Hi all, I am looking to buy a house which has not been lived in for last 35years at least.

There are some cracks but these are the worrying one for me. I know I need to get structural survey but what are your thoughts. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

The top of the door frame crack is in bedroom three (wall shared with landing).

The crack on the side of door frame is on upstairs WC wall.

Please could you also specify which crack is more concerning.

Thanks

Edited Thursday at 23:461 day by Zak S
Typo

If there are no cracks evident outside it may be no issue. Make sure your structural survey look at these.

I'd look hardest at the last 2, as they show a step-crack on brick. The earlier ones seem to be due to a change of substrate.

7 hours ago, Redbeard said:

I'd look hardest at the last 2, as they show a step-crack on brick. The earlier ones seem to be due to a change of substrate.

This is from distance before the bricks were expised. Could this be simply lintel failure. Can't see the same crack going down to the ground floor so that reduces the risk of it being subsidence.

I am assuming lintel failure is relatively easier fix than subsidence. Please correct me if I am wrong?

Just for context this is where the crack is located circled in red (so it's an internal wall).

Which way does the ridge run - front to back or L-R? If L-R you could maybe have purlins bearing on those 2 walls above the bedroom ceilings. We need more pics.

1 hour ago, Redbeard said:

Which way does the ridge run - front to back or L-R? If L-R you could maybe have purlins bearing on those 2 walls above the bedroom ceilings. We need more pics.

Does this help? Unfortunately I don't have any more photos and the ridge seems to be combination of both L-R and Front to Back. It's just at that junction. The cracks are above both bedrooms doors IE Bedroom 3 and Bedroom 1. 4th picture on original post was bedroom 1 and 5th picture bedroom 3. These wall seems to be alongside the L-R ridge. What does this mean if its a load bearing wall? Are we saying this is not just lintel failure IE this is more and fix will be lot more costly? Any idea of complexity or scale would be good. Thanks.

Edited 18 hours ago18 hr by Zak S

Based on the info so far and the pictures I don't think any of us could advise much further. Now I see it's a hip it seems somewhere between feasible and very likely that that internal wall is carrying some - but we do not know how much - of the roof load.

@Gus Potter and @saveasteading are probably the ones to opine, but I am sure they will need more info. I think you would have posted pics inside the roof void if you had them, as they will help 'tell the story'.

9 minutes ago, Redbeard said:

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@Gus Potter and @saveasteading are probably the ones to opine,

Of course, as you are aware, it needs expert site inspection.

But my immediate thought is that it looks worse than it is.

Ignore the plaster and look at the brickwork. The cracks are small.... can you slide a pound coin in? Just about, I guess.

So yes it needs remedial work and may continue to move.

That presumably is reflected in the price and many people will walk away.

The tree proximity is worth a look.

BUT it's my sort of buy at the right (low) price.* You must get expert advice. I'd advise asking a local SE (likely a small practice) for an informal walk round with you at this stage. A fee of course but they can quickly say doable, walk away, risk level, or it needs £xk work. In writing will cost much more and can be later.

• It's not just the obvious cost but you have risk, lots of disruption, nowhere to live for a while.

Do you have a price in mind? I'd think you are looking at 30k to 50k for structural remedials excluding plaster, rot decor, and 5k for the SE.

Ask the agent if you are wasting your time thinking of offering ..... you decide.

3 hours ago, saveasteading said:

Of course, as you are aware, it needs expert site inspection.

But my immediate thought is that it looks worse than it is.

Ignore the plaster and look at the brickwork. The cracks are small.... can you slide a pound coin in? Just about, I guess.

So yes it needs remedial work and may continue to move.

That presumably is reflected in the price and many people will walk away.

The tree proximity is worth a look.

BUT it's my sort of buy at the right (low) price.* You must get expert advice. I'd advise asking a local SE (likely a small practice) for an informal walk round with you at this stage. A fee of course but they can quickly say doable, walk away, risk level, or it needs £xk work. In writing will cost much more and can be later.

• It's not just the obvious cost but you have risk, lots of disruption, nowhere to live for a while.

Do you have a price in mind? I'd think you are looking at 30k to 50k for structural remedials excluding plaster, rot decor, and 5k for the SE.

Ask the agent if you are wasting your time thinking of offering ..... you decide.

Thanks. That's significant sum for the structural work and make the project unfeasible. With guide price 190k but expected to go to £230+ given the interest. Market value as refurbished project £450-475k without extension, I allocate 80-100k for refurbish. With structural work that would go to 130-150 even without extension leaving around 50-60k as pre tax profit after taking account to stamp duty etc. Hardly worth doing as a project. What do you think. Do the numbers seems reasonable? By the way what could involve in structural work which would result in outlay of 30-50k.

I too am being cautious so that you don't buy a liability.

A builder might simply fill the cracks, decorate and sell.

You could do the same or live with any future issues.

Cost?.... just building work and all diy.

It's not appropriate to be more specific.

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by saveasteading

Few pictures from outside. My first thought was that from outside it seems not bad. Would you agree. Any cracks are minor but I am no expert on types of cracks and what's below the render, no one knows.

Some additional pictures incl ground floor.