Italian Mason wrote:

This was compounded
by the previous owners not watering the foundation during the hottest
periods.
Hmmmm....... watering the foundation hu?.......thats a new one to me.
Id like to here more on this practice...

Very common in areas with expansive clay soils. There idea is to keep
the clay soil at a consistent hydration level which translates to a
consistent expansion level and avoids the cycling of expansion due to
varying hydration. This cycling is what causes the compaction and loss
of contact with and support to the foundation, resulting in the settling
and cracking issues.

Regions of the country that don't have expansive clay soils have never
heard of this of course.

Pete C.