Checked out a new housing development in Raleigh last week and noticed the brickwork along the foundation was already showing cracks

They used a soft brick that wasn't rated for ground contact and didn't leave any expansion gaps, so those walls are going to start bowing within a year - has anyone else seen builders cutting corners like this with cheaper materials?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark_cooper19d ago

That soft brick is a red flag, but did you check if they put weep holes in the mortar near the bottom? Water gets trapped behind cheap brick like that and freezes, then you get major blowout. I watched a whole facade buckle on a development in Apex two years ago because they skipped that step and used the wrong mix. What builder was it so people can steer clear?

jones.brooke18d agoTop Commenter

Mark Cooper, that's exactly what happened on a house my cousin bought near Wake Forest last year. The builder skipped weep holes entirely and used some off-brand mortar mix that crumbled within a year. By spring, water had seeped behind the brick and froze during that cold snap in February. The whole bottom row popped off like a bad zipper. I'd bet your Apex story is the same kind of shortcut these guys take to save a buck. People need to name names so nobody else gets stuck with a ticking time bomb.

the_sean18d ago

Simple flashing fix and proper weep holes solved it on my place.