Subsidence?

AfterSomeAdvice · 13 Feb 2009

Hi all,

What do you make of these cracks?

Just noticed them this morning.

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj111/rickb_2008/100_9680.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj111/rickb_2008/100_9681.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj111/rickb_2008/100_9683.jpg

they are on the rear elevation of an extension that was built 20 years ago.
House is a semi and there are some sycamore tress about 15 m away from our walls, about 10m from neighbours walls.

Does it look like subsidence?

Thanks for the advice

^woody^ · 13 Feb 2009

No.

Expansion/contraction.

Shytalkz · 13 Feb 2009

Agreed

noseall · 13 Feb 2009

dettol.

AfterSomeAdvice · 19 Feb 2009

thanks for the responses.

Can i get a builder to repair the pointing or is it likely to happen again anyway (i'm having some work done so i thought i could add this to the list of work).

thanks

alittlerespect · 19 Feb 2009

Looks like someone has knocked the wall at some time in the past - as someone has had a go at pointing up a perpend - whatever, the movement is not excessive. Its unlikely to be subsidence as the fracturing would normally occur at the lower section of the wall, or heave as it is the mortar bed that has failed and the failure is too localised, had it been subsidence or heave the full brick in the first view would have fractured and the fracture line would have been .

I reckon, put it on your list of things to do, is a very good idea!

^woody^ · 19 Feb 2009

Rake out to 25mm and repoint. But it may develop a hairline crack again.

Its certainly a bit unusual to have a thermal crack in that place on such a small extension, so it may have done all the movement it was going to do

A less obtrusive repair will be to squirt some clear silicone into the crack.

AfterSomeAdvice · 20 Feb 2009

alittlerespect said:
Looks like someone has knocked the wall at some time in the past - as someone has had a go at pointing up a perpend - whatever, the movement is not excessive.

sounds a little sinister. Could it be the case of a seller patching up some bricks that show signs of subsidence? I guess it would be hard for a surveyor to spot subsidence if some recent cosmetic repairs had been carried out...

^woody^ · 20 Feb 2009

No, subsidence cracking has certain characteristics - non of which are evident in this case

Shytalkz · 21 Feb 2009

AfterSomeAdvice said:
I guess it would be hard for a surveyor to spot subsidence if some recent cosmetic repairs had been carried out...

No, it's not subs. It's nigh on impossible to disguise if a property has had, or is having, subsidence problems.

AfterSomeAdvice · 21 Feb 2009

many thanks.

is middle of march ok to do repointing?
I'm getting quotes in for repointing one of our walls and i was wondering if march is an ok month for this work.

archconsult · 22 Feb 2009

As others have said the pics do not appear to show subsidence which would occur at the base of teh wall rather than the top. It could be frost damage in the mortar joints or very slight movement in the roof but whatever is not a worry.
Roof spread would push the bricks outward so not that either. Just mortar shrinkage. - It could be that the mortar mix was too strong.

Clean out the joint back to at least 25mm and repoint.
As long as there is no frost the proposed date for repointing is fine.

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Subsidence?

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