[greeneyes]

I don’t really worry about it too much. Now and then I notice a crack in the brick right where about where the basement meets the upstairs, and wonder if we should put some mortar In the qtr inch by 1 inch space or not.

I figure I only have 15 years left, if my family medical history stays the same as the last 4 generations. So it will likely last long enough for me.

The footings were more than most of the other houses, since we did the plans etc. ourselves. The other houses haven’t really had major breakdowns, and some were built 10 years before we built ours.

[familyop]

"Now and then I notice a crack in the brick right where about where the basement meets the upstairs,..."

That might not be a soil or seismic problem. It might be caused by differences in expansion and contraction rates and extents between different materials (examples, between concrete and wood or between poured concrete and blocks due to porosity differences). It might not be a serious structural problem. It might only be brick ties on a wall of one material pulling against brick ties on a wall of another material. I could even be caused by seasonal differences in temperature between one wall and another under the brick veneer.

"...and wonder if we should put some mortar In the qtr inch by 1 inch space or not."

Whenever you need to have it looking prettier, that will work.