Does anyone know anything about internal cracks?

[MaryPoppinsPenguins]

We bought a 1930’s house last year... needs quite a bit of work (so excuse the awful pictures!)

In the past two weeks lots of new cracks have appeared. Some have cracked our bathroom tiles.. lots are coming from the doorframe around the small bedroom. I can’t see anything from outside.

I’m freaking out... any soothing advice?

Can’t see any photos but this has happened in pretty much every house I’ve ever lived in. Most likely the previous owners plastered over all the cracks before selling and now they’re reappearing in the same place. The hot weather won’t have helped - soil tends to shrink and crack in hot weather which shifts the house slightly, clay soil is the worst culprit.

Can you list more pics

Thanks... I’ll try and post the pictures again. It has been dry here for months it seems.

One of the cracks looks like it’s been previously filled in.

There are lots of innocent cracks for settling or temperature related. Sometimes lintels need replanting. Sometimes movement

I don’t know how many it will let me do.. I’ll try to post more...

I can see the photos now. The cracks look fairly superficial. Our builder said that internal cracks less than 3mm wide aren’t a concern, especially if they’re at the corners of windows and doors or at the joins between walls and ceilings. You should worry if it’s a wide crack or if an internal crack has a corresponding external crack. He put steel braces over one big crack for us and just plastered over the rest.

So do you think the hot weather is why they’re all appearing now? We plan to extensively renovate but need another year to save... just having visions of the house falling down before then (totally our luck!)

They don't look out of the ordinary but I'm no expert.

check for cracks outside.

Watching with interest. I had couple of cracks appearing as well above the door, but nothing as big as yours.

Yes probably hot weather related. As long as the cracks don’t appear on the other side of the wall, generally, you’re alright.

If this was my house, I'm afraid I would be very worried. I think you need to contact your insurance company and get a surveyor in. These cracks look like a lot of movement. Is there any sign of movement outside? Are you in an area prone to this sort of thing (like clay soils in London)? Has a tree been removed from the vicinity of the house recently?

It could be the heat, but definitely worth getting looked at by a professional. I know nothing about these things.

There are no cracks outside. We’re in Surrey, no idea of the soil type?

No trees or anything moved near to our house, the only ‘difference’ has been pretty much no rain for months so hopefully its that.

I will get someone to have a look... I just needed to write my panic down somewhere while I wait

We lived for 20 odd years in a house where internal cracks were always coming and going, with no external cracks. They usually followed hot summers and as we decorated we filled them in.
Some houses were built with the windows supporting the brickwork and acting as lintels. Sometimes new skim plaster on old walls also cracks as it dries.
When we sold two surveys didn’t find anything wrong with the structure. I’d wait until there’s some rain and see what happens, involving your ins.co could be costly and unnecessary.

We have a 1930s semi with loads of cracks. They stressed me out no end when we first moved in (HOW I didn't see them when we looked around I don't know).

I have now decided to ignore them. It is working well so far.

ask your neighbours. I'll bet they have or have had similar cracks that have been around for all the time they've lived there.

All houses have cracks. I wouldn't worry too much, unless there are matching exterior cracks & or they are getting bigger. Just fill them in & move on with your life.