Hi,
I got a garage built about a year and a half ago and have noticed in the last couple of months that 3 top to bottom cracks have appeared on the side walls. I'll upload some pictures when i get the chance, but just wanted to get some initial opinions on what folk think may have caused it, what remedial action should be taken and, ultimately, is the garage safe?
It's quite a big garage (12m x 5.5m), single skinned breeze block with piers every 2m. I only recently noticed the cracks as I painted the interior walls white, and they appeared. So they may have been there longer than just two months. My initial thoughts were that the foundations had slipped due to some sort of subsidence, but on closer inspection, the cracks are wider at the top and follow the mortar line in some places (right through bricks in others) and gradually get thinner as they taper off towards the ground. So I'm now thinking it simply expansion that has caused the bricks to crack right through.
I contacted the builder (who is still to come and have a look), and on the phone he was convinced it has been caused by lack of expansion joints on such long walls. He said he never put them in as they weren't on the original plans. However, my concern is that this was signed off by building control and they never mentioned this to me. If I thought they were needed then I would have obviously asked to architect to include them. Builder is obviously saying this to cover his own back, which is understandable, as he's the one that's going to have to fix the problem.
I basically just want to know if anyone (preferably a builder or engineer) can tell me what the builder should be doing to fix this. Does the wall now need reinforced, do the foundations need looked at etc ? My main concern is that there are now 3 cracks that have appeared at different places on the side walls, and I'm now thinking that this will be making the whole garage unstable. There is obviously a massive pitched and tiled roof on it with something like 22 trusses, so it weighs quite a bit.
This has seriously ****ed me off since noticing it, and with the bad weather just round the corner I really need it weather proofed at the least. The builder mentioned just cutting out the damaged bits and filling it with mastik then re-rendering. If that sorts the problem, then fine, but I need to know that the building aint gonna fall down.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks
I got a garage built about a year and a half ago and have noticed in the last couple of months that 3 top to bottom cracks have appeared on the side walls. I'll upload some pictures when i get the chance, but just wanted to get some initial opinions on what folk think may have caused it, what remedial action should be taken and, ultimately, is the garage safe?
It's quite a big garage (12m x 5.5m), single skinned breeze block with piers every 2m. I only recently noticed the cracks as I painted the interior walls white, and they appeared. So they may have been there longer than just two months. My initial thoughts were that the foundations had slipped due to some sort of subsidence, but on closer inspection, the cracks are wider at the top and follow the mortar line in some places (right through bricks in others) and gradually get thinner as they taper off towards the ground. So I'm now thinking it simply expansion that has caused the bricks to crack right through.
I contacted the builder (who is still to come and have a look), and on the phone he was convinced it has been caused by lack of expansion joints on such long walls. He said he never put them in as they weren't on the original plans. However, my concern is that this was signed off by building control and they never mentioned this to me. If I thought they were needed then I would have obviously asked to architect to include them. Builder is obviously saying this to cover his own back, which is understandable, as he's the one that's going to have to fix the problem.
I basically just want to know if anyone (preferably a builder or engineer) can tell me what the builder should be doing to fix this. Does the wall now need reinforced, do the foundations need looked at etc ? My main concern is that there are now 3 cracks that have appeared at different places on the side walls, and I'm now thinking that this will be making the whole garage unstable. There is obviously a massive pitched and tiled roof on it with something like 22 trusses, so it weighs quite a bit.
This has seriously ****ed me off since noticing it, and with the bad weather just round the corner I really need it weather proofed at the least. The builder mentioned just cutting out the damaged bits and filling it with mastik then re-rendering. If that sorts the problem, then fine, but I need to know that the building aint gonna fall down.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks
