Advise please... non-secure staircase ?

[LiBraga]

Firstly... thanks for any advice I'm about to receive.

We've been living in our new build for over a year now and some big cracks have just appeared on our stairs (literally in the last month).

Our home was built late 2012 and has been heated since then (I've seen the previous gas bill). We've had no snow or flooding and our house temp has been pretty constant.

At the base of our stairs the cracks are almost invisible but as you reach the top theirs a crack in the dry wall about 3cm above the staircase string that's more pre-nounced in the corner.
Where the staircase is secured to the upper floor it has pulled away about 6mm and directly below where it is against a wall there appears to be stress fractures forming as well as a crack between the staircase and wall that gets thinner as it moves down. All of the panel parts of the staircase have also developed small cracks around the seals.

The drywall where the window is is also begining to crack following the window ledge seam.

This doesn't seem like settlement to me... the rest of the house seems perfect.

To me it seems that the staircase hasn't been adequately secured.

Your advice would be appreciated.

(Please find some images below)

Upper Stairway

• LiBraga
• 19 Mar 2015
• 1

Staircase layout

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• LiBraga
• 19 Mar 2015
• 1

Stairs being support by wall ? Additional diagonal cracks forming following pattern of the one...

Internal wall adjacent/support staircase downstairs

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• LiBraga
• 19 Mar 2015
• 1

Longer view of above

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• LiBraga
• 19 Mar 2015
• 1

Upper corner of staircase

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• LiBraga
• 19 Mar 2015
• 1

Where stairs attach to upper landing

Staircase joins upstairs landing

 

[ree]

1. check the outside wall surface for any distortion or cracks.

2. check the landing at the head of the stairs both ways for level - have any boards been disturbed? Look at the ceiling above the stairwell? Does the landing creak?

3. check the floor at the foot of the stairs for any uneveness.

4.Examine all door heads and window heads on that side of the house for levelness.

5. determine what construction the walls surrounding, and below the stair well are made of eg. block, dot & dab or stud?

6. for the movement to be only one month old is significant but not alarming. You will have to get a joiner or even a structural engineer to have a look - do it this week.
Ask neighbour's if they've experienced anything similar?

 

[Dave54]

Can't comment on the movement, but do you have any guarantee with the house?