cracks and creaks

[sg84]

Hi all, I've just moved into a new property which I believe was built around 1987. Everything is fine and we didn't get anything back on the survey (albeit the basic / cheapo one) but there are a few little things I've noticed which I'm worried all together might be a cause for concern.

- Nail heads popping through the plasterboard in downstairs and upstairs rooms.
- Creaking floorboards upstairs with one room seeming to have a slight dipped area in the floor (haven't taken the carpet back yet to check this out. Might be very worn underlay but feels like more than that).
- One window upstairs has bent bottom / top hinges in roughly the same position (might have been someone opening the window too far or a gust of wind. the frame internally doesn't look stressed at all)
- several vertical cracks in internal plaster (not sure the house has been decorated for years so not sure if they're new or not).
- Kitchen uPVC door has bowed in the middle. Window fitter has come out and guesses it might be bowed due to heat from south facing garden. They used to be wooden frames and I'm wondering if they've skipped putting a lintel in to support the brickwork and the door has bowed under pressure?
- External brickwork has a few vertically cracked bricks quite high up on the house (upstairs).

All of the cracks are all very small, if not hairline (no more than 1mm at most). This is only my second house move and we've only been in for a month but I have a tendency to worry about these things more than I probably should Any help at all is most appreciated.

 

[jeds]

Nothing you list is anything to 'worry' about. Nail pops, creaking floors, dipping floors, plasterboard joint cracks and hairline brickwork cracks are all typical of 1987 construction. The window sounds like abuse and the door just sounds like age.

 

[sg84]

Thanks for the fast reply, John. I like the term 'window abuse' - sounds like it should have it's own hotline for reporting such things

 

[jeds]

In the 80s floorboard and plasterboard was fixed with nails, probably a couple of feet apart. These days we use screws closer to 8 inches apart. The floor boards will probably be 18mm thick - these days it will be 22mm thick. The plasterboard might be 9.5mm thick - these days 12.5mm thick. Over the years the nails work loose and you get creaks, cracks and nail pops. Good old 1980s.