Massive crack in wall above window frame

[redrabbit]

I have a town house style property. The easiest way to describe it is - it's a 2 floored maisonette with a flat underneath.

In the living room - one floor up from ground level there is a crack above the window.

This is the external type wall so I'm a bit worried about what it is.

I own the house but it's leasehold and includes buildings insurance - so I called the council run department who after some argument sent someone out to look at the front for cracks - ive not heard back! They also say that it's not an external crack so buildings insurance doesn't cover it.

I also then called direct line who I have contends and buildings insurance with. I had a 20 minute argument with someone who continually told me it wasn't subsidence - although he hasn't visited or seen pictures.


These are the images below ... Is it:

A) just a big crack
B) a big crack that's going to cause issues
C) subsidence
D) something else.

 

[JohnD]

I wonder how old the building is.

Did it originally have sturdy wooden windows, that were taken out and replaced by plastic?

Why are the council interested?

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

looks like a large bit of loose plaster. Hard to tell from the pics, if you place a straight edge across the crack, is the plaster the same level on both side of it, or is the middle bit falling into the room. Tap the plaster with the handle of a hammer or screwdriver, does it sound loose? and over what area?
Frank

 

[JohnD]

Observe the shape of the top of the window frame in the central picture.

 

[^woody^]

Looks like a plaster crack. Lintels don't crack like that.

 

[garyo]

Looks like a plaster crack. Lintels don't crack like that.

Maybe there isn't a lintel? The window frame doesn't look right to me. Like something is bearing down in it.

I see a lump in the plaster above the crack, just under the brass clip, consistent with someone having covered up a similar crack, and the lump vaguely follows a stepped brick bond pattern.

 

[^woody^]

That's a cover strip that the plastic window fitters have fitted.

It would be reasonable to assume that this had been caused by the fitting of the windows and is therefore the landlords responsibility if they fitted them.

 

[JohnD]

I wonder how old the building is.

Did it originally have sturdy wooden windows, that were taken out and replaced by plastic?

Why are the council interested?

 

[cjard]

as tpod says, tap all over the area with something solid and listen - do any bits sounds boxy or hollow?

 

[wessex101]

That is quite a crack. The plaster will have to come off to see what is going on with the wall behind.

I'll start a sweepstake, I'll put £1 on a blown concrete lintel.

 

[JohnD]

50p says no internal lintel, previously supported by wooden window frame which has been removed.

 

[Chud]

50p says no internal lintel, previously supported by wooden window frame which has been removed.

+1 here

 

[Gerrydelasel]

Did there used to be a decorative stone pillar supporting the centre of the litel? I see a lot of them removed where I live.

 

[Gazman16]

Your going to have to pull off that loose plaster and see whats going on behind it to be sure.
My £1 is on it just being blown plaster, If so its likely to classed a decoration and not covered by buildings insurance. You could possibly claim on house/contence insurance but the excess would probably be more than it would cost to just get a plasterer in.

Without pics of the outside and whats behind the plaster we can only guess but the sealant on that window looks fairly old so probably not anything to do with the window fitting.

 

[^woody^]

Having looked at the middle image properly now, the frame head is considerably distorted, not just the cover strip. I would not expect plaster alone to do that.