Cracks in wall - unsure about buying

[LaurenJ]

Hi,
I viewed a house today which fits the bill in every way but I am concerned about some cracks in 2 outer walls. Does anyone know these are likely to be indicating subsidence please? Thank you for any advice!

Sorry about the dodgy outlining!

Close up of one I'm most worried about, looks like a brick has been replaced?

Wider view of same area.

Cracks along the mortar and above the window

 

[KenGMac]

LaurenJ, good evening.

Note this appears to be your first post Welcome.

OK an almost vertical crack between ground and first floor window? Any indications of any sorts of cracking below the ground floor window?

Any internal cracks?

If we step back from the dreaded word "Subsidence" ? what is it? it is the vertical downward movement of the foundations, the images posted are all between ground and first floor in what appears to be a relatively modern property? about 10 years old???

Is the wall in question South facing?

From the images posted the cracking appears to be simply thermal movement, that is the elevation does not have a movement joint?? is the crack roughly central on the elevation??

if it were to be Subsidence then i would expect to see cracking from ground level, not between ground and first floor?

Sorry for all the questions

ken

 

[^woody^]

You need a structural appraisal from a suitably qualified surveyor or structural engineer - don't rely on a standard building survey though. There could be several possible causes for that type of cracking, and you wont get a diagnosis here.

Corresponding internal cracking would more concerning than just external cracking - which could be innocuous.

Many properties have cracks, and these can be fore several reasons, so don't automatically let a property go that is otherwise OK. Get a survey if you like the property.

 

[LaurenJ]

Hi, and thank you for the welcome

There were no cracks at all below the ground floor windows.

No internal cracks visible anywhere.

I think the property was built in 1995 ish, it could be a bit later though.

The wall with the waste pipe is roughly north easterly facing and the other one is south westerly.

The cracks are roughly central on the NE facing waste pipe wall and left of centre on the other SW facing wall.

Thank you so much for your help

 

[LaurenJ]

There were no visible cracks on the inside walls at all, and they were just painted right through, no wallpaper hiding anything!
We will definitely go for a full structural survey if we proceed, I really appreciate the advice, thank you so much!

 

[Doggit]

Not sure about the first one, but I suspect the 2nd one may well be a lintel issue, but as the house seems quite new, there should be one there.

 

[LaurenJ]

Thank you for that Doggit, new windows have been installed at some point in the last few years for sure (can see old ones on google maps).
The house was built around 1995.

 

[Doggit]

What were the old windows like. As Woody suggests - make sure you get a structural survey done.

 

[LaurenJ]

They looked like standard upvc windows.

I'm torn as the cracks have really put me off making an offer on an otherwise nice house in a good area, I just don't want to have an offer accepted and pay for an expensive structural survey if I should be walking away now, money is tight!

Would a structural surveyor be able to tell whether lintels were present or not?

 

[Doggit]

You can put in a offer subject to survey, and then if the surveyor finds issues, that lets you go back and renegotiate the price. And if they won't drop the price because of any issues, then all you've lost is the survey cost.

If you're in Scotland, and offer is binding, so you'd need to do the survey first.

What have the owners said about the cracks, as the first crack appears to have a new brick in it 4th course down.

 

[LaurenJ]

That does sound sensible but I'm so unsure of paying out the money for the survey as I know full structural ones aren't cheap! But like you say that would be the only money I'd lose if the report was bad or they wouldn't negotiate on price and I didn't proceed. The joys of being on a tight budget!

I'm in England so it is definitely an option.

I'm still waiting for the owners to get back to me about it, I've chased the estate agents and they have not had a reply yet.

Thank you for your help!

 

[^woody^]

You can see lintels in the picture.

Any property with cracks would normally need a structural appraisal. So as a buyer there will always be a cost. So don't think that if you walked away, you would not be potentially in this same situation at the next house.

Don't be put off by cracks. Buildings move, and cracking is common and more often than not, not an issue. But there are occasions when there is ongoing movement, as that's why a survey is needed to determine what's what.

 

[LaurenJ]

Thank you Woody, very wise words there, having opinions from people who know what they are talking about and are removed from the situation is invaluable and I'm immensely grateful to everyone on the thread who has taken time out of their day to help out a stranger Thank you all!