I need to build a swimming pool and am planning on doing a lot of it on my own. I want to install a barbeque and countertop in the back and will have to run gas, water, and a waste line from the side of my house all the way out there. My question: Is it legal to put all of those utilities in one trench? If not, what should I do? Thank you,

Jason L.

Hi Jason,

It’s perfectly legal to put them all in one trench. My only recommendation would be to stack the utilities separately in case you have a repair in the future. For example, I would put the gas line on the bottom. Water supply lines have a greater tendency of breaking, so I would put that at the very top so it would be easily accessible.

Many trades don’t care and will put a supply line at the bottom or intermingled between other lines so you have to cut everything out to get to the supply line leak.

Personally, the water supply line would be the last one I put in. Take it off to the side and make it as neat as possible so that in the future, if there is a problem, it will be easy to repair.

Hi Robert,

I’m a widower and I’m involved in a situation with my upstairs neighbor and I hope that you can find the time to shed some light on my predicament.

It has recently rained twice, and both times I have had leaking in my ceiling. We do have a management company that has told me that they think the problem is coming from the upstairs deck. The owner, however, is out of town, will be returning in 30 days, and in the meantime refuses to let inspectors look at her deck. Everyone is telling me I’ll have to wait but in the interim, my ceiling has been soaked two times and I am worried about mold. Would you please tell me, do I have any other options? Thank you very much,

Rachel W.

Hi Rachel,

You have the legal right to have your home repaired. Mold starts growing within 72 hours. My recommendation is to remove all of the wet drywall and insulation and get some dryers in there.

I would take pictures before you touch anything. Show all of the damages including any pots you may have catching dripping water.

I would send your HOA a letter. Don’t communicate with them on the phone, but instead notify them in writing that you are taking the above mentioned actions and will hold the HOA liable for any subsequent damages. Explain that you don’t want to be difficult, but the other side of the coin is that the HOA has a fiduciary responsibility to resolve this problem.

It’s not fair you live with this for another 30 days. The owner could send keys or contact a representative or come back on her own. If she refuses to cooperate, then the HOA shall provide notice to her that they intend to forcibly enter her unit in order to water test in order to ascertain cause and location of the leaks, and then to make whatever repairs are required.

Submit questions to: robert@imsconstruction.com.

Robert Lamoureux of IMS Construction, Valencia, CA, has 30 years experience as a Commercial, General, Electrical, and Plumbing contractor. The opinions expressed in “Ask the Expert” are not to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after a thorough visual inspection has been made.

I removed a large “L” shaped brick BBQ from my patio to make more room. The concrete beneath needs to be removed and new concrete poured to match. A natural gas line and electrical conduit are in the slab that is being re-poured. Can I just cap the lines below grade and pour concrete over them? Thanks,

Mike C.

Hi Mike,

You can bury the gas line and bare conduit, but any live source must be terminated and disconnected. You can’t leave live utilities abandoned underground.

The first step is to terminate the source. Disconnect the gas line from the meter. If the gas line was left live, it could eventually leak and blow natural gas underground.

Pull all the wire out of the conduit to prevent them from being accidentally reconnected in the future. I would put a nylon cord inside the conduit to pull new wire in case you ever want to make that line active again.

Hi Robert,

You said call Dig Alert when digging, but how does that work? How deep does it have to be to call them? Do they come out and meet with me? Are there any fees? Thank you, I enjoy your column.

Anto B.

Hi Anto,

Call Dig Alert at 811 two working days in advance before you do any digging. They will give you a Dig Alert number. You’ll need to have the proposed excavation area delineated. Take a can of white marking paint and write “USA” in several areas with arrows showing where you are going to dig. You don’t need to go wild and turn it into graffiti, just make it clear so that all of the various agencies know exactly where to look for underground utilities.

Sometimes these utilities can be a high priority facility. We received the following notice earlier this week regarding one of our projects: “This Locate Request is near an AT&T DISTRIBUTION CRITICAL SUBSURFACE INSTALLATION INFRASTRUCTURE that provides Switching, Routing, and Transmission services to the surrounding area and around the world. Damaging these facilities could interrupt thousands of services.” Can you imagine damaging something of this magnitude? Based on this warning, we know that we will have to dig by hand and proceed with extreme caution.

Hi Robert,

I serve on the board of our association. We had a tree that lifted a wall which caused it to lean a bit. The grout between the blocks is cracked and it is not perfectly straight, but other than that it looks good. I pushed on it pretty hard and it didn’t move. I personally think that as long as we repair the damaged grout we’ll be fine. The rest of the board is thinking we need to knock the whole wall down, 150 feet long or more and rebuild. What’s your opinion? Thank you,

Alberto G.

Hi Alberto,

Just because a wall is leaning a little because of a tree root does not necessarily mean it will come down.

To be safe, my recommendation would be to bring out a masonry contractor to provide an inspection. If he says you only need to tear out part of the wall or just repair the grout lines, then you’ve saved a sizable amount of money from an unnecessary rebuild.

Robert Lamoureux of IMS Construction, Valencia, CA, has 30 years experience as a Commercial, General, Electrical, and Plumbing contractor. The opinions expressed in “Ask the Expert” are not to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after a thorough visual inspection has been made.

I live in Valencia in a house that is so long that, since we only have one doorbell, we can’t hear it from the opposite side of the house. My question is: Can I run a second doorbell off the same transformer and place it in the other part of the house? Thank you for your help.

Richard F.

Hi Richard,

You can’t use the same transformer because it is only 14—16 volts which is not enough voltage to carry two doorbells.

The most economical way to do this without running wire and another transformer is to purchase a wireless doorbell from your local home improvement center. Included in the kit will be a transmitter that you wire into your existing ringer and complete wiring diagrams. It’s very easy and is all low voltage so you can’t get shocked.

There is also a plug-in module which is the receiver and the chime all built into one. Anytime the doorbell rings, it will power up the transmitter that in turn powers the receiver and chimes the bell. You plug this in wherever you want and can move it at will.

The cost is in the neighborhood of $30—$40 and you’ve got an instant doorbell. I’ve had one in the back of my home for 15 years and it still works fine.

Mr. Lamoureux,

I hope that you can get back to me with this question ASAP. We have a bad roof. It leaks and we don’t have the money to have it repaired at the moment. One solution so far is to use plastic for waterproofing. We could hold it down with sandbags and attach the plastic to side walls that are 2 feet tall. This would basically make a waterproof liner and keep the water out of the units under that section. Does this sound like a good idea?

Martin V.

Hi Martin,

No, this is a terrible idea. If that plastic obstructs the scuppers, you’re going to end up with a swimming pool on your roof. The weight of this much water would cause a total roof collapse.

Roofs are designed to channel water off of them as quickly as possible. They are not built to support water. Never turn a flat roof into a pool liner.

You see roofs collapse from time to time because of a lack of maintenance to the scuppers. When the scuppers or roof drains are blocked, water collects and once you get enough of a load, the roof will come down.

Hi Robert,

I’m changing all the doors in my house with pre-hungs. How do you figure out if a door is a left swing or a right swing? Thank you,

Dion A.

Hi Dion,

The easiest way is to open the door and put your back against the hinges on the jamb. If the door opens to the left, it’s a left swing; to the right, it’s a right swing.

You’ll also need to know the hinge placements. They’ll want measurements from the top of the door to the top of the top of each hinge.

For the latch or deadbolt, measure from the top of the door to the center of the latch. That will tell them where to put the bore.

Robert Lamoureux of IMS Construction, Valencia, CA, has 30 years experience as a Commercial, General, Electrical, and Plumbing contractor. The opinions expressed in “Ask the Expert” are not to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after a thorough visual inspection has been made.

I’m building a wall. I’ve done some concrete so I think I can handle all of the stucco. 21 feet by 12 feet high in some areas. Not sure if I need a permit. Thank you,

Bernard B.

Hi Bernard,

Permits are needed on any wall over 4’ tall. The inspector will also want to check that your lathing is nailed on properly. He will want to see the nails or staples that you’re using. He will check that the spacing constant is correct so the lath is secured and will not fall on anyone. I’ve seen whole sides of stucco walls that came down because they were improperly nailed, using the wrong nails or staples. He will also check your finish work.

If you’re going 12 feet high, you can’t do that on a ladder, so you will need scaffolding. This is a relatively big job. There is no way I would do this job on my own. It would take too long. Especially if you don’t do this kind of work full time. I would get a stucco man out there and let him do it for you, unless you are specifically looking for a back-breaking project to get into. I mean, it’s concrete, it’s heavy, you have to mix it, you have to trowel it on. Then you have to go back and scratch it. Unless you’ve got five friends that want to donate weekend after weekend doing this. When it goes to the brown coat, you need to know how to level it.

You’re going to have to use a screed board and you need to be on top of your game for that side of the process. You have to know all of the cure rates of the different stages. There’s a lot to this and with something that size, again, I’d hire a stucco guy and let him take care of it.

Hello Robert,

I’ve got a problem with my toilet. It’s only about 10 years old, but if I don’t keep holding the handle down, then basically it won’t flush and I have to use the plunger which I would rather avoid if I had a choice. I’m used to it by now, but I will occasionally forget to tell guests and it’s embarrassing. I agree this is not a big emergency, just more of a nuisance that I hope you know how to fix. Thank you very much,

Cynthia B.

Hi Cynthia,

It sounds like the flapper is waterlogged. When you flush, the flapper should come up and float long enough to allow water to drain from the tank and into the bowl. But if it’s waterlogged, it’s so heavy that it falls back down and seals off the tank prematurely.

To replace the float, turn the water off at the angle stop and drain the water closet. Remove the flapper. Generally it’s two clips on either side. Take it down to your local hardware store and match it up because there is an array of those on the market. Many years ago, there were only one or two styles, but with all of the new toilet manufacturers and styles, there has been a drastic change in flappers recently.

They usually come with a round insert and if you don’t have it on yours, just break it off in the middle where the two tabs are. You might also have to experiment with it a little and adjust the chain, but it’s an easy fix.

Submit questions to: robert@imsconstruction.com.

Robert Lamoureux of IMS Construction, Valencia, CA, has 30 years experience as a Commercial, General, Electrical, and Plumbing contractor. The opinions expressed in “Ask the Expert” are not to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after a thorough visual inspection has been made.

This is the second time I have written in with a question. Thank you for your first answer as you were right on the mark. I live in Beverly Hills but my daughter lives in Pasadena and saves the articles for me.

We went through a fairly large reconstruct and between sets of bricks, the contractor put in what looks like shiny concrete. That space between the bricks, which is about 1 1/2” wide and is above my bottom room, now has walls that are buckling and peeling since the last rain. I contacted my homeowners association and they are telling me it’s my problem because it’s an inside wall. Is this right? Thank you as always,

Kate D.

Hi Kate,

The response from the HOA doesn’t sound right to me. The shiny cement you are referring to is plastic cement. If you have a cold joint between sets of bricks as you are describing and they did not waterproof underneath, then you have an issue.

If all they used was the cement in the joint, without waterproofing, then it isn’t surprising you are having interior damage as the cement is porous. If you get enough sheeting, the water will find a way inside your home.

The only way to ascertain the cause of this leak would be to open the drywall and perform a water test. If there is no waterproofing, then it should start leaking within about 20 minutes. I would suggest you document this through photographs and bring this to the attention of the HOA.

In this case, it would belong to the HOA as they are responsible for the envelope of the building, which is the exterior. You may have to do some leg work on your own to get to the bottom of this. When you open the walls, you may find that it’s a plumbing leak. I don’t know how your CC & R’s are written, but some HOA’s are holding homeowners responsible for their own water and waste lines if they are exclusive common area use.

Robert,

I have this brown material at the end of my driveway at the city sidewalk. I don’t know what it is. It’s fibrous but not wood. Birds are picking at it, and it’s starting to look bad. What can I do for this? Can it be replaced? Is this something I can buy and drive down between the driveway and sidewalk?

Thanks,
Don I.

Hi Don,

That is an expansion joint. It is put in during the concrete pour and is there to keep two pieces of concrete from fusing together. It’s too thick to try to drive a piece of that down. When it’s put in, it’s compressed by the weight of the concrete. A new piece would be too wide to get in there.

What I would recommend would be to first put in some backer rod and then a bead of Sikaflex about 3/4” deep. Because this is a urethane-based product, it’s very forgiving and has a lot of elasticity in it. This will allow it to bond well to both sides of the concrete. Make sure the concrete is clean before the application.

This should take care of the problem for a few years.

Submit questions to: robert@imsconstruction.com.

Robert Lamoureux of IMS Construction, Valencia, CA, has 30 years experience as a Commercial, General, Electrical, and Plumbing contractor. The opinions expressed in “Ask the Expert” are not to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after a thorough visual inspection has been made.

I’m a big fan. In order to get to our garage, I have to walk out the front door and go through a side door. This is usually no big deal but during the rains we get soaked going to or from the garage. We’d like to put a door in the common wall that separates the bedroom and the garage. Is there any reason why we shouldn’t do that? Thank you,

Manny P.

Hi Manny,

You can’t do that. If hypothetically, someone is in the garage with a car running, then the carbon monoxide could be fatal to somebody sleeping in the bedroom.

You could install the door between a hallway or living room — basically any other configuration would be fine, just not a bedroom. If there are no other access options, you might consider building an overhang from your front door to the garage.

Hi Robert,

A few years ago we put in JELD WEN replacement windows in our house. We haven’t been too pleased with them. They have a film on the glass, are hard to clean, and get dirty quick! Are there different qualities of glass the company uses for different-priced windows? We are rebuilding another house and our contractor likes that brand. What is your opinion?

We also love our wood burning fireplace. In the new house we are also putting in a fireplace. My understanding is that wood burning is not an option. I can’t believe they will let you put in a firepit and a pizza oven and not a wood burning fireplace. Do you have any suggestions for fireplaces?

Thank you,
Kathy P.

Hi Kathy,

Without seeing them, I wasn’t sure what kind of film you could have on your windows. We called Jeld-Wen and they suggested that perhaps you had the optional Lo?3-366.

Low-E glass means low emissivity. It is an energy efficient glazing technology meaning that it reflects heat in hot weather and retains heat in cold weather. Typically this is achieved by coating the glass with transparent microscopic layers of metal or a metallic oxide. The Lo?3-366 is an upgrade with three layers of coating that blocks approximately 95% of UV rays.

Although the metallic coatings are inside the panes of glass, if you have what’s called a hardcoat Low E coating on the exterior of the pane, this layer can be damaged by using an ammonia based window cleaner like Windex. The ammonia will cause the glass to look permanently dirty.

Regarding my window recommendations, I like Milgard. Their Presidential line is some of the best windows available, in my opinion. They’re not that much more expensive than your average window and you get a lifetime guarantee.

As long as they are installed correctly — the proper nailing pattern and so on, Milgard is unbelievable about honoring the warranty. Although I’ve had a couple of problems over the years, there was never a question. They stand behind their product.

You are correct about the fireplace. In efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, wood burning fireplaces are no longer legal in California, and their use is regulated in other parts of the country. Although some look at burning gas as using a non-renewable resource, it remains the most popular alternative.

Submit questions to: robert@imsconstruction.com.

Robert Lamoureux of IMS Construction, Valencia, CA, has 30 years experience as a Commercial, General, Electrical, and Plumbing contractor. The opinions expressed in “Ask the Expert” are not to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after a thorough visual inspection has been made.

Ernesto G.

Hi Ernesto,
Yes that’s true. Contractors have to abide by the lead laws as set forth by the EPA, which are substantial.
The EPA issued rules of safe practices while working with lead painted surfaces in April 2008. In April 2010, all contractors were required to be certified — both Firm Certified and RRP Certified. Firm Certification for the company license, RRP, or Renovation, Repair, and Painting Certified for staff.
Affected structures: homes, day care centers, or schools built in 1978 or before. Lead paint began to phase out during the mid 1970s and was banned Dec. 31, 1977.
Back in the old days, you would buy paint and a bucket of fine lead dust separately. After mixing the paint, get a handful of the lead and mix that with the paint. Lead makes the paint more colorful and more durable. It is still used by the military and on ship hulls because of its strength, but it’s deadly poisonous. Especially in dust or fume form.
This prompted the EPA to initiate a very thorough set of containment procedures and practices that must be followed whenever disturbing pre-1978 painted surfaces.
These procedures include heavy duty plastic in the work area to walk on; sticky pads to step on when exiting the containment area; sealing the windows, doors, air vents, and handlers; hepa vacuums for tools and personnel; wrapping each piece of debris, like drywall pieces, into a plastic-covered package to be placed in locked dumpster or receptacle. If the debris weighs 220 pounds or more, then it is considered hazardous waste and the contractor owns it forever. This means after it is disposed of, the contractor can be contacted 30 years later and be told that his waste needs to be moved at “X” amount of dollars per pound.
There are many additional steps necessary for working with lead paint. If a contractor happens to miss one of those steps, like not handing a pamphlet to one of the affected homeowners in a condominium complex, they can be fined $37,500. Also, California laws are different than national laws and the EPA laws are not exactly the same as the HUD — Housing and Urban Development — laws. As Firm and RRP certified, we are required to know these differences.
This is a tremendous amount of additional expense and work required to adhere to these laws. More steps and manpower translate into additional costs passed onto the HOA or homeowner.
You as a homeowner, on the other hand, do not need to follow these stipulations. If you want to do all of the strip work and prepping, then call the contractor to complete the project, you could save a large percentage of the cost.
I would strongly recommend that you make yourself familiar with abatement procedures so that you can adequately protect yourself. It is critical that you learn how to control, contain, and dispose of the lead dust properly for the safety of you and your family.

Robert Lamoureux of IMS Construction, Valencia, CA, has 30 years experience as a Commercial, General, Electrical, and Plumbing contractor. The opinions expressed in “Ask the Expert” are not to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after a thorough visual inspection has been made.

I’m a new board member and am perhaps overly cautious from a liability and legal standpoint. We have agreed to put in a new play area in a specially gated section of property. What regulations would be involved with the installation of playground equipment involving basically a slide, swings, cargo netting, and a ramp? Thank you,

Emily B.

Hi Emily,

You would need to pull permits for the footings, which would have to be inspected by the City. They will want to see that the footings were dug properly and that the concrete is set. Also, they will check the pinning, if required.

All of the recommendations will be listed by the manufacturer. That said, the City will want to see that all is installed as they see fit.

Other items of interest to the City will be the flooring — whether it is the rubber matting, bark, sand, etc. Then, once a year, you’ll have to call out an independent contractor that will certify that the play area is still safe and in good working condition. There are several contractors in California that provide you with these annual certifications.

Hello Mr. Lamoureux,

Now that winter is just around the corner, are there any maintenance tips or anything you recommend to prepare your home for the rainy season? Thank you,

Michael S.

Hi Michael,

There are a number of things you can do in preparation of the rains.

You want to make sure that all of your gutters as well as your downspouts are thoroughly cleaned. The only way to be sure they are clean is to water test them.

What we recommend doing is to put a garden hose into the downspouts and flush out all of the leaves and debris. A clean downspout is just as important of having the gutters clean. During a rain, on a two story house, if the downspouts are backed up, there is enough water weight there to pull the spouts and the gutters off of your house.

If you’ve made any recent changes or improvements to your property, such as planting trees, adding a planter or flower bed or any concrete work, make sure everything is graded away from the house so you don’t get ponding and pooling.

Check that all of your area drains are clear. Remove the cover, clean out the leaves, and run a garden hose through them as far as you can.

You can also check caulking around your windows. If you need to caulk, use single stage urethane as opposed to silicone. The urethane has got better elasticity and a longer life for just pennies more on the dollar and is available in an array of colors.

A lot of people have sump pumps. To check them, turn it off and fill the vault with water. Plug it in and see if the discharge line is clear and if it is working. Depending on the size of the vault, you can use a sump pump or a sewage ejector that handles more GPM’s (gallons per minute.) Make sure the vault is cleared of any debris that could interfere with the float and clean the weep hole that could cause airlock.

Robert Lamoureux of IMS Construction, Valencia, CA, has 30 years experience as a Commercial, General, Electrical, and Plumbing contractor. The opinions expressed in “Ask the Expert” are not to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after a thorough visual inspection has been made.

I read your column all the time and enjoy it very much.

We’re putting an addition in on our home. I’m planning on doing all of the work myself. On the prints it says I can use plywood for the sheerwall or O5B. Are you familiar with this product? Thank you,

Jean M.

Hi Jean,

It says OSB, which is oriented strand board. It looks like plywood, which is made from wood fibers that are glued together. The OSB is a little cheaper than plywood, but it’s basically the same thing and is widely used for sheerwall applications.

Just make sure you follow all of the nailing patterns, and whether they want ring shank or screw downs.

Robert,

I have had nothing but problems with my plumbing pipes over the years. The HOA sent out a plumber, and he is going to spray an epoxy lining in the pipe. They have scheduled the work for Dec. 21 so I hope you can answer before that time. Thank you,

Sasha R.

Hi Sasha,

I’ve seen hundreds of these epoxy lined pipes over the years and my experience with them has been negative. In theory they work great. The insurance companies like it because it offers them a cheaper alternative to sawcutting the slab, which takes additional labor and concrete repair.

With the coating, they come in and spray this system and it works, but if and when you have another back up, you can’t use cutters on the cable because it will damage the liner.

In my opinion, the epoxy lining is a band-aid. It’s a waste of money and time. To do this job properly, they need to open that slab and replace the pipe. Depending on the age of your home, you might have galvanized.

If cutters are used, the insurance company will say that you destroyed the lining and now you own it. One suggestion would be to ask the insurance company what kind of allowance they are giving for that repair. Then ask if they will give you that money so you can make up the difference —do it right.

Robert,

I have a property that sits lower than my next door neighbor’s yard. I have a block wall that divides our yards but from their side, it is only chest high so they are looking right into our pool. Can I add a couple of rows of blocks on this wall? Is there anything else I need to know? Thank you very much,

Ron L.

[After a follow-up email, I found out Ron’s wall had 11 courses.]

Hi Ron,

Unfortunately the answer is no. Your footing is designed for up to 11 courses and the cap, and that’s it. It can’t handle more of a load than that. To rebuild it higher, it would have to be engineered, and the City probably would not allow it anyway.

You can, however, plant some shrubbery on your side of the wall that can grow up to eight feet high. It will require maintenance, but it will help with your privacy. Go to a nursery and look at their evergreen, year-round shrubbery. Some varieties grow in very dense. Many people look at this option as a living fence and prefer it to block.

Robert Lamoureux of IMS Construction, Valencia, CA, has 30 years experience as a Commercial, General, Electrical and Plumbing contractor. The opinions expressed in “Ask the Expert” are not to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after a thorough visual inspection has been made.

I remember you once had written about a way to install vinyl fencing to make it stronger. I’ve got a fence going up on my own private property so I’m not aware of any restrictions. I am in a stiff breeze area and will be putting in solid panels, and I don’t want it blowing over. Thank you,

Benny D.

Hi Benny,

The first step, before you break any ground, is to make sure you notify Dig Alert. By law, anyone that plans to dig even one inch deep, anytime earth is moved, must notify Dig Alert two working days in advance. Failure to do so could result in a $50,000 fine.

It’s your responsibility as a homeowner before you put a shovel to the ground that the utilities are notified. The various utility companies will then send out locators that will mark the approximate location of their lines but not the depth. Especially along the perimeter of a property, you do not want to sever any gas, water, cable, or telephone lines. I’ve seen some of these as shallow as one foot deep.

You would spray paint “USA” in white paint on the ground beforehand with arrows indicating where the fence will be located. Remember the utility guys will mark only an approximate location of the lines. You are responsible for 18” on either side of the mark, so you have to be very cautious. For example, if you have a yellow delineation running close to one of your post hole locations, indicating a gas line, be careful and slowly dig it out by hand. Sometimes just scraping a gas line with a shovel is enough to weaken and cause it to leak in the future.

Once the utilities have been marked, then you can dig the post holes. Depending on the length of the fence, you might want to rent a power auger for this step.

One thing you can do to really strengthen the fence would be to add a couple of pieces of steel in each of the post holes. Drive rebar into the ground about two or three feet with a mallet. Then come up 1/3 of the way with concrete and set your posts around the rebar. It’s going to take more than a stiff breeze to bring this fence down.

Hi Robert,

First time question, long time reader: I’ve got a block wall that is cracking out the concrete in between the blocks. It looks like stairs. The crack goes over, down, over, down, etc. This wall was just put in less than one year ago. What is this indicative of?

Marley E.

Hi Marley,

This is either a footing or compaction problem. The stair effect is movement caused by undermining below grade. Typically, when you see this type of damage to the mortar lines, it’s due to a cracked footing that is no longer supporting the weight of the wall. Or, it was poorly compacted when the wall was built.

There’s no way of knowing what will happen as time goes on. It may have finished settling or the damage could worsen. If the wall is less than a year old, I would have the contractor come back out and make it right.

Submit questions to: robert@imsconstruction.com.

Robert Lamoureux of IMS Construction, Valencia, CA, has 30 years experience as a Commercial, General, Electrical and Plumbing contractor. The opinions expressed in “Ask the Expert” are not to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after a thorough visual inspection has been made.