Crack in bathroom wall

[jonquark]

In an area of wall above a power shower, there were cracks in our bathroom wall. I assumed they were just in the plaster and started to prepare to replaster that area but as I dug it out with a screw-driver, I realised they went quite deep. I'm a complete DIY newbie but it appears the cracks go into the mortar between bricks.

Photos here:
http://www.flowandebb.net/bathroom/

(We live in the upstairs half of an 1950s maisonette. Originally a council property, they still have the freehold - maybe we need to contact them?)

So originally if we failed to do the job we were going to call a plasterer but now do I call a builder or a strucural surveryor or...?

As you can tell I'm not exactly an expert - all advice greatly appreciated.

 

[tony1851]

Have the people downstairs removed a wall below?

 

[Blagard]

In the main, most cracks like that go through the structure and unless they are recent or on the move are nothing to worry about. They are not big enough to give any cause for concern

So you need to think about them. Are they are old cracks that you have recently decided to deal with, if so just make good the plaster.

If you think they have recently appeared they need to be monitored to see if they are "live" i.e. continuing to open up.

 

[footprints]

I saw something like that on Dr Who over Christmas that was a crack in space and time

Assuming it's not the above and you don't find Cybermen in the bath, as already said check that your neighbour has not demolished a wall below.
I have seen pictures of similar cracks near the ceiling and it was thought to be movement of the roof timbers flexing the brickwork.

As you are leasehold it would be a good idea to speak to them as I would think major structural issues would be their domain. After that you can make good and monitor the situation, it may well be old movement that nobody has bothered to repair. I wouldnt pay out for a survey until you have seen the leaseholder with luck if it is the council they will have any tech support needed.

What is the other side of the wall like?

 

[jonquark]

Thanks for the responses. There has been cracks in the plaster since we moved in 4 years ago. I'm now feeling paranoid and wondering whether they've got bigger over that time but I'm fairly confident they haven't changed much, especially in the last 2 years that I've been putting off doing anything about it. In the last couple of years at least, they have been very static.

Downstairs have had new windows put in, in the last couple of years and that has involved new rows of bricks above the windows, but I'm fairly confident that the cracks (at least in the plaster, I didn't know they went deeper) didn't change when they did that.

From the outside there are no cracks visible, but then it will be double-skinned so even if there are problems with the inside bricks, I wouldn't expect to see problems from outside (or am I wrong?)

Thanks again