Brick Fireplace Footing Depths: What Fails First

Concrete footing with steel rebar prepared to support the weight of a brick fireplace and other heavy masonry features

A brick fireplace feels solid and permanent. It looks like something that should last forever. However, in Huntsville, many fireplace problems do not start in the brick at all. Instead, they begin below the floor, hidden in the soil. When footing depth does not match local ground conditions, small shifts slowly turn into visible damage. […]