Brick type siding?

[Robert Jones]

pseudo brick? faux brick? What would cause this type of damage? House is 105 years old. Highly doubt it's the original siding.

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[AHI in AR]

I've not seen that exact type of masonry veneer previously, but it certainly looks like a concrete brick product. If so, it is much more susceptible to expansion and contraction cracks then traditional clay-based bricks are. And I think you're absolutely right -- it isn't original to a 105-year-old house.

[Richard Moore]

Looks like the veneer I sometimes see on 50's or 60's bungalows.

The damage in the first photo could be freeze damage caused by water from that shed(?) roof or downspout.

The second looks like there is some extra settlement to the right of the cracks. Could be 50 years old or from the 2000(?) quake. Was there a corresponding foundation crack? Any support under the veneer?

If what you have posted is the worst of it, then it seems unlikely that there is any structural concern. You basically just have some damaged "siding". Grout, seal, and monitor.

[hausdok]

Could be 50 years old or from the 2000(?) quake.

Nisqually quake - February 2001.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[John Kogel]

Pic 2 looks like the crack was poorly patched once and cracked again. We could use some wider shots of that area. I'm no brick expert.

!00 years ago in this area, the foundation is often just a trench filled with hand-mixed concrete and rubble. Maybe they threw in some scrap steel, maybe not. So I would be careful not to write off a chance of foundation movement.