this post was submitted on 29 Sep 2024
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Home Improvement

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How bad is this crack? I just noticed it today but I assume it's been there a while and happened after an earth earthquake we had a few months ago.

Is this something I can just fill in with mortar and keep an eye on?

I plan on reaching out to our insurance company to see if they'll pay for it but if not we're pretty strapped for cash at the moment.

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[โ€“] neomachino@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The top crack and the little stairstep pattern crack following below it were my main concern. I've just always hear to watch out for the stair pattern and when I saw the big gap I panicked a little.

Thank you so much!

The big gap looks like the mortar has just deteriorated to the point that it's fallen out. It's not ideal but not necessarily an emergency yet either. Most likely the ground under the foundation has settled a bit. How urgent it is depends partly on whether the crack continues to expand. I would check it every week or two for a few months and see if it gets any wider. You can use a deck of of cards and keep track of how many you can squeeze into the crack. That will tell you if it's expanding.

I would also suggest making sure you don't have rain water collecting anywhere next to the house. If you have downspouts, make they're they're diverted away from the house as much as possible.