Cracks Above & Around Window

[FirstTimeDIY]

Hi All, first time poster so apologies if this is in the wrong place.

There are some cracks both above the window (where the lintel would be) as well as around the internal side of the window in our living room, which is at the front of the house, which the wife and I are starting to get slightly concerned about - see pictures.

Background - we live in a circa. 1930s mid-terrace house, have lived here for 5 years. When we moved in the living room was all woodchip wallpaper which we stripped off and had the room re-skimmed. Looking back at pictures of the room when we were stripping the wallpaper, there does appear to be cracking in the same place and it looks like the front wall had already been reskimmed at some point.

We don't know when the cracks appeared, other than it was after we had the walls skimmed, so at some point in the last 4 years. They aren't particularly wide (2-3mm at worst) and do not appear to be getting any wider, however they go quite deep - I was able to slip a thin piece of wire maybe 60mm or more in to the crack which would imply it is not just the plaster but the wall behind which is also cracked?

Are these cracks something to be concerned about or can they just be re-filled without worry?

If they are something that needs professional attention, who do we call to investigate, would it be a builder? Surveyor? Structural Engineer?

EDIT - There isn't really any visible cracking on the outside of the house

TIA
FTDIY

 

[FirstTimeDIY]

Anybody?

This is the same window from the outside, no significant cracking that I can see. I am assuming from the thickness of the wall that this is a cavity wall and the cracks are on the internal skin?

 

[^woody^]

Looks like just detached plaster. Tap it, listen if its hollow.

 

[Notch7]

The curtains are too heavy.

 

[Notch7]

On a serious note, it looks like movement in the lintel and / or plastering detaching from the lintel.

Given the crack is at least 60mm, it’s either the block work cracked or a bit of a gap between lintel and block work.

Either way it’s not a structural issue - it’s not uncommon for lintels to move if they’ve not been tied in very well, it can happen due to settlement or thermal expansion.

Its quite possible the cracks were hidden behind the plasterwork for years and the heatwave we had this year caused expansion enough to crack the plaster

 

[Wayners]

Looks like its normal movement and maybe drain under put in after house was built? Ground settlement but don't trust my view on it.

Also drain gully can have cracks so water gets under house.
Only sure way to find out is get structural engineer to write report if you've looked at obvious things.

 

[cdbe]

Take the plaster off, you wouldn't believe the crap people throw round lintels when they replace timber windows.

 

[DiyNutJob]

This is the same window from the outside, no significant cracking that I can see.

Look higher. The wall render is more stretchy and can hide cracks underneath. Concrete is more brittle.

It's possible the original timer window provided better structural strength while the plastic and aluminium of the new window is significantly weaker.

 

[FirstTimeDIY]

If anyone is interested - we had a structural engineer come take a look, he diagnosed a blown lintel, so gotta fork out ~£1k for a replacement

 

[curium]

If anyone is interested - we had a structural engineer come take a look, he diagnosed a blown lintel, so gotta fork out ~£1k for a replacement

That's for materials and labour right? Not just the lintel?

 

[FirstTimeDIY]

That's for materials and labour right? Not just the lintel?

Yes that's for everything, haven't got any quotes yet but SE said off the top of his head it would probably about £1k, if not slightly less, for the job