Cracks along bay window beam

[pt1211]

Hi folks, removing wallpaper from my bedroom and noticed a number of cracks along what I understand is a Bressumer Beam.

The cracks run along the beam itself as well as the walls on either side of the beam. It looks like the previous owner may have attempted to fill the cracks at some point.

For some additional context my property is a 1930s semi, I haven't noticed any cracks on the front of the property and the windows themselves all open / close without issue.

Is the next port of call to remove the plaster on either side of the wall and along them beam itself in order to inspect further? Would this be something I should ask a structural engineer to check?

Thanks.

 

[Wayners]

I'd cover in plasterboard and skim.
Settlement cracks which is common around bay windows.
What does look like outside

 

[JohnD]

The roof timbers haven't been altered for a loft conversion or anything, have they?

No grand pianos or sacks of gold stored up there?

 

[pt1211]

The roof timbers haven't been altered for a loft conversion or anything, have they?

No grand pianos or sacks of gold stored up there?

No, not as far as I am aware. We topped up the loft insulation when we moved in but that's about it.

The loft hasn't been converted either.

 

[^woody^]

Probably something to do with all that moisture is been getting.

 

[opps]

Not my area of expertise, but I suspect that @^woody^ might be correct about the water ingress.

Other than calling in an expert, you could hack away some of the plaster where it sits on the padstone to make sure that the timber is OK (assuming that it is timber and not a concrete lintel).

 

[JohnD]

my property is a 1930s semi

I would have thought a wooden beam very much the most likely.

Pulling off the plaster will let you see what condition it's in

If there is a separate roof over the bay, there may be a problem with water ingress.

 

[pt1211]

Thank you all. I'll knock off some of the plaster on either end of the wall along with some plaster on the beam itself in order to hopefully get a better look at the condition of the beam.

Forgive the poor image quality, this was taken from google earth but should hopefully show what the roof is like. It looks like the valleys on the roof over the bay could be the cause and/or perhaps an issue with the guttering at either end of each valley.

My rough plan of attack is:

- Break off some plaster at either end of the wall and along the beam itself
- Get into the loft when it next rains heavily to see if I can see any obvious signs of water ingress
- Ensure guttering at the bends / bottoms of each valley isn't overflowing or leaking
- Call a roofer if no 2/3 above doesn't highlight any obvious issues

Is there anything else I should be doing in addition to the above?

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Sounds like a good plan.

Sometimes valleys leak only when you get wind driven rain from a particular direction. We have one like this.

Are they valley tiles or is there a gutter on the corner? Valley tiles...

Gutter/metal/plastic/whatever...

It doesn't have the weight of a brick wall on top of it, so this makes it more likely to flex with the roof. It may be that the movement is just natural flexing due to heat and/or wind. If so it may just need fixing down, e.g. with restraint straps down to the internal wall, then new plasterboard screwing over.

 

[pt1211]

Hi Ivor - The survey I had done at time of purchase included a few photos of the roof which I have included below.

Before I purchased the place I had two roofers inspect the roof and they said it generally looks ok. I had the gutters cleaned a few months ago but will get them checked out again asap.

I was told there is lead under the right side valley (under the tiles) but it looks like the left valley has been filled in with concrete.

 

[^woody^]

If you had a current leak, you would likely have seen it before you stripped the paper by way of water stains.

Clearly there has been a leak in the past, and leaks cause beams like that to bow and crack the finishes fixed to them.

It can be very difficult to see leaks in that location from the loft, you see them from the bedroom. And bear in mind the bottom of the valley is outside over the soffit not inside over the bedroom.

That's not too say that any leak actually caused that cracked plaster. But that's the only evidence there is.

After today's storm, if you have a leak, you'd be seeing it without mooching around the loft. If you don't, just sort the plaster out and move on.