house is cracking up!!

[monkey1309]

I live in a 16 year old house, we've been here 6 years. Recently I've noticed quite a few cracks in the plaster appearing in various corners, round doorways and where the walls meet the ceilings. Quite frankly it's worrying me, I have no idea about DIY to be honest (neither does my hubby, in fact he knows less than me). Obviously I can go round filling them in with polyfilla, they are only hairline cracks really, but I'd like to know why they are occurring. I haven't even mentioned them to him bacause he just panics about anything DIY related. There is no sign of any problems from the outside. Any ideas anyone?

 

[noseall]

the areas you have described are weak spots and are vulnerable to any settlement or shrinkage movements of a building.

fairly typical and nothing to worry about.

 

[Nige F]

hairline..no probs they`ll come and go seasonally

 

[monkey1309]

Thanks So I don't have to worry about my house disappearing into a big hole in the ground then?

 

[masona]

Nope

 

[oilman]

Unless your house is built over old mine workings.

 

[Ron Gamma]

I would have thought that any settlement cracks would have appeared within the first 5 years of the house being built. To begin after 16 years would worry me as well.

Are they all towards one side of the house?
Have you planted any large shrubs or felled any trees in the past year ?(leylandii hedge?)

I'm thinking about subsidence from loss of moisture (tree growth or drought) and heave (sudden loss of trees removing excess moisture from clay soil)

Presumably you would have been alerted at the time of purchase if the property is on a landfill site.

 

[monkey1309]

Now I'm worried again! The house isn't built on a landfill site or a mineshaft! We do have conifers at the end of the garden, but they are not out of control. I thought you only had problems with them if they grew too high?
Also, the cracks are not to one side of the house, there is no pattern to them at all.

 

[^woody^]

Don't worry

The locations you describe are indicative of normal and/or seasonal shrinkage of the plaster. There is no way that any other cause would cause this particular type of cracking.

The fact that there are numerous ones is several locations, appearing in short periods of time would indicate shrinkage most likely linked to temperature or humidity changes. You don't have to have done anything differently, as it can be purely natural and have many influencing factors from seasonal external weather to a few cold or warm winter nights.

You can fill them with filler, but they may crack again. If you can use a flexible filler or caulk

 

[monkey1309]

I won't move house in a panic then I will get some flexible filler and give it a go! I have checked all round the outside and there is no sign of any problems out there. Thanks

 

[masona]

I won't move house in a panic then

Well I'm not I have got cracks all over my place and my property built in 1903 with a slab footing, the only time to worry when you can see daylight crack though the wall

 

[outmyway]

I've got this problem with my 70's house that I have been in for 1 year.

In the past few months a lot of cracks havew appeared which I have put down to extreeme seasonal temperature variations.

Some of the cracks I see have been previosuly filled over.

The question is:
Am I better off filling them in the winter when the plaster is at its greatest 'shrinkage' rather than wait for the warmer months when any filler might shrink again in colder weather?

PS: Is this RedDevil filler any good? Anyone recommend a filler?

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/FXRMF1.html

Could I usea bit of pva mixed with polyfiller?

 

[r896neo]

I would imagine that the OP's cracks are even bigger by now especially seeing as they have had three years to develop!

Probably better off starting a new thread as you won't get too many answered whilst tagged on to an old post

 

[Nige F]

Red devil filler IS good ...so is Toupret, in fact it`s the only good thing to come out of France

 

[outmyway]

Is Red Devil Filler flexible, or would I be better off using chaulk?