Around the Neighborhood By Charlie Clark, Licensed Appraiser
Presented by
CASi
Clark Appraisal Services Inc.
Red Dirt in Oklahoma, It's Enough to Make You Crack Up
If you live in Southwest Oklahoma, you've seen it. As an appraiser I've seen it quite often and up close: Brick homes with lengthy cracks between bricks, giving the look of stair-steps.
Such stair-step cracks on exterior walls often are accompanied by severe cracks in patios and driveways.
When I see that on the outside, I'm not surprised to find it inside as well, showing up as interior wall cracks or even separation between a wall and ceiling.
It's a settlement issue most often caused by the shifting clay so prevalent in local soil.
Once the signs start it's only going to get worse, unless the homeowner does something about it.
Prevention
First, if you are building a home, have the soil tested at the site. Sometimes the simple addition of enough sand and top soil for a good mix can slow or even stop the severe cracking and contracting that happens to clay-heavy land in the near-drought conditions of our summers here.
If your yard slopes, depending on how severe it is, you may need a retaining wall. Otherwise, the run-off of top soil after years of rain may leave your foundation on less solid ground than it was originally built.
Fixing the cracks
Adding new mortar between the separating bricks is a good start. That will keep out the rain and moisture that speeds up the erosion process. But such patchwork may just be temporary. Keep a close eye on the exterior of your home after a fix like that. If it starts up again, have a foundation expert examine the situation. Chances are you will need to install that retaining wall or "jack up" one or more corners of your house -- or both.
The jacking up process involves digging up a portion of your yard, inserting a power lifter to raise the house back into place, then installing piers to hold up that portion of the house that was sinking or breaking off, and finally, re-mortaring the cracks that were between the bricks.
Don't panic
All cracks are not the same. So, don't run out and spend the kids' back-to-school clothes money on a pier job that you don't need. A little hairline split in the paint job of your living room wall does not mean that the front of the house is falling off. If you do suspect that it's serious, contact a licensed home inspector or other expert to check it out. If adding piers is required, get more than one estimate for the job. I've heard of it ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 for the same home.
In the meantime, have a glass of sweet ice tea and enjoy the benefits of the Caribbean tropical storm. It only hit 95 degrees in Lawton yesterday. A nice drop from the days of 108 that set records earlier this week.