Massive crack in wall above window frame

[redrabbit]

I wonder how old the building is.

Did it originally have sturdy wooden windows, that were taken out and replaced by plastic?

Why are the council interested?

It's a 1970s property I think and I'm not sure what windows were in place before, all houses on the road have white PVC ones now.

Sorry, didn't mean council, I meant the company that own the freehold.

looks like a large bit of loose plaster. Hard to tell from the pics, if you place a straight edge across the crack, is the plaster the same level on both side of it, or is the middle bit falling into the room. Tap the plaster with the handle of a hammer or screwdriver, does it sound loose? and over what area?
Frank

The wall warps inwards. So if I laid a piece of wood across, the wall in the middle wouldn't touch as it's curved outwards slightly.

as tpod says, tap all over the area with something solid and listen - do any bits sounds boxy or hollow?

Yes it does sound hollow actually. Stupid question - but what does that mean? I wonder if I should just get a builder in to knock all the wall away where it's cracked and re-fit it somehow?

I'll put £1 on a blown concrete lintel.

Is that easy to fix?

50p says no internal lintel, previously supported by wooden window frame which has been removed.

Oh btw, when we tried hanging the curtain rail I think we discovered the lintel as the drill wouldn't go that far into the wall. We therefore put the curtain rail slightly above it.

Did there used to be a decorative stone pillar supporting the centre of the litel? I see a lot of them removed where I live.

Nope - nothing like that with these houses

 

[JohnD]

you may as well knock off all the loose plaster and see what has happened behind it. I suspect you are going to need a building repair, and it is not just the plaster. You will not get a sure diagnosis and cost to fix until you can see what has happened.

Taking off the plaster may be quite easy, but it will create dirt and dust, so roll up or cover the carpet and take everything you can out of the room. You will need a canister vac, not a domestic vac, to clean up, and several plastic dustbins for the rubble.
http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb430vac-1400w-30ltr-wet-dry-vacuum-cleaner-240v/70472
Get a spare cartridge filter and some of the optional paper bags as they will delay clogging.

 

[cjard]

And if you can wet it down first, and maybe go at it with hand tools rather than power tools and aim to take it out in chunks rather than obliterating it, the missus will be more chuffed