Bri44

Why are they used if prone to cracking? There must be a reason they crack, ie movement, subsidence.

Yes I`m thinking of having my own structural survey. This is one of many issues. Had the roof replaced twice already. It` not the dream home i thought i was buying.

Here shows the horizontal cracks marked in red. Take no notice of wonky red line, it should be straight. The red line shows the path of the 18 ft plus crack.

In this picture you can see that the cracks have been cut out horizontally from the 18ft crack. The top horizontal crack is above the one you can see, level with the next level of scaffold boards. I have marked in blue the horizonal cracks.

Thanks for the reply Gus. Every now and again two internal doors swing open or swing closed if that makes sense. The side gate attached to the house right under the 18 foot crack drops down so hinge side nearest house is higher than the opposite side with bolt. I have to adjust bolt so that it fits. Here are some pictures of the house. First one is where i have marked cracks. You can see the 18 ft crack with 4ft crack underneath. The 4ft crack now meets the 18ft crack.

I can`t see if it is on the inside due to plasterboard and wall paper. The biggest crack that has been cut out is 18 foot long and extends a further 15 down as a hair line crack in render so the blockwork is most likely cracked behind it. There are numerous other cracks mainly at window corners. They have cracked blockwork too. This cant be from drying out as its 7 years old.

If you look at pictures in the first post you can see the cracks go right through the blockwork and mortar and through the render which is why it was cut out. This is a different wall to the one with the 40mm mortar. Why would they make the gaps that wide? I`m on clay ground.

The house is 7 years old. It was a show house. I bought it from the developer Feb 2017. It has an LABC warranty. Would the mortar not cause structural issues regarding the strength etc? It is recommended that mortar joints should be no more than 10mm. I`ll see what their engineer says and look at getting my own.

I got the levels lowered to the correct ones January 2020. Just under 2 years it has taken from when I complained.

Hi all. I`m having render repairs done and have noticed that the mortar between an exposed block is 40mm wide. If it`s like this up the whole elevation what are the possible issues? The other side of the house are 10mm but there are cracks in the blockwork. One vertical crack is 18 foot long and getting longer. Waiting on the developer sending a structural engineer. Any advice appreciated.

Still waiting on a schedule of works to explain what the suggested works will involve before I can make a decision to go ahead or not. Developer writes to me a few weeks back saying.... As you are not allowing access for the works to commence, we take this as you don`t want the work/repairs to be carried out. They were trying to put the blame on me for delaying or preventing work. I`ve told them I`m waiting on a schedule of works which I`ve requested 10 times. In total they have sent 5 different contractors out, yet can`t send this schedule to me. Waiting on another arriving today for his opinion. Will they give an honest opinion on what needs to be done or will they quote what the developer wants as a cheap fix. The boards under the grass have failed in 2 more places, my foot went straight through. Once I receive a schedule of works i will decide what needs to be done.

Lead before the first repair, this was not long after site manager had said they replaced the lead. I`ve had a nightmare with this company and it is ongoing.

I totally agree with you. They are forcing me to resort to having my own surveys etc which will all cost me quite a bit, and then they will still deny liability. It is their customer services who will deny everything, then their management backs them up. Some of the rubbish they spew at me in emails is laughable. My roof leaked the first day I moved in, site manager said it was because the lead was being replaced which was a lie. It then leaked in three places which made them investigate and fix. I climbed up the scaffold and took pictures after the fix, water pooling on the roof still, tiles sticking out and rattling in the wind. The developer saying it's fine even though they never inspected the work, then I got LABC involved who said water pooling is a fault. Next roofer said the first one did a bad job and it all needs ripped off and done correctly. If I had not climbed up, took pictures and videos, I`d be none the wiser until it leaked again. This is the hole in the roof that was simply tiled over when I bought the house. This is after first rookers removed tiles. This what the roof looked like before the first repair. This is the water pooling up after the first repair, the roof was lower than the exit point by an inch and a half for the drainpipes so the water had nowhere to go and they said it`s not a fault.

@Mr Punter They don`t want to know. As far as they are concerned the deck is not their problem, they just have to prevent it from causing damp which is why they think cutting it back by 150mm will solve it.

Oops, stupid phone changing my text. Apologies Onoff

Thanks Omar, I will try but I'm with LABC

Mr Punter. What would you say is the fix? would simply cutting the deck back by 150mm prevent damp and meet with building regulations, plus not be a hazard because of said 150mm gap it will create.

I think you are correct.

I have written to the directors, they just pass it back to the regional director who fobbed me off. Once I`m armed with a full report, I`ll take them on.

Thanks, I`ll sort one out.

So is it a chartered surveyor, structural surveyor or home snagging company I need? I don`t want to have to pay separate companies etc,

Yea I will have to, more money to fork out. It is depressing. I had already told my story in the local paper 18 months ago, they gave a bs reply saying they are fixing faults. I went on local BBC radio, they declined to comment. I think I`ll build a website detailing every single thing and I expect after a survey, I`ll find more issues.

I agree, but they will try the old Sold as seen on me, just like saying me reporting my foot going through is out of the 2 year warranty, it is just excuse and lies from them. They just simply want to cut it back by 150mm but have not said what they will do with the spars attached to house etc.

So I have asked the developer at least 10 times to explain what this means via a detailed schedule of works which they have not provided. All they send is this saying as per LABC recommendation. I`ve asked where the water will drain to as there are no drains there, I get, it is free draining gravel. It is like talking to a Potatoe. A simple ground work solution to resolve the problem could be to; 1. Cut back the various external ground finishes at least 150mm back from the face of the external elevations. 2. Excavate the 150mm wide trench to a depth of 300mm from the level of the DPC. 3. Form the edges of the trench. 4. Back fill the 300mm deep trench with 150mm free draining gravel. 5. Level the upper 150mm of the trench clear to maintain the 150mm clearance of the DPC.

Thanks, it is looking like this is my only option now. What do you make of LABC saying a fix "could be" The developer are using that saying this is the repair LABC have recommended even though it is only a suggestion and they aren`t allowed an opinion on it anyway. I have that in an email from them.