What to photograph before you call anyone
We are not going to tell you what your cracks mean. Nobody can do that from a web page, and a site that tries is selling something. What we can give you is the list of things worth documenting, and a way to record whether they are still changing.
Record whether it is still moving
Put a pencil mark at each end of the crack, write the date next to it, and measure the width with a ruler. Photograph it with the ruler in frame. Then do it again later and compare.
Our rule of thumb is eight weeks. That is our suggestion, not a published standard, and there is no official interval we can point you to. We picked it because it is long enough to cross a change in weather and short enough that you are not sitting on a problem for a season. An engineer may tell you to use a different interval, and they would know better than we do.
Worth photographing and showing to an engineer
- Stair-step cracking through brick or block mortar joints.
- Diagonal cracks running from the corner of a door or window opening.
- Any crack you can measure, with its width and the date.
- Doors or windows that used to latch and now do not.
- Gaps where a wall meets the ceiling, or trim separating from the wall.
- Floors that are visibly out of level.
- In a crawl space: standing water, rusted or crushed shims, or a girder no longer bearing on its pier.
Bring the photographs, the measurements and the dates to whoever inspects the house. Someone working from a timeline gives you a much better answer than someone looking at a wall for the first time.
What a home inspection can and cannot tell you
A standard home inspection covers the structure. Under the InterNACHI Standards of Practice the inspector shall inspect the foundation; the basement; the crawl space; and structural components. InterNACHI Standards of Practice, 3.3
The limits are written into the same document. An inspection is not technically exhaustive, and the inspector is not required to report on the adequacy of any structural system or component. InterNACHI SOP, limitations
So a home inspector flagging something is doing their job correctly, and it is still not a diagnosis. For that you want a licensed structural or geotechnical engineer, who works for you and does not sell the repair. More on who to call.
Timing matters in Georgia
NOAA's Georgia climate summary records that the number of 3-inch extreme precipitation events reached its highest level during the 2015 to 2020 period, and projects that higher temperatures will increase the rate of soil moisture loss during dry spells, which could lead to more intense droughts. NOAA / NCICS Georgia State Climate Summary 2022 Moisture conditions here change a lot across a year, which is a reason to measure across a season rather than across a week.
Further reading
HUD's Residential Rehabilitation Inspection Guide is a free public reference on how buildings are inspected methodically. We do not draw any specific claim from it. HUD Residential Rehabilitation Inspection Guide