Movement issue or weather?

Joined
4 Mar 2007
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Location
Essex
Country
United Kingdom
First of all, can I just say thanks to everyone who has contributed to the numerous posts I have read on here over the past few years doing up my maisonette - amazingly helpful.

My problem is that recently (past month or two) a number of cracks have shown up in my half, the bottom half, of a victorian semi. The cracks are mainly where wood joins plaster, but there are also some diagonal cracks in wall sections - diagonal from the top of a door frame for example, and quite a few on the coving.

I had the place plastered about two years ago in the summer and a few cracks emerged after, but mainly in the plaster itself. Until recently no new cracks had emerged.

I wonder if it could be the weather we have had lately - does this seem plausible? I.e. change in internal/external balance of temperature - however, there are cracks on some of the internal walls quite far away from outside which makes me think not.

The other possibility is that down the side of the house there is a pathway that someone laid above the internal floor level - this was causing damp so I cut away about a half foot wide section of the slabs running along the side of the house and filled it with gravel about a foot deep. This seems to have cured the damp problem - but could it have dried out the ground causing the house to settle? I think the soil is quite clay-y.

Sorry for the long post! Anyone got any ideas?! Am I being over sensitive with a 100 year old place? its worrying me a bit as I want to sell soon but don't really want to off load a serious problem onto someone...
 
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All the cracks you have mentioned are typical in most properties. I have them in mine and i took all the precautions that i possibly could.

Diagonal cracking emanating from the right angle of a doorway or window is probably one of the most common in the universe and will continue to be plethoric until someone thinks that round or curved windows and doors look good. ;)
 

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