K Lucas posted:
1.) Cracks in garage.
2.) Cracks in foundation concrete.
3.) Separation around entry door to garage.
4.) Separation around garage door header.
5.) Rusty nails sticking out of foundation.
6.) Front entry and garage entry door slopes.
7.) Cracks in ceiling located at the right and left rear corners.
8.) Diagonal cracks in outside bricks of the home.
9.) Excessive amount of ants entering under multiple base board locations of the home.

Response:
1.) Cracks in garage-- As previously stated, the clay soil in your area is unforgiving. The cracks in the garage (at least what is pictured) is evidnece of a home that has probably been vacant for an extended peorid of time. In the HOT Texas summers, if the soils have not have adequate moisture maintenance applied, the end result is that the clay will shrink and cause settlement and/or separation as you have pictured.

2.) Cracks in foundation concrete-- I didn't see that illustrated in your photos, but I have to take your word on it. Be advised, that what you sometimes think are cracks actually aren't. Rock-pockets in the exterior slab are often mistaken for a cracks by homeowners. But again, you were there and we weren't.

3). Separation around entry door to garage--See (reply)#1 above.

4.) Separation around garage door header-- Although this is probably related to the conditions noted in the reply in #1 above, it could also be that the lintel is too thin to support the weight. If that sucker is 1/4" steel in lieu of 3/8 ths, then you can bet that the brick and or medallion installed above will have mortar joint cracks.

5.) Rusty nails sticking out of foundation-- batter board nails. Cut'em off and go about your business...

6.) Front entry and garage door slopes-- not sure how to intrepret this one... Are you saying the doors (themselves) slope or, are you saying that the entrances to the doors slope?

7.) Cracks in the ceiling located in right and left rear corners-- depends on what you are calling cracks... Alot of people will look at the cracks in a ceililng where the sloped corners meet (22 1/2 degree angles) and call this cracked ceilings. As we are well aware of, the soils in our area are unforgiving-- Most of those 22 1/2 degree corners are nothing more than taped joints that split when the wind blows-- these do not represent a true ceiling crack-- instead, are more of a cosmetic condition that you will often find in a brand spankin new home that has never been lived in. Remember, new homes often go a full year without soil moisture maintenance.

Now on the other hand, if the ceiling is truly cracked/ ripped thru the drywall, that's a different condition all to gether and is a symptom of differential settlement.

8.) Diagonal cracks in the outside bricks of the home--Again, the severity of this condition depends on the overall symptoms. How wide are the mortar joint cracks, where are they located (below windows), how long are they, does the inside of the home have these same symptoms at the top of the doors, below the windows and again (actual drywall) is the ceiling cracked? Alot of whether you are looking at structural failure (vs structure settlement) depends on all of these things taken into consideration and not just one at a time.

9.) Excessive amount of ants entering under multiple base board locations of the home-- get rid of em'.

Rich

__________________
"If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?"
Richard Rushing, HCRI
Duncanville, Tx.