Why are the facing bricks cracked?
The walls of the house were built 2 years ago. 2 weeks ago, cracks appeared on the facade, a crack on each wall. On the north and south side, the cracks go from the foundation to the top right down the middle of the wall. On the other 2 – the crack goes from about the middle of the first floor to the top, half a brick from the corner, on the second from the top to the middle also half a brick from the corner of the bay window.
The foundation slab is 300m on a sand pad. I removed the basement cladding, there are cracks around that to the bottom, no cracks visible on the foundation. Bearing wall, 510mm of gas concrete, reinforcement belt, which is laid on the floor slabs. Inside the walls are normal, but maybe under the plaster is not visible?
Trying to understand the reason. Shrinkage seems unlikely, after all the foundation slab is intact, and the cracks are somehow strange, especially where the corner of the bay window, there are 2 bricks at an angle joined without mortar. If the foundation is "crooked", the cracks will go under it, or not?
Answer
Features of "well masonry". Very questionable design (no normal builder would advise such a scheme, and for good reason). Cracks exactly along the seam. The crack from the corner of the opening. This is all a design error.
The next "mode of operation". Exterior masonry/wall "on attitude" – which means all the negative environmental effects on your brick and mortar. Sharp fluctuations in temperature and humidity.
