Use the Same Route
Walk the building in the same direction each time so no wall, chimney or foundation area is forgotten.
Homeowner Inspection Guide
A good masonry inspection is less about finding every flaw and more about spotting change, water and movement early.
Most homeowners can learn a lot from a careful visual walkaround. You do not need to diagnose the repair. You need to notice what has changed, where water is going, whether masonry is becoming loose or displaced, and which areas deserve a closer professional look.
This checklist is designed for brick, stone, chimneys, foundations and other exterior masonry. It works best when you take photos and compare the same locations over time.
Inspection principle: Do not photograph only the crack. Include the window, wall area and surrounding masonry. The pattern around the defect often tells more than the close-up alone.
Look for four things: water, movement, material loss and change over time.
What Needs Attention?
Before You Start
Make the inspection repeatable.
A five-minute photo record can become much more valuable a year later when you are trying to decide whether something has actually moved.
Take Wide + Close Photos
A close-up records the damage. A wide photo records the context and the nearby water, support or movement conditions.
Record the Date
Keep the inspection in one phone album or folder. Seasonal comparison is much easier when the photos are dated and organized.
Inspect When Dry
Dry masonry makes staining, salt deposits, cracks and colour differences easier to compare accurately.
Look After Weather Events
Strong wind, heavy rain, rapid snowmelt and freeze-thaw swings can reveal problems that are less obvious during stable weather.
Stay on the Ground
Use binoculars or zoom photos for high masonry. Roofs, ladders and unstable masonry introduce safety risks beyond the purpose of a homeowner walkaround.
Stop 1: Chimney
Start high because chimney problems often begin where weather exposure is greatest.
□Check whether the chimney is leaning or visibly out of plumb
□Look for missing, open or deeply eroded mortar joints
□Look for spalled, fractured or loose brick or stone
□Inspect the crown or wash for cracking and poor slope
□Look for damaged or missing caps where visible
□Check flashing and counterflashing for open edges or obvious defects
□Note white salts, dark wet areas or vegetation growth
Why the top matters: Chimney crowns, caps and upper joints receive direct rain, snow and freeze-thaw exposure. Deterioration here can feed moisture into otherwise sound masonry below.
Surface loss is evidence. Note whether deterioration is isolated or concentrated below a sill, downspout, roof edge or another water source.
Stop 2: Brick & Stone Walls
Scan the whole elevation before focusing on individual units.
□Look for bulging, bowing or areas that do not align with the wall plane
□Note stepped, vertical or horizontal crack patterns
□Check for loose, spalled, flaking or fractured masonry units
□Look for patches of unusual staining or persistent dampness
□Compare repaired areas with nearby original masonry for recurring movement
□Look for rust staining around lintels, anchors or other metal
Stop 3: Mortar Joints
Ask how deep the deterioration goes and whether the masonry units remain stable.
□Look for joints eroded noticeably deeper than surrounding work
□Check for cracks that continue through several joints
□Note mortar that is powdering, washing out or separating from unit edges
□Look for very hard previous repairs beside softer older masonry
□Check whether repeated patching has reopened along the same line
Shallow mortar weathering can be routine maintenance. Deep loss, loose units, recurring cracks or deterioration extending far into a thick wall may indicate that repointing alone is not enough.
Read the mortar compatibility guide →
What to document: Take the photo from an angle that shows joint depth. Straight-on photos can make deep erosion look much less significant.
Stop 4: Windows, Doors & Openings
Openings concentrate movement, support and water-management details.
□Check cracks beginning at window or door corners
□Look for rusting or displacement at steel lintels
□Inspect sill joints and whether sills slope outward
□Look for failed perimeter sealant where flexible joints are intended
□Check for water staining below openings
□In veneer walls, note weeps above openings and whether they appear blocked
Opening-related cracks: Their direction and whether they return after repair can be more informative than their width at a single moment.
Older foundations: Surface condition is only part of the picture. Deep voiding, loose stone or internal loss can matter more than a neat exterior parge coat.
Stop 5: Foundation
Check the masonry and the ground conditions around it.
□Look for bulging, displaced or loose stone or block
□Check for long horizontal or stepped cracks
□Note deep mortar loss or open voids in old stonework
□Look for chronic dampness, salts or peeling coatings
□Check whether soil or hardscape slopes toward the building
□Look for downspouts discharging beside the foundation
Stop 6: Roof Water & Grade
Many masonry problems are actually water-delivery problems.
□Confirm gutters are not overflowing onto masonry
□Check downspouts and extensions for discharge away from the wall
□Look for splashback staining near grade
□Check whether soil, decks or paving trap water against masonry
□Look at roof-to-wall and chimney flashing intersections
□Note snow-storage areas or de-icing salt exposure beside masonry
Correcting a concentrated water source can sometimes do more for masonry durability than repairing the same deteriorated joint over and over.
Easy inspection win: Roof runoff is visible and correctable. If a downspout repeatedly saturates one foundation corner, fixing that water source belongs in the repair plan.
Stop 7: Horizontal Masonry Surfaces
Water sits on tops, ledges, sills and caps before it enters the wall below.
□Check chimney crowns and wall caps for cracks
□Look for stone or concrete sills that hold water instead of shedding it
□Inspect joints between cap units
□Look for missing drip edges or overhang where the detail should shed water
□Note freeze-thaw damage concentrated immediately below horizontal surfaces
Water enters from above too. If deterioration is strongest immediately below a crown, cap or sill, inspect the horizontal surface before treating only the masonry below it.
Simple Triage
Not every defect has the same urgency.
The purpose of homeowner inspection is to decide what can be monitored, what should be scheduled and what deserves faster assessment.
Monitor
Conditions that are stable and not obviously allowing water or movement.
•Minor surface weathering
•Small old crack with no visible change
•Light isolated efflorescence after a known wet event
•Cosmetic colour variation
Plan a Repair
Conditions that are progressing or allowing water to continue working on the masonry.
•Deep mortar-joint erosion
•Recurring water staining
•Localized spalling or failed units
•Failed crown, flashing or sill joints
Assess Promptly
Conditions where stability, falling material or active movement may be involved.
•Loose masonry overhead
•Bulging or visibly displaced wall sections
•Rapidly widening cracks
•Major chimney lean or movement
Track Change, Don't Guess
A dated photograph is often more useful than trying to remember whether the crack was there last year.
Take the same wide and close photographs at each inspection. If you are tracking a specific crack, include a ruler or another consistent scale in the frame without inserting anything into the crack.
A single photo cannot tell you whether movement is active. A sequence of photos taken from similar positions can.
If a condition changes quickly or becomes associated with bulging, loose material, water entry or structural distortion, move from monitoring to assessment.
Useful photo sequence
1Whole wall or chimney
2Medium view showing nearby opening, grade or roof detail
3Close-up of the damage
4Repeat from the same position next season
What This Checklist Cannot Tell You
A visual walkaround is screening, not a structural diagnosis.
Hidden wall ties, concealed flashing, interior wythes, foundation depth, structural bearing and subsurface drainage cannot always be assessed from the exterior face.
Some conditions require selective openings, moisture investigation, chimney inspection, engineering or other specialized assessment.
The checklist is useful because it helps you recognize when the visible condition is stable and when the pattern suggests there may be more happening behind it.
Move beyond visual inspection when you see:
!Active or accelerating movement
!Loose overhead masonry
!Recurring interior water entry
!Bulging or separated wall faces
!Major changes at structural openings or bearing points
Atlantic Canada Context
Spring and fall are especially useful inspection times in cold, wet climates.
Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick combine wind-driven rain, wet shoulder seasons, snowmelt and repeated freeze-thaw cycling. Those conditions make seasonal comparison particularly useful.
A spring inspection can reveal damage that developed while masonry was wet and freezing through winter. A fall inspection is useful for finding water entry points before the next freeze-thaw season begins.
The checklist works anywhere, but Atlantic Canadian conditions make the annual inspection cycle especially relevant to older brick, stone, chimneys and foundations.
Spring comparison: Surface loss that was not present the previous fall is useful evidence that winter exposure changed the masonry.
Technical References
The inspection approach follows established masonry-maintenance principles: control water, track change and repair compatible materials.
National Park Service preservation guidance emphasizes regular maintenance, identifying moisture sources and correcting roofs, gutters, downspouts, flashing, cracks and open mortar joints before deterioration becomes more extensive.
NRC Canada research on freeze-thaw and rain penetration explains why saturation and repeated wetting are central to many masonry failures in cold climates.
Brick Industry Association technical guidance similarly treats drainage, flashing, mortar condition, movement and proper detailing as core parts of masonry performance rather than isolated cosmetic issues.
NPS Preservation Brief 39: Controlling Unwanted Moisture →
About This Guide
Prepared by Dean MacArthur, DinoMac Masonry Ltd.
Dean is a third-generation mason with more than 20 years of hands-on experience working with brick, natural stone, chimneys, foundations, repointing and masonry restoration in Prince Edward Island. The Learning Centre uses that field experience to explain masonry problems that are also common across Atlantic Canada and other cold, wet climates.
Last reviewed: August 26, 2026
Masonry Inspection FAQ
Common homeowner questions.
How often should I inspect exterior masonry?
Once or twice a year is a useful baseline, especially after winter and after major wind or rain events.
Which cracks deserve closer attention?
New or widening cracks, stepped patterns, cracks associated with bulging, and cracks that repeatedly reopen after repair.
Is crumbling mortar always urgent?
No. Depth, location, progression, loose masonry and water entry determine whether it is routine maintenance or a more significant repair.
What photos should I take?
A wide view, a medium context view and a close-up. Include nearby water sources, openings, roof details or grade whenever possible.
Related DinoMac Guides
Use the checklist to identify the problem, then move into the specific guide.
Found Something During Your Walkaround?
Send the wide photo first.
Include one photo showing the whole wall, chimney or foundation area, then add close-ups of the defect and nearby water or structural details. For DinoMac service work, include the PEI property location.