Very concerned external and internal cracks

[Lemmings]

Hi

I hope someone can help me please, I am concerned about my mums house as there appears to be some stepped cracking outside coming through the render. I now this has been there a while as it was filled in five years ago when the outside was painted but as you can see it has appeared again. This side of the house does get all the weather though. I cannot get to the other side as that is within the garage roof space.

The internal cracking is in the room next to the external cracking and as you can see there are a lot of hairline cracks some larger than others but never seen one the corner which is both horizonal and vertical making a block before which I'm worried about.

There is also some cracking going across the ceiling which is a concern as well.

The room was decorated fifteen years ago so I don't know if it just needs to be filled or its related to the other crack outside. These cracks again have been there a good number of years.

Any advice would be gratefully received, thanks.

 

[jeds]

Stress cracks, no worry, almost certainly cosmetic. The only way to know for sure is hack off 200mm or 300mm of render either side of the crack and check the structure beneath. But don't do that, you'll just make it look worse and you won't find anything significant.

Biggest issue with cracks like that are that they are difficult to repair. The cracks are too small to get any kind of filler in that will have enough surface area contact to provide a decent repair. You repair them but in a few years they come back again. The most important thing is to use a flexible filler - not the polyfilla type stuff. You could try filling with a mastic gun using the smallest nozzle - i.e. don't cut the nozzle, just use the small hole square-on. Get as much as you can in and overpaint.

You could also try thin joint crack filler. The stuff is really designed for horizontal surfaces though and is quite runny - making it difficult to get it into vertical cracks. We've had some success injecting it with syringes but you've really got to want to put the time and effort in.

 

[Lemmings]

Thanks for that, it's reassuring to hear especially when you hear that stepped cracking is a feature of subsidence. Got lots of filling to do now inside and out!

Thanks again for your help.

 

[^woody^]

The external crack has been repaired before. Either there is an underlying crack in the wall behind it, or it's a shallow refill job which tends to re-crack anyway.

Looks like there is artex internally, so be careful not to sand it as it might have a slight asbestos content.

 

[Lemmings]

Thanks, I can't see the other side of the wall as it's in the roof space of the garage which I can't access without cutting into the roof covering. If this is the case do I need to be worried about it? I didn't fill the crack last time so I couldn't say if it was a shallow refill.

Regarding the artex just to confirm there could be asbestos in it?

Thanks

 

[^woody^]

Regarding the artex just to confirm there could be asbestos in it?

Ys, if the house (and or that artex) is more than 20 years old

 

[Lemmings]

Thanks I didn't know they did that. Will fill only and try and fill the external crack deep and hope it doesn't crack if it does it looks like I will have to get into the roof space and see if there is an underlaying rack all the way through which I'm assuming would mean trouble?