Expert: Dave Johnson - 8/24/2007

Question
We have an addition to our brick home and the bottom level is brick. There is a large crack along the mortar line and  brick mortar appears to either have dissolved or cracked all along about 6 feet of mortar horizontally and vertically. Can this be caulked? Any suggestions? We just moved in a year ago and this has happened in the past few weeks. Thanks for any suggestions.

Answer
Hi Elizabeth,
First let me apologize for the delay in answering, my mail is messed up!
There is a caulking that is used primarily for masonry, same color as grey mortar.
But there may be some critical reason for this problem.
Without actually seeing it I couldn't make a judgement.
How old is the addition? Was there an adequate footing/foundation for the addition?
I think you may want to contact a local independant housing inspector for a look at this.
I hope I haven't frightened you, but one never knows about the integrity of a newly purchased building (or of the builder).
Best of luck, Dave