Help! Heat expansion cracks or structural movement?

[LofiDIY]

Hi,
We are looking at this property, only thing that has us concerned is this corner near a very tall radiator. The other side of the wall is external, and is placed next to a bay window, so wondering if over the years its been and expansion and cooling thing with the plaster thats just never been dealt with or whether it could be the actual bricks and the property itself. The property is quite old, probably 100 years and doesn't have any cracks anywhere else.

Would love some knowledge or recommendations. Unfortunately we cant carve out the cracks due to not owning the property.

A diagonal crack is probably settlement. The wall is very dirty with shadow staining from dust, perhaps the previous occupants were smokers or had an open fire. This gives you the advantage of knowing that the crack is not new, the dirt has built up over years. It doesn't look very big to me. The crack would look clean inside if it was new or growing. Have a look at the wall outside for cracks or pointing repairs to hide it..

As it is next to a bay window, and I get the impression the house is Edwardian or late Victorian, it is probably due to the bay being weakly built, and possibly having an inadequate foundation. This is not unusual, When you are looking outside, look for any signs of a downpipe, drain ort gulley which may be leaking into the ground and undermining the bay by washing away the soil. This is very common in houses built before 1945, especially in London or other towns and cities that were bombed and/or are built on clay.

it is so common, or universal, that I look on it to be an unavoidable expense on older houses. The repair is simple. It is unlikely to need underpinning unless there is something much worse than I can see.

Thank you! It is a Victorian middle terraced house. We think the black dust is from the open fire place and the dust sticking to the corner from the rising heat from the radiator. On the other side of the wall is technically external but for an alcove for the front door with the main bedroom covering the alcove. We didnt see any cracks externally but did see treatment for damp at one point but we think thats been mainly been caused by the near by tree not being trimmed back. We are going back to look at it again so will keep any eye out for all you've said! Thank you!

Do be aware that removing a nearby tree can cause heave.

Thank you! I dont think we would remove the tree, but more maintain it and remove any branches that are getting too close to the house.

the bay is a lot smaller than I thought, so not much of a problem. I can't see a gutter or downpipe on it, which will cause damp.

I can see a lot of repaired bricks, probably due to spalling damage as a result of damp. I don't know where it came from, likely a spilling or absent gutter or downpipe. Silicone injections do not repair such defects.

the bay has a big imitation stone ornament, which will be heavy. The original bay window will have been substantial timber, capable of carrying the weight. Replacement windows, especially if plastic, have no such strength. Supporting pillars should be concealed within any new windows, but are often omitted.

the imitation stone arch over the porch looks cracked, there is probably movement of bricks around or under it. A skilled bricklayer with experience of restoring Victorian buildings would be able to take out and rebuild the faulty brickwork. It may be hard to find one, but the team at a local Victorian church will probably know someone. the bricks are pretty sure to have been laid in lime mortar, which is fine, but erodes when weathered, especially if there is a water leak which washes it away. It is bad practice to make patch repairs with cement mortar.

There are a lot of these properties in my location, all similar age so im not too worried about finding a professional as we've had a few quotes on a few random spalling bricks at the back. I saw the injections and knew they probably wouldnt do much either. As long as its fixable it doesnt scare us we just want to be knowledgeable on possible outcomes! Thank you so much for your detailed reply, it really helps a lot!