Foundation corner crack & brick repair

[Pazurek]

Hello.
I jut bought this house and don't have much experience in fixing brick. Can you guys please tell me what needs to be done here. I know foundation corner crack is not a structural issue but I'm worrying about damaged bricks. Thank You.

 

[nealtw]

The foundation crack may or may not be a problem but if water gets in there it will freeze and push things apart, until it is a real problem.
Was this the opinion of your home inspector when you bought the house?

 

[Pazurek]

Inspector said it's a cosmetic problem and can be easily fix. The house was bought "as is", bank owned.

 

[nealtw]

The bigger question is what caused it, there should be weep hole along the bottom of the bricks to let water out.
Is this a slab house r can you see the foundation from below or in the garage or can you figure how high the foundation is behind the brick. In a slab house the floor is the level of the foundation.

 

[Pazurek]

It's a basement foundation and crack was most likely caused by brick thermal expansion. I have similar crack on the other side of the house but the brick is not damaged. There is no standing water problem in crack area. The area is dry.

 

[nealtw]

Yeah once there is a big crack to let the water out it doesn't stand around long.

 

[Pazurek]

This is what actually happened. It's not water.

 

[nealtw]

You may be right, if you believe that the mortar holding the brick is stronger than that chuck of concrete.
But I also think you would see more cracking in the joint between the concrete and the brick along the wall.
Do you know how much water is absorbed by brick and drains out of the weep holes.
All I know is you look at all possible causes before you decide what and how to fix things, expansion cracks show up in bricks not foundations
So the site where you found that photo should tell you how to fix that.

 

[slownsteady]

I would have liked to see a little more beneath what's visible in the photo. What's all that fabric for? and how far below the crack is the soil line?