LET'S LOOK AT

WHAT CAUSES CRACKS

ALL CRACKS CAUSED

BY MOVEMENT

SHRINKAGE

OR

SOIL SETTLEMENT

SHRINKAGE

USUALLY HARMLESS

NORMAL PROCESSD FOR

BUILDING MATERIAL

TO ADJUST TO

CHANGING CONDITION

MOISTURE CONTENT

OF A WALL VARIES

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

END TO END

&

FEW WALLS ARE

SYMMETRIC

TOP OF THE WALL

IS FREE TO MOVE

BUT

NOT THE BOTTOM

PLUS

WINDOW AND DOOR

OPENING BREAK

THE UNIFORMILY

OF WALLS

On the other hand

SOIL SETTLEMENT INDUCE

VERTICAL MOVEMENT

and

CRACK

THE FULL HEIGHT

of a house

AND usually

SETTLEMENT CRACKS

open in the

ADJACENT INTERESECTING WALLS

and nowhere else in the house

PICTURE: Settlement Cracks

SOIL SETTLEMENT

Soil simply settles and

moves with time

TO CAUSE DAMAGE

Settlement must be

VARIABLE

or more technically

DIFFERENTIAL

PICTURE: Excessive movement of the house