Found the stairway to heaven!

[robert1966]

Well some people just don't believe their property has foundation problems until you explain what things like these mean!

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[Greg Booth]

.........did you write-up that missing j-box cover? []

[RCHI1434]

Wow it amazes me sometimes when clients say things like "well we just never noticed cause we have lived here so long". What the length of time have to do with a huge settling issue with your foundation ha lol.

[John Dirks Jr]

That looks like brick veneer, not structural brick. Were you able to see actual foundation problems and correlate them to the movement in the brick veneer? What year construction was that building? That brick veneer should have ties that hold it to the wood framework of the building. If it was installed correctly, that kind of movement would be unusual. I'm not saying movement cant happen in brick veneer, but that looks like a botched job of retrofit or refaced brick veneer on an older building. Maybe the brick veneer did not have proper load support at its base or lacked wall ties, or both.

[Jerry Simon]

That brick veneer should have ties that hold it to the wood framework of the building. If it was installed correctly, that kind of movement would be unusual.

But doesn't the wood framework/exterior wall framing also rest on the foundation, and if the foundation moved, the brick and the wood wall would both move, regardless of any wall-ties (ties keep the brick from toppling & bulging). Not, at all, unusual IMHO.

[John Dirks Jr]

That brick veneer should have ties that hold it to the wood framework of the building. If it was installed correctly, that kind of movement would be unusual.

But doesn't the wood framework/exterior wall framing also rest on the foundation, and if the foundation moved, the brick and the wood wall would both move, regardless of any wall-ties (ties keep the brick from toppling & bulging). Not, at all, unusual IMHO.

Many times, a foundation will sink and leave a gap at the sill. The wood frame structure will kind of hang there as a boxed unit. I just think to see that much movement in the brick veneer caused by the foundation movement, there would be many other indicating factors throughout the structure. The OP did not mention any other indicating factors. That's why I'm curious.

Am I correct in the idea that the foundation can move and the wood structure hang unsupported without much corresponding movement?

[robert1966]

Hey everyone! Thanks for the responses. Sorry I was so brief on the description, Yes there were interior traces that correlate with the new expansion joint that had formed. [:-slaphap Pretty much everything you could imagine cracked sheetrock, cracked tiles, doors not closing, plumbing pipes that had broke. Anything you could think of.

It was built in the 80's and was a commercial property.

Yes I noted the electrical issues!

Normally IMO yes it is very possible to have settlement or foundation issues without brick veneer being affected. From my experience, properties that have foundation issues, if the brick or whatever veneer is used, is cracked severely like this case, then the damage is usually due to the settlement. Now if a property doesn't have significant structural signs then yes I would say it was related to the product or installation.

[Marc]

Hey everyone! Thanks for the responses. Sorry I was so brief on the description, Yes there were interior traces that correlate with the new expansion joint that had formed. [:-slaphap Pretty much everything you could imagine cracked sheetrock, cracked tiles, doors not closing, plumbing pipes that had broke. Anything you could think of.

It was built in the 80's and was a commercial property.

Yes I noted the electrical issues!

Normally IMO yes it is very possible to have settlement or foundation issues without brick veneer being affected. From my experience, properties that have foundation issues, if the brick or whatever veneer is used, is cracked severely like this case, then the damage is usually due to the settlement. Now if a property doesn't have significant structural signs then yes I would say it was related to the product or installation.

Interesting. I've always used brick veneer as a barometer of the health of the foundation since brickwork is so unforgiving of any differential movement on part of the foundation.

Marc

[robert1966]

Marc, sorry if that part came out confusing, I agree with you. What I meant by that was, it's possible to have settlement and foundation issues with out brick cracking, but normally that indicates that the settlement is not very severe. I too gauge how progressed and severe foundation issues are by whether or not it has affected the wall covering.

[Jerry Simon]

Many times, a foundation will sink and leave a gap at the sill. The wood frame structure will kind of hang there as a boxed unit.

Am I correct in the idea that the foundation can move and the wood structure hang unsupported without much corresponding movement?

Do you build without foundation sill plate anchors?

[John Dirks Jr]

Many times, a foundation will sink and leave a gap at the sill. The wood frame structure will kind of hang there as a boxed unit.

Am I correct in the idea that the foundation can move and the wood structure hang unsupported without much corresponding movement?

Do you build without foundation sill plate anchors?

No, I don't. But I've seen some missing the anchor bolts. I've also seen the chincy straps without fasteners or incorrect fasteners. They wont pull the wood frame down if the footing falls. They just open up and let go.