brickcrackswallswindows
We recently bought a house, nothing like subsidence come up on our survey, we went for a full survey.
We have noticed a small stepped crack under the window outside the front. No evidence of any issue else where. And the window is a fairly new replacement by the old owners.
Our house is a mid stepped terrace house. Does this just need repointing or could there be a problem?
The crack is less than 2mm wide
If the surface is undamaged and it sounds solid just leave it to dry out completely. If it's now dry to the touch then it is drying out. If there was a lot of water coming in it will take a while to dry out.
Once it has dried then seal it with a coat of thinned white emulsion before putting the main colour on or wallpapering.
One caveat though - it could be permanently stained so it might still look damp but be perfectly dry - so even if the discolouration hasn't changed in week (or so) it will be safe to decorate. What you could do in the first instance is just paint. If there is still a problem with the damp it will quickly show up and you can then look at replastering.
I realize that you don't want to proceed with the project but I thought I'd answer anyway in case someone else is curious. I am a licensed contractor and my company specializes in basement remodeling; we have done several window expansions or additions in concrete foundations. A few things:
Though you can support the new opening with pressure treated wood (according the engineers prescription, of course), most likely the engineer will recommend a steel frame in the newly cut opening. We use a 4"x4"x1/4" steel frame that the engineer signs off on. You can have one made to fit your opening at your local steel fabricator. (see pic below)
After you install the frame with bolts into the concrete and silicone sealant around the entire perimeter, the installation of the window is a piece of cake.
Best Answer
That doesn't look like a problem. Mortar cracks like this in brick facing are not uncommon as a home ages and settles slightly. A problem would be when the crack is opening up and showing significant movement.
I would, however, re-point or caulk this mortar to prevent water from infiltrating and then freezing and possibly opening this up wider.