ contraction as soils dry and wet. I don't think this is the cause.

Solution:

1. Lowest cost is to apply a sealant and paint over.

2. Best appearance - install an expansion joint vertical from the corner and replace cracked brick , etc. However technically that has already been installed for you, and you can revert back to # 1 unless you want the better appearance.

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This would be my opinion as an Inspector. Many better builders will put an expansion joint in these corners to prevent these type cracks. I would recommend fixing with option 2, as that will hold up better over time and look more professional.

If it is an undersized lintel that is bowing, you would likely see a similar crack on the other side and a crack in the center of the door. So I like number 1 or 2 above. IF it were 3, in my experience, you would see more taper and some separation at the door jamb and brick.

One thing I always look for to determine abnormal foundation or movement cracks, like a lintel bowing, is uneven or tapered cracks, ie wider at the top or the bottom.

We are dealing with rigid materials, basically, and right angles (or as close as modern builders manage to come to right angles) when things are constructed. If a foundation sinks or heaves or a lintel sags in the middle it changes that 90 degree angle and the resulting cracks will reflect that. Sometimes you can see it clearly in a single crack. Other times it builds up over several cracks or through a step crack into a window frame/brick edge.