Masonry Crack repair

JC12345

JC12345

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Hi everyone I’m looking for a second opinion on some crack repairs on a house we are looking to buy.



Currently in the process of buying a house and did an extended visit today and notice some crack repairs in the outer wall, when we first viewed I did notice that the cracking existed and that a resin repair had been used however since the first visit and now the seller seems to have attempted to re point and spread mortar across the area possibly to mask, but also possibly to finish the job of making good.



The cracks are from about chest height to the top of the bay on both ffs es and seem to have been filled with resin prior to the pointing work. From what I remember there was no visible cracking on the inside(front room) the same location.



I've attached some imgur pictures, the first two are from today, the others are from the original ad and Google maps.

https://imgur.com/a/b3wMa9d

Thanks in advance
 
I only see one photo, and can't see anything other than a blurry house.

My instinct says it's the reason they're selling the house, steer well clear unless it's really cheap.
 
IMG_7858.jpeg
 

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Loft conversion?

I can't say from photos but we're had some dry summers and wet winters so some ground movement.
You need to get a survey done before you commit then decide.

Wouldn't put me off unless it's serious structural problems
 
Yes there is a loft conversion, from my perspective it looks like some differential movement caused by bay window? There was no evidence inside the room of cracking and so possibly some thermal movement caused by environment.

We’re asking for further details on the repair etc and hopefully that will
Shed light, if not satisfied will likely instruct a structural engineer to look
At this area specifically.
 
That second photo taken on the corner shows every alternate brick on the corner has moved, so the front and side walls have moved relative to each other.

There will be a lot of weight on that corner, as it supports the joist over the inside of the bay window, holding up the entire upstairs and roof. It also supports the end of the beam over the garage door. The inner leaf will be holding up the front wall, so the fact that it's moved probably means that the shared foundation beneath has moved.

The dormer would have added a further substantial point load, so may have been the cause of the foundation becoming overloaded.

I reckon you'll need underpinning, and also some careful restoration as the current owner has made a right mess of it.

Unless it's uniquely wonderful or incredibly cheap I'd be back on Rightmove to see what else is out there, or what may appear next week. There are loads of houses without massive cracks in them, buy one of them.
 
The dormer will be sitting on an RSJ (painted red) that's supported just around the corner, just behind the garage door, adding further load...

loft-conversion-process-in-london.jpg
 
Okay that’s really useful thanks! I know that the dormer and conversion was built in 2007 so has had 18 years, possibly less worrying?
 
IMG_7866.jpeg

Here are the plans for their loft conversion if that helps
 

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You can see the joists S2 and S3 are putting a huge new point load of the entire dormers, some of the original roof and possibly the room floors onto just four points on the end walls, just back from the front and back.

This is standard, and it's why the foundations should be assessed when they're built.

It may or may not be the cause, but possibly did tip the balance when added to the point load from the bay window.

If you're still interested then definitely get a decent structural engineer to inspect, not just an everyday surveyor. I'm guessing they're going to say it needs underpinning, if so you'll need to get a five-figure discount for it to make sense. If you're getting a mortgage then they may want to hold back some money until it's fixed, so you'll need a wad of money ready in the bank to do it.
 
You will probably end up paying extra for home insurance forever after it's been underpinned, and this will need to be declared to future buyers.
 

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