Any advice on the best way to repair this? Or is this indicative of a larger problem? Trying to figure out where to start.

FOLLOWING. I have a spot like this as well.

Most likely a foundation shifting issue.

Make sure your foundation is watered regularly (daily).

You can buy some ready made concrete in a caulk gun container for easy application.

More pictures please, especially from the sides pushing toward this side?
Floor Plans always help best but hard to find/create ... sigh

BQAg09 said:

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Any advice on the best way to repair this? Or is this indicative of a larger problem? Trying to figure out where to start.

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Just looking at that pic, I would assume the worst, i.e. foundation shift. If you look closely it appears that there are a few spots that had patchwork mortar reapplied at some point. Look at the inside color differences where there may be other spots that moved previously. I am guessing you are not the original owner. If you are not, you could go back and look at the disclosure statement to see if the previous owner disclosed the issue, if not there could be some legal action warranted depending on the cost of repairs.

Wow, some really bad advice from folks based on one limited picture - bad foundation, water too much and lawyer up!!

Honestly, by itself, that picture does not give enough information to make any kind of professional judgement on what is going on with your house. All you can say is what you see - the very top brick has shifted/has come loose and those short pieces of frieze board have shifted. Neither of those are definitive signs of abnormal foundation performance by themselves. Either way you don't need to water your foundation every day in December (or even July). Yes, you need to keep the moisture at the foundation consistent, but everyday is a bad idea.

The mortar crack is not enough and the the frieze board pieces there are too short to be dependable indicators.

That looks like a rear patio? Look closely at the brick moving to both sides of the area pictured. Look for tapered cracks. Usually these will present around windows either as step cracks below the window sills or as tapered cracks going up the seam between the window frame and the brick. Sometimes they will show up in an expansion joint. Look at the corner frieze board connections at corners where the board is longer. At least 6 feet on each side.

If you find anything outside look inside in that area. Again look for tapered cracks. Usually they will present at window or door corners or perpendicular walls. Doors sticking or being out of square are an indicator, but usually these least reliable since doors can be poorly secured and shift on their own.

Again there isn't enough information give. To make a professional judgement, but based on the picture, I wouldn't be that worried. For the record I have 30 years experience as an inspector, realtor, contractor, etc. if you do see additional cracks like I described you could have one of the honest foundation companies come look (usually free) or pay an engineer of inspector. Feel free to reach out directly for more information or with more pictures/questions.

Better raze to the ground and start over.

I agree my mention of legal action is a bit presumptuous, but many people are not aware of the Real Estate laws that may offer them protection in a recent home purchase. I.e. if the previous owner did not disclose a foundation problem and was just passing on the cost to the new owner, if/when discovered.

I also agree it was just one small sample and could be poor workmanship on the freeze board, but if you look closely just in the pic provided there are several indicators that it is more involved, I.e. what appears as different mortar colors indicating repairs in multiple places, several superficial cracks in mortar elsewhere, freeze board gaps, etc.

Either way, I would have a professional come look at it because I am not a foundation expert and I know that bad news does not get better with time.

Also, depending on where you live, there are foundation evaluations that can be had for free depending on the company. I have had several done over my 35+ years of homeownership, and have had many come out and say no issues, or if there were issues I had to pay for the actual detailed report or it was free if I went with that vendor to do the repair.