25 replies to this topic

[pusb]

I know nothing about building/structures etc, hope someone on here does!

 

Over the past year a disturbing crack has developed over a first floor bedroom door.

I know that houses move all the time, and that a few cracks are normal. However this has me worried.

The house was built in 1936, and I have always believed it to be a very well built house. The walls have never shown any significant cracking before.

As you can see in the pictures, the crack goes on one side of the door up in a staircase type line to the ceiling. It then goes across the ceiling at the join to the wall, then back down vertically to the top of the other side of the door.

I have had a spirit level on the top of the door frame, and it is sloping down slightly to the left hand side of the door.

I believe it is a brick wall, there are no cracks on the ground floor walls beneath this area. I've no idea how long that wallpaper has been up, but its been there at least 34 years, so its strange it would suddenly start showing a crack now.

Is it something to be worried about?

 

 

[ukcooper]

im no experpt................ but in stoke on trent we get em all the time due to mineing and subterstance  as rhe place is ridaled with it ..............has been know for people fall thro the floor into a old mine and nrver been seen again 

[Cooperman]

It may be subsidence. Last year was very dry and there was a lot of subsidence reported to insurance companies. I have some at my property in the brick walls of my garage and offices. The insurer sent a surveyor round and the movement is being monitored.

 

You might do well to speak with your insurance company. Mine have been most helpful and have agreed that they will sort it all out.

[DeadSquare]

If you don't mind other people knowing about it, it might be worth asking the nieghbours if they have noticed any recent cracks.

[Ethel]

It seems to be contained above the door frame. What's underneath the door downstairs?

Doubt it's subsidence if the only evidence is on an interior wall. Has it been a teenager's bedroom? Door slamming disturbing 80 year old plaster seems more likely.

[Spider]

You probably need to have a Dilapidation Report done and it may involve a Geo-technical Engineer.

 

Given the age of the house and it's apparent stability until recent times, something's a drift.

 

I am not an expert in the field but been intimately involved in it at one time.

 

Some soils are 'Reactive' and can swell & shrink depending (usually) upon moisture content. This is a fairly common cause of cracking in structures but these will usually show within the first 5 years of the structure being built. It is possible but unlikely that these issues will surface in most structures, if as a result of being built on Reactive Soils, will show some 83 years down the track!

[pusb]

Thanks everyone.

 

I think this weekend I will get the paper off and see what has happened under there. I imagine the plaster will come away with the paper so I should be able to get a look at the bricks.

 

Underneath this on the ground floor is another doorway, but there are no cracks or anything amiss there at all

[mab01uk]

I live in a 1937 house on London clay and have had several cracks like that over the last 20+ years, some were already there due to WW2 bomb damage and others have appeared over time but rarely get worse and are covered and disappear with redecoration. As that is upstairs i doubt the foundations are moving but just a crack caused by age and minor changes in the structure over time. However monitor it and keep an eye out for any further movement but I would not be too worried at this stage.

[dyshipfakta]

I reckon you will find if you look hard enough that nearly none of the door apertures are square and those cracks are just knackered old plaster.
Could be subsidence but equally no one will do anything about that level of movement other then monitor it for now.
Again not an expert but my house is 1933 and I have afew of those that have appeared in blown plaster work.

[pete l]

To me, it actually looks like a big lump of plaster is about to fall off and is only being held in place by the ceiling wallpaper.

[pete l]

if you knock on it, does it sound hollow ? more hollow than the plaster to the right of the crack ?

[Magneto]

Ceiling walpaper, that's a new one to me.....

[dyshipfakta]

Ceiling walpaper, that's a new one to me.....

Nah heavy duty wall paper holds up the knackered plaster. V common in 1930s gaffs

[pusb]

if you knock on it, does it sound hollow ? more hollow than the plaster to the right of the crack ?

 

Yep, sounds hollow

[hunterg30]

Get a decent builder in he will know and give a free quote , seeing that it should be a loft above , more than likely blown plaster