Start with conditions, not a product
A crack that widens in summer and closes up by winter is doing exactly what Piedmont red clay does around Athens -- and because granite bedrock sits at wildly different depths from lot to lot, the same crack pattern can mean two different things on two different properties.
Build a complete scope
- What was measured, and whether the movement is seasonal or one-directional
- Whether the crack follows an addition seam rather than the original structure
- How red clay holding water against the footing is being addressed
- The repair chosen, with the rejected alternatives named
- Access, restoration afterward, and the terms and limits of the warranty
Athens context
An Athens crack shows up in very different housing depending on the neighborhood -- a historic in-town home, a student rental, a mid-century house, or new suburban construction. Rolling red-clay terrain, mature trees, humid weather, and a long history of additions affect all of them, just not equally.