Our stick built home with brick veneer was built in 1983. We purchased it in 1994. At the time of purchase, we had it inspected and no major problems were identified.
However, about three years ago I noticed the caulk lines around the windows and doors on the back and one side of my house beginning to crack. The space between the steel header and top of the window frames began to widen. On the rear of the house the siding has pulled away to such an extent the back edge of the brick is now visible "in front" of the brick molding. (In other words the brick has pulled out so much that the brick molding no longer conceals the space between the framing and the back side of the brick. As mentioned, the window frames have dropped. On a few windows I have a 1" space between the top of the window frame and the underside of the steel header. If I shine a light into this space... it appears the space between the wood framing of the house and the back of the brick veener is about 1 1/4 inches. I'm afraid all the siding on the backside of my house is all going to come crashing down in one gigantic failure.
Obviously I'm sure I'm not the first brick veneer home owner to be faced with such a problem. However, I have no idea what the fix is. I've inspected the foundation inside and out and don't see any cracks, so I'm not sure if its a foundation failure or an inadequate brick sill.
In searching the Internet for an answer I read on some "Home Inspectors" site that inspectors should "examine brick veneer for evidence of pulling away and to verify that the brick veneer has an adequate sill."
Unfortunately I found nothing that told me if I'm screwed, if my house is going to fall down, or if the problem can be solved/repaired? Is it possbile to "move" the siding back in place and re-attach it? Can anyone with experience shed some light on this. Identify my options... Point me in the right direction... Thanks Don