Exterior Warning Signs
Wall cracks can easily be spotted on the brick or concrete walls outside your home. Brick and stone walls can appear in a stair-step fashion, whereas concrete cracks will often be vertical in nature.
Retaining walls are defined as any wall not connected to your home’s foundation that have been built to retain dirt from washing or eroding away. They can be anywhere on the outside of your home and used for creating a level space for driveways, terraces or walkways. However, retaining walls themselves are not always properly supported, which can lead to wall settlement.
If you’ve noticed cracks within retaining walls, you likely have a settlement issue due to soil erosion.
Your foundation also supports the weight of your chimney. If you start to notice any tiling or separation of the chimney from your house, the structural integrity of your foundation could be compromised.