Defective lintels or subsidence?

Hi,
We bought our house in 2014 and the survey said that the lintels were defective and needed repair or replacing. We haven't been able to afford it yet and since we want new windows have been saving to get both done at the same time.

A while after we moved in we noticed there were cracks in the external brick but particularly weren't worried since the survey didn't mention anything structural. There was also a second visit to clear wall ties as apparently it's a common problem in the area.

We're not sure if the cracks have got worse or just noticing them more since we've been looking for them whilst considering new windows.

Anyway, we're noticing more and more cracks both internal and external. There's 2-3 fairly large cracks above and below the front downstairs windows. They're diagonal following the mortar but parts do also go vertically through the middle of individual bricks.

We have just redecorated the dining room which meant taking the old coving down and have noticed large cracks inside, around the edge of the wall where the ceiling and wall meet on the window wall and 2 adjacent walls. There's also a large and quite wide diagonal crack to the top right of the window internally. (Both pictured)

There's another crack externally down the gable end but I'm not sure if this goes through the brick or just mortar. There's only a conservatory on that wall, no windows but the crack is to the right of and above the conservatory, closer to a chimney breast which seems to just be for show?

There's coving in the hall and living room so I don't know if the cracks continue into other rooms but the dining room window frame is starting to dip in the middle so we think that rooms probably the worst effected. There's also cracks internally around the seals of each window.

We're also noticing cracks elsewhere. Particularly the front bedrooms though these run about 20cm from where the ceiling and walls join then across the middle of the rooms. We also had the bathroom plastered in 2015 and have large cracks in the wall and ceiling.

The only other things noted on the survey were that there's a radiator in the conservatory, the conservatory hasn't got planning permission (but owners said has been done 13 years ago when we bought and it's only 3m x 2m) and the damp proof course is breached (we think either the conservatory or because the previous owner has built up with boulders and bushes close to the house with ivy which climbs the house wall. There's then a water feature type slope in the middle so that water will run down under a bridge into the pond and is then pumped back up.)

Could it all be down to the lintels or is it more likely subsidence? It's a 1959 semi detached and doesn't look to be any cracks externally to the other property.

What do we do next? Get in touch with our insurance? Get another survey? A builder?

Also, should we wait before putting the new coving up? May seem silly but really just wanted to have another room finished!
Sorry for all the questions. First time buyers and no idea how insurance etc works.

Thanks.

P.S when I say cracks they're mostly 1mm width or less but long. The only exception is the one pictured.

Internal plaster cracks without external brickwork cracks are rarely of structural concern.

Post a picture of the whole external elevation showing the crack in context.

And some of the 'defective' lintels.

And do not involve your insurance company. Yet.

The cracks in the upstairs bedrooms like that are common as the wall pate is plastered over.
Need more pictures!

Hi, thanks for all your replies. Sorry it was a bit too late to take external photos last night This morning I can't find the crack that was on the gable end and also can't photograph the one above the right downstairs window which looks like it's closed up.

The one under the right window looks like is just reaching the damp proof course which I've read is bad?

I don't know if it makes a difference but the above photos are of the dining room which is the bottom left window - the one with the cracks pictured.
Found another crack around the back from the drain up to just under the bathroom window where there's a brick that someone's clearly tried to patch up?

Also, very sorry. I wouldn't know what a lintel was if someone smacked me in the face with one. So I've just had to take photos of the top of the windows

Thanks again

It does look like some minor subsidence. Its possible you've got a leaky drain/sewer pipe.

Oh great Does that mean ridiculous insurance premiums and being locked with the same company for the rest of our life? What do we do now?

motorbiking said:

It does look like some minor subsidence. Its possible you've got a leaky drain/sewer pipe.

Click to expand...

How do you conclude that from those photos?

Where is the associated internal cracking? In fact where is the external cracking?

Melissaemily said:

What do we do now?

Click to expand...

Ignore posts saying it's subsidence

Sorry did my best with the photo's.

Do you mean as in, where is the external cracking in relation to the house? Or where is it because the photo's aren't very clear/very big?

The main internal cracks were posted in the original post. they are on the same wall as the bottom left window. Approx where the hanger for the hanging basket is.

The crack that goes down to the damp proof course is under that left bottom window. The one that goes through the middle or a brick is above that window.

Thanks

Melissaemily said:

Also, very sorry. I wouldn't know what a lintel was if someone smacked me in the face with one.

Click to expand...

When your house was built it was common not to use a lintel on the external brickwork, but rely on the timber frames to support the load.
Concrete lintels would be used on the inner wall.
You can get problems when the frames are replaced with plastic.
What looks like a metal lintel might be a tray.

stuart45 said:

When your house was built it was common not to use a lintel on the external brickwork, but rely on the timber frames to support the load.
Concrete lintels would be used on the inner wall.
You can get problems when the frames are replaced with plastic.
What looks like a metal lintel might be a tray.

Click to expand...

Thanks Stuart,

How would I know? Would we be able to see them without taking windows or bricks out?
Also could this be a reason or the cracks above and below?

^woody^ said:

How do you conclude that from those photos?

Where is the associated internal cracking? In fact where is the external cracking?

Click to expand...

It won't let me upload many pictures. Would it help it I drew on them following the cracks to make them more obvious or if I just annotated the picture of the front of the house with where they are?

Thanks for your help

Melissaemily said:

Do you mean as in, where is the external cracking in relation to the house? Or where is it because the photo's aren't very clear/very big?

Click to expand...

Nothing to do with your photos. I asked the biker how he can state that there is subsidence from those limited photos, and how he could state that there is subsidence in the absence of no internal cracking in the same place as any external cracks - which is indicative of foundation movement (aka subsidence).

Melissaemily said:

Thanks Stuart,

How would I know? Would we be able to see them without taking windows or bricks out?
Also could this be a reason or the cracks above and below?

Click to expand...

If you had a metal lintel it should support the bottom of the bricks. It looks more like a softer DPC material which was put over the inner concrete lintel and under the brickwork to stop any water running down the cavity and inside the house.
Replacing the timber with plastic can cause cracking above.