Cracks near a number of windows in home

[thequestioningkat]

Hello all. I was wondering if somebody wiser than myself would know what these kind of cracks might be due to? All seems to be around windows in the house.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Have you, or a previous owner, recently had new window units installed?

 

[Wayners]

The way I think about it
Think about the weight of the roof being transferred to ground.
Now think about ground movement swelling and drying out over the year.
This causes cracks around widows because as a difference in stess and weight transfer. The lintel moves at the edges.
Also under the window carries no weight so that can move up easily.
That's why you get cracks.

If house was a square box with no windows or doors with even weight distribution then it probably wouldn't crack.

 

[thequestioningkat]

Have you, or a previous owner, recently had new window units installed?

Hi. I'm not sure when they were installed but the latest it was definitely at least ten years ago.

 

[robinbanks]

Can you take pictures from a wider angle and from outside? Is your house e.g a barn conversion? When was it built? What kind of ground is it built on?

 

[thequestioningkat]

That's the main window in question from the outside. 1980s built house. Thanks

 

[robinbanks]

Hmm, maybe give Stevie Wonder Siliconing Services a call and offer them an oppo to redo the sealant around that window!



I was kinda thinking as far back as you can get with your phone in 0.5x photo mode; curious to see if there are any major supporting members bearing near these areas..

Also wondering if it's maybe a clay soil, maybe a timber frame that was lashed up quick, maybe there's a joist carrying the upper hallway near by and the maybe joints weren't scrimmed when the boards were skimmed.. You've just got everything against you with settlement, shrinkage, sag etc etc and your board joints have cracked..

If you want to know if it's worsening, cut some small wedges from eg a bit of wood (or maybe use wedge tile spacers) and jam them in the cracks. If the situation is worsening the wedges will eventually fall out

 

[thequestioningkat]

Took me a second to get that reference, I was thinking how the heck do you know who put the windows in