Specify and install crack-stitching repair using stainless steel helical bars for stabilizing cracked but non-collapsing masonry walls

Steps

1. Confirm crack stitching is the appropriate repair only after a structural cause assessment shows the crack is due to bearable differential movement being restrained, not an active/unresolved foundation or structural failure requiring a different intervention (e.g., underpinning or helical piers at the foundation)
2. Select a stainless steel helical bar/crack-stitching system per manufacturer design tables, sizing bar diameter, embedment length, and spacing to the wall thickness and crack severity
3. Cut horizontal slots into the bed joints extending well beyond each side of the crack (commonly on the order of 400-600 mm past the crack per manufacturer literature, verify against the specific product's design guide) at vertically staggered joint intervals
4. Clean slots of dust and debris, then bed the helical bar in a manufacturer-specified polymer-modified, non-shrink cementitious grout or resin, ensuring full encapsulation of the bar
5. Point the slot flush with a mortar matching the surrounding joint so the repair is visually concealed
6. Re-monitor the stitched crack over subsequent seasons to confirm the repair has stabilized movement, and note that crack stitching reinforces existing masonry but does not correct an unresolved foundation or structural cause