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Utica Foundation

Serving Utica and nearby areas

Stair-Step Cracks in Block and Brick in Utica, NY

A stair-step crack in a Utica block or brick wall means part of the wall has moved, and a free inspection tells you whether it is old and stable or still moving.

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Why basements leak and walls move in Utica

Utica sits in the Mohawk Valley on soils made from ground-up shale, with wetter clay soils in low spots. Winters bring about 100 inches of snow and dozens of freeze-thaw swings, and Sauquoit Creek and the Mohawk River flood often. About half the city's homes were built before 1940, so many basements are old stone, brick or block that has taken a century of wet springs.

  • Frost moves the ground

    The Utica-Oneida County station averages about 59 freeze-thaw cycles a year. Wet soil swells as it freezes and shrinks as it thaws, and walls crack along their weakest line, the mortar joints.

  • Soils that change lot to lot

    USDA describes the main upland soil here as well drained, and the soils in low spots of the same family as poorly drained clay loam. A house that spans both can have one part that stays wetter and moves more.

  • Old mortar is the weak link

    About half of Utica's homes were built in 1939 or earlier. The Wisconsin Historical Society notes that mortar in buildings 100 years or older often breaks down, mainly from moisture, so cracks follow the joints.

What it costs

Typical published ranges for Utica. The contractor's written estimate is the price, and the inspection is free.

WorkTypical range
Inspection and written estimate Free
Crack sealing or injection $200 to $1,000per crack
Repointing, walls 8 ft or under $5 to $10per sq ft
Carbon fiber straps, whole wall job $4,000 to $12,000
Piers $1,000 to $3,000each
Structural engineer report $300 to $2,000

See typical foundation repair prices in Utica

What a stair-step crack looks like

A stair-step crack follows the mortar joints in a block or brick wall. It goes over one block, up one row, over again, like a set of steps. It can run up or down, and it can be thin as a hair or wide enough to see daylight.

A zigzag crack near a basement corner

Running up from the floor

A zigzag crack outside in the brick

Often starting at a window or door corner

Steps that are wider at the top

Than at the bottom, or the other way around

One side of the crack sitting higher

Or sticking out past the other

Cracked blocks, not just cracked mortar

Where the crack cuts through the block itself

A long sideways crack

Joining the stair-step crack halfway up the wall

Damp or white powder

Along the crack after rain

What the pattern tells you

The shape of a stair-step crack is a clue to what moved.

Wider at the top often means one end of the wall has dropped. The footing under that corner has settled, and the wall is tearing as it bends down.

Near a corner, with a sideways crack in the middle of the wall, usually means the soil is pushing the wall in. The corner holds firm and the rest of the wall bends, so the joints at the corner pull apart.

Under a window or over a door often means stress is gathering at a weak spot. That can be settling, frost movement or, in older brick, a rusted lintel.

Thin, old and dirty inside with no growth usually means the house settled long ago and stopped.

Why these cracks are common in Utica

Freeze and thaw

The Utica area sees about 59 freeze-thaw swings in an average year. Each time wet soil freezes it swells and pushes. Each thaw lets it drop back. Walls cannot flex that much, so they crack along their weakest line, which is the mortar.

Soil that is not the same everywhere

The soils here formed from glacial till made of shale. On higher ground they drain well. In low spots they turn into slow-draining clay that holds water. A long house, or a house with an addition, can sit partly on each. One part stays wetter and moves more, and the wall cracks between them.

Old mortar

About half of Utica's homes were built before 1940. Mortar that old is often soft and worn. When the wall moves even a little, the joints give first.

Cosmetic or urgent?

Likely cosmetic: a hairline stair-step crack that is dry, has dirt or old paint in it, and has not grown since you have lived there.

Check it soon: a crack wider than about a quarter inch, a crack that lets water in, or one that has grown over a winter.

Check it right away: a crack with a wall bending in, one side of the crack pushed out past the other, cracked blocks, or new sticking doors and sloping floors upstairs at the same time.

How it is usually fixed

The crack itself is rarely the whole job. The fix goes after what moved.

Seal and watch

For old, stable cracks, the joints are cleaned and refilled, and the crack is marked and watched.

Repointing

Where the mortar is worn along a crack, it is raked out and refilled with mortar that matches the wall.

Bracing the wall

If the crack is part of a bowing wall, carbon fiber straps, anchors or beams stop the wall from moving further.

Piers under the footing

If a corner has settled, steel piers can be driven down to firmer soil and used to support or lift that part of the house.

Water control

Gutters, downspouts and grading reduce the wet soil and frost that started the movement.

What it costs

Typical national ranges from published cost guides. A single stable crack costs far less than a wall that needs bracing or a corner that needs piers. Your written estimate will spell out which one you have.

What to do before the inspection

  1. Draw a pencil line across each end of the crack and write the date.
  2. Take a photo with a coin or ruler next to the widest point.
  3. Check whether one side sits higher or further out than the other. A straight edge held across the crack shows it.
  4. Look upstairs above the crack for sticking doors or new drywall cracks.
  5. Check again after the next hard freeze or thaw and note any change.

Frequently asked questions

Are stair-step cracks always serious?

No. A thin stair-step crack that has been there for years and is not growing is often old settling. What makes it serious is width, growth, a wall that is bending, or one side of the crack sitting higher or further out than the other.

How wide is too wide?

A crack you can slide a coin into, roughly a quarter inch or more, should be checked. So should any crack that has grown since you first saw it, whatever its width.

Can I just fill the crack with mortar or caulk?

You can seal it to keep water out, but filling it does not stop the movement that caused it. If the wall is still moving, the crack opens again, often right next to the patch. Find out why it cracked first.

Why are the cracks near the corners of my basement?

Corners are where a wall that is pushed in from the soil meets a side wall that is not moving. The stress tears along the mortar joints and makes a stair-step pattern. It is a common early sign of a bowing wall.

There is a stair-step crack in the brick outside under a window. What does that mean?

Cracks often start at windows and doors because those are the weakest spots in the wall. It can be settling under that part of the house, a failing steel lintel over the opening, or frost movement. An inspector can tell which.

Find out if the crack is still moving

Call (315) 322-9152 or send the short form. A local Utica crew will read the crack, find the cause, and give you a written price.

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