Archives by Month: May 2015

Cracking from Lintel Lift on a Single-Family Dwelling

Posted by in Buying/Maintaining a Home, Cracking, Masonry | May 18, 2015

The above photograph shows a pronounced stairstep crack emanating from the upper corner of a window in a brick wall on the gable end of a single-family dwelling.  By pronounced I mean obvious, easily seen. In the subject case, a… Read More →

“I’ve Never Seen Any Shingles Like THIS Before!”

Posted by in Buying/Maintaining a Home, Roof, Shingles, Structural terms | May 11, 2015

“I’ve never seen any shingles like THIS before!” We have heard this comment more than a few times, even from roofers.  What was being referred to are the shingles seen in the feature photo and Figures WRS-1 and WRS-2.  These… Read More →

What If I Don’t Fix My Leaking Basement?

Posted by in Basements, Concrete, Masonry | May 04, 2015

What can happen if I don’t properly address groundwater infiltration through my basement wall?  That is, assuming that the basement or foundation wall is not overloaded by the combination of earth and excessive groundwater pressures, what could possibly go wrong?… Read More →