How Does the Type of Settling Affect My Bricks?

Knowing what to look for in your bricks will give you a better understanding of how your home is settling, so you know which other problem signs to look for. 

•  Uniform Sinking 

Uniform sinking is when the foundation begins to settle evenly, meaning that it’s sinking, but does not tilt while doing so. Foundations rarely ever sink evenly, and this form of settling isn’t common. Still, it’s completely possible. When your foundation is settling like this, it doesn’t really affect your bricks in a significant way. 

The brick veneers, which is the bottom part of your home that is covered in bricks, don’t really show any signs of breakage because the house is settling evenly. This means that the weight of the house is still being distributed evenly as well. As the settling advances and the house sinks lower, you’ll notice that the height of the brick portion of your house is getting shorter. Still, just because uniform sinking isn’t as visually damaging as other forms of settling doesn’t mean that the house isn’t in danger. 

• Tilting and Differential Sinking 

Tilting sinking is when the layer of soil is greatly uneven on one specific side, so the house settles in a lopsided fashion. Unlike uniform sinking, this type of settling does affect your bricks in a detrimental way. Because the house is tilting, the rest of the house now must withstand the pressure of an uneven house until they break. 

Differential sinking is similar except that, besides sinking to the side, part of the foundation also is tearing itself away from the rest of the house. Because the foundations break apart in such a severe way, the bricks most definitely will crack with this type of sinking. With tilting sinking, the bricks might not crack immediately after the settling begins, but with differential sinking, the cracks appear faster, and they are bigger and wider. With both types of settling, stair-step cracks are common.