Jayr Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 Hello all, We are half way through buying a semi detached house (I think it’s from the '80s) and wondering if the cracks I can see are anything serious and I should be concerned. The main crack starts from the top right corner of patio door and then runs on the side wall towards the first floor landing window. There is another issue I can see at low level brickwork where bricks depths are different. This is also in the back wall (corner, next to patio door) There are no cracks inside the house or anything that would look like the seller tried to hide things (walls are not recently painted etc). I got in touch with two surveyors and was told that they will highlight the issue and only list possible reasons (will not be able to confirm in 100%). So not sure if worth getting a SE. I also received couple of sample level 2 and 3 reports from them and the notes in the reports related to similar cracks are to ‘repoint it and keep an eye on it’. I’m not an expert but it sounds vague. As I have zero understanding about it, I would really appreciate any help. Thank you J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Jones Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 put a spirit level on it. Haqrd to tell from the photo but the patio door doesnt look to have a lintle. Appears the corner is pushed out/sinking though. Definitely get it inspected by someone with an insurance policy you can claim on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell griffiths Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 I’ve bought all sorts of crap over the years, but that one would worry me slightly to the point of putting things on hold for a minute. That needs more investigation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayr Posted June 28 Author Share Posted June 28 (edited) 3 hours ago, Dave Jones said: put a spirit level on it. Haqrd to tell from the photo but the patio door doesnt look to have a lintle. Appears the corner is pushed out/sinking though. Definitely get it inspected by someone with an insurance policy you can claim on. thanks Dave. There is definitely a level difference to brickwork. I think upper brickwork is approx. 5mm out in the worst areas. I imagine subsidence in the walls corner would cause more cracks elsewhere at low level at least, but there are no more cracks visible anywhere else. You may be right re missing lintel as I can't see it. Wouldn't the brickwork crack above the door is lintel was missing? Below long shot photo shows all brickwork seem to look straight throughout the back wall. I noted pointing was possibly changed as neighbour's is different. Wall corner is facing West so I presume the greenish colour change will be related to rain. Who would you get to inspect this? I showed the photos to two surveyors and asked if this would be precisely diagnosed in level 3 survey but was told they would only be able to guesstimate. Edited June 28 by Jayr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Jones Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 something like these guys https://www.geobear.co.uk/subsidence-surveys/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayr Posted June 28 Author Share Posted June 28 (edited) 3 hours ago, Dave Jones said: something like these guys https://www.geobear.co.uk/subsidence-surveys/ Thanks Dave. Just going through and it sounds like it would require a proper investigation, drilling etc works. Don’t think the seller will agree to this. I asked the agent to check with the seller and they tell me all windows and patio door were replaced in approx. 2003 by previous owner. They are unsure if patio door was initially a single door and then changed to these double, sliding doors. Seller also says she hasn’t noticed any cracks however, hasn’t lived there for around 5 years. Sounds like this was a rental property. moisture meter in the corner shows 15% (low as per the table at the back of the meter) Edited June 28 by Jayr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Jones Posted June 30 Share Posted June 30 would need to be very cheap with the risk i think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted June 30 Share Posted June 30 Ehhh brickwork cracks. I'd suspect leaking or broken drains being the most probable cause. Check them, repoint, maybe crack stitching and crack monitoring should be enough. You'll never be able to eliminate the worse case causes from visual inspection alone but they are unlikely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayr Posted June 30 Author Share Posted June 30 34 minutes ago, Dave Jones said: would need to be very cheap with the risk i think. sorry, I didn't get that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayr Posted June 30 Author Share Posted June 30 8 minutes ago, George said: Ehhh brickwork cracks. I'd suspect leaking or broken drains being the most probable cause. Check them, repoint, maybe crack stitching and crack monitoring should be enough. You'll never be able to eliminate the worse case causes from visual inspection alone but they are unlikely. thanks George. Drains inside seem fine. I'm guessing the main one is outside in that corner (main stack terminates in this corner). Perhaps not 100% clear. But again, no smells etc that would indicate any obvious issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Jones Posted June 30 Share Posted June 30 35 minutes ago, Jayr said: sorry, I didn't get that purchase price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayr Posted June 30 Author Share Posted June 30 3 minutes ago, Dave Jones said: purchase price oh got it now. No, the price seems to be slightly above what these go for here. I agreed to this because the house is in very good condition overall and has some extra features, garage etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now