Vertical cracking above internal door

[gilsonway]

Hi All,

Looking for some advice if anyone could help?

Both my partner and I are currently looking at purchasing a house locally and have come across some cracking above an internal door.

The house is circa 1960s 'ish. The wall where the cracking is evident is a block wall with the crack apparent near the corner of the opening / frame. The cracking is very much vertical, the crack looks fairly consistent (as in it doesn't get wider at the top or bottom - just similar width throughout).

I would say it is about 20mm / cm. I do have photos but can't seem to attach the photo I have. It also seems to be covered with wallpaper, so difficult to provide any further info.

Thanks in advance

Small cracking around doors is not uncommon given that the stresses tend to be higher there and lintels move independatly (minor amounts but enough to crack plaster). However 20mm is a huge, did you mean 22mm? 20mm would certainly require investigation.

*did you mean 2mm. Auto correct!

20mm is huge....your hand would be able to slide in. If in doubt get a structural survey.

Hi All,

Link below with images of cracking :)

postimg.cc/gallery/f08xpjn4/

You need a proper structural survey done if you want to continue. If not, run.

I wouldn't buy.... I would look for another house tbh.....

If the sellar is happy to display such issues, I would be wondering what else was going on

Is the wall structural? If so the house may need underpinning which is expensive but doable. You really need a survey.

THis does seem fairly wide, this is not just plaster cracking due to old age.
I would go for a full structural survey. Or send pics to a local surveyor and see if they think it needs to be a FSS.
Contrary to Happy , I think it’s good that owner hasn’t attempted to cover it up. IF they had filled and redecorated you would never have picked it up.
I have seen houses with movement cracks, and they have been hand depth apart, and even unable to close doors properly, but then I guess they all had to start small. OUt of small cracks, big hand gaps grow?. (It has always been oak trees, and vegetation planted too close to house).

That is quite a crack. Unless there is something otherwise exceptional about the house, I think I would walk away without a second thought.
There can be many reasons for cracking - some serious and some only cosmetic. Even for a qualified surveyor, it isn't always easy to identify the cause(s) of any possible movement. There can be some trial and error involved, and lengthy periods of monitoring.
Knowingly taking on a property like this could make getting insurance and a mortgage less straightforward, and if it does turn out you have a subsidence problem, it may be harder to sell on, even once fixed.
Unless the property is an architectural wonder in an idyllic location, or a home you want to commit to for 15+ years, you probably don't need the hassle!

We can't see the actual crack in the pictures but it looks as if the movement has been sufficient to tear the paper. I also notice a bulge on the ceiling nearby. A survey should pick up any significant issues. My first thought is to look downstairs, if say a wall has been removed it could be as a result of acrow propping the floor and letting it settle. This certainly needs looking at properly, though there could be a valid explanation for a movement which is not ongoing.

Thanks all. Some very valid points. The house is in an excellent area close to some really good schools etc and at a competitive price (arguably because of the condition)

SciFiRules.. Interesting you say that actually. The vendor converted their loft space into a bedroom. They've converted it in a strange way (not all loft space is used, only a small square space not to the corners). The loft floor has been raised by running joists over the existing. I think that one of the large joists has been sitting onto of the wall with the crack...

Definitely one for a Structural Engineer. I wonder if its room to also negotiate the price down, as the remedial works could be fairly substantial.

Could be that the conversion is loading the wall. It's not unlikely that the upstairs block work is built directly on the floor boards, additional load could cause deflection and in turn that crack. Also the load could be transferring from the roof, particularly if a truss or perrin has been cut. If it is roof loading causing the issue and it just bearing on an internal wall on the floor boards its not going to be simple to resolve. Brick piers and steel would be most likely but it depends upon the layout downstairs. The other issue to look for are chimneys that have been removed. Chimneys are often structural to the house and support the roof. Often people remove chineys because they are in the way and "not used" not realising it's carrying a lot of load.
That said it may have suffered a move during conversion and now be absolutely sound. Survey is definitely a must given the loft conversion and cracking