If you’ve noticed stair-step cracking in a brick or block wall of your Mobile area home, that’s a sure sign of foundation movement. The reason you see this pattern in your masonry is that the mortar holding the bricks or blocks together is the weakest point of your wall, and because your wall is rigid and was not made to move or flex, it fails at its weakest link. Therefore, when your foundation or wall is subjected to excessive stress due to situations like a sinking foundation or surrounding soil exerting pressure, a crack will form in the mortar in the direction of the shift, forming a stair-step pattern. In older homes, the stair-step crack pattern is a common issue because of expansive soil around and beneath the foundation.

Expansive soil shrinks when it loses its water volume in the dry season. When the wet season returns, the soil soaks up the water and expands. This expand-contract cycle creates movement your foundation wasn’t meant to handle. As your house begins to settle through the years, the force exerted by the movement “snaps” the masonry work of the foundation and brickwork. As the masonry continues over a long time to be repositioned by the movement, it will lose its ability to bear a load and will begin to crumble from the weight of the bricks above it, which will further compromise the overall stability of your home.

As the foundation problem worsens, your entire house will become crooked; the interior walls of your home will be tilted and twisted and the plaster or sheetrock will crack. Interior doors and windows will also begin to stick.

Our expert team provides cracked brick and block repair services in Mobile, AL. We have a proven, long-term solution to get your home back on solid footing.