Cracked plaster ; leaking roof ?

[Pocster]

This valley has been an issue before . Water entering at the top of the stairs where property borders neighbor .

Been fixed ‘x ‘ times . Lucky if I go 18 months with no issue . Roof is only about 7 years old .

I assume a plaster crack like this is due to a leak ?

I can see discolouration due to water ingress - just fed up that no one seems capable of a permanent ( relatively ! ) fix !

Equally in same house the stack has continual issues . Roofs been stripped on the area ; no obvious leak . Stack has been complexly re rendered …

 

 

Edited July 31 by Pocster

[Nickfromwales]

That cracks looking like something worse than just the effects of a leak?! Is the rear an extension? 

[Mr Punter]

2 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

That cracks looking like something worse than just the effects of a leak?! Is the rear an extension? 

+1 it looks like the rear is parting company with the front.  Just keep an eye.  What is it like at the base and the other side?

[Pocster]

There is what I believe was an added later extension . 

6 minutes ago, Mr Punter said:

What is it like at the base and the other side?

Where do you mean exactly ? . This is top of 1st floor staircase - so can’t see ‘below’ that ( or do you mean under the stairs ??

[Pocster]

Even so - I don’t believe this crack is along the original rear of the house and an extension … A loft conversion was added about 7 yrs ago . I’ll get more photos of the house tomorrow 

[Nickfromwales]

There's a crack over the rear doorway too?

[Pocster]

13 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

There's a crack over the rear doorway too?

Yes . But we’ve had water ingress all along the side party wall . Is it not possible a leak causes settling of materials and the stress cracks the plaster ??? ( not allowed to say things like @Mr Punter said about house falling apart ) 

The roof valley is right above all this .

Edited July 31 by Pocster

[Eric]

I think the lampshade is the problem, it’s too heavy causing the cracking 😉

[Pocster]

10 minutes ago, Eric said:

I think the lampshade is the problem, it’s too heavy causing the cracking 😉

Thanks . I’ll change the shade - FIXED !

[Spinny]

Hopefully you don't live in the very east of Russia ?

Consider asking the spouse to sleep in the back bedroom ?

 

More seriously I notice damp/moisture meters are quite cheap on Amazon. Maybe buy one so you can check out the moisture levels in different parts of the walls.

There is probably someone that could do a drone survey of the roof valley ?

Have you filled and repaired the plaster in the past ? Any clues from the timing of when the cracking appeared - e.g. after prolonged wet period, after prolonged dry period, after putting your two mega-tonne anti-gravity device in the back bedroom etc.

Does the conjoined neighbour have a similar problem ?

 

Is that what used to be a quarter landing at the top of the stairs ? So the bottom of the crack is starting where the rear extension was added ? Do you know where the lintels were positioned for the rear extension ?

Edited July 31 by Spinny

[Pocster]

5 minutes ago, Spinny said:

Hopefully you don't live in the very east of Russia ?

Consider asking the spouse to sleep in the back bedroom ?

 

More seriously I notice damp/moisture meters are quite cheap on Amazon. Maybe buy one so you can check out the moisture levels in different parts of the walls.

There is probably someone that could do a drone survey of the roof valley ?

Have you filled and repaired the plaster in the past ? Any clues from the timing of when the cracking appeared - e.g. after prolonged wet period, after prolonged dry period, after putting your two mega-tonne anti-gravity device in the back bedroom etc.

Does the conjoined neighbour have a similar problem ?

I’ve asked the neighbour to take a look on their side .

We had a similar crack there before but not so prominent. It seemed to appear after water ingress . Roof leak was ( supposedly) fixed . I left it for a year to make sure dried out 😊.

Decided time to get that bit redecorated. Was done about 3 weeks ago .

Here we are again though .

Tenanted property but believe no anti gravity devices present .

[ToughButterCup]

The fundamental problem is that it involves a relatively inaccessible area. One that costs money merely to observe. 

 

It's a bullet biter @Pocster. 

 

You know what to do.

[Pocster]

17 minutes ago, ToughButterCup said:

You know what to do.

I don’t 

[Iceverge]

Outside pics please. 

 

Something tells me this is a "bottom up issue rather than a "top down".

 

Is there bad guttering or drains eroding under the foundations?

[Pocster]

10 minutes ago, Iceverge said:

Outside pics please. 

 

Something tells me this is a "bottom up issue rather than a "top down".

 

Is there bad guttering or drains eroding under the foundations?

No cracks on the ground floor anywhere .

photos to follow 

[Pocster]

A roofer has confirmed the crack is structural. But the assumption is apart from the roof leak some movement may have occurred . Talking to some neighbors all appear to experience something similar . Houses are 1890 - so typical perhaps ?

£500 gets me scaffolding up ; then roofer can giggle as he quotes for the work once investigated 

Edited August 1 by Pocster

[Pocster]

[Pocster]

[Pocster]

[Pocster]

Crack width max 2 or 3mm ( no @Onoff rude boy comments )

Edited August 1 by Pocster

[SteamyTea]

On 31/07/2025 at 16:29, Pocster said:

seemed to appear after water ingress

Water is a lubricant, so not unusual to get extra movement when wet.

Why landslips and some earthquakes happen after heavy rainfall.

On 31/07/2025 at 16:21, Spinny said:

Consider asking the spouse to sleep in the back bedroom

She normally tries to sleep in mine.

[Iceverge]

 

Where do these pipes go and why are these slabs lower? 

 

A miss directed pipe might wash out the fines under a foundation faster than you think.

[Pocster]

6 minutes ago, Iceverge said:

 

Where do these pipes go and why are these slabs lower? 

 

A miss directed pipe might wash out the fines under a foundation faster than you think.

Kitchen sink waste and boiler overflow 

Both go straight into the drain 

Edited August 3 by Pocster

[FuerteStu]

Sorry mate, but in my experience, cracks diagonally from doorways are a giant red flag. 

 

Water ingress is because of cracks you haven't found yet.. Not the cause of the ones you have. 

[Iceverge]

I'm out of ideas. 

 

Polyfilla?;