plaster cracks

M

mango7

Registered User
Messages
39
House 17 years old.
This year cracks are appearing all over house
Where ceilings and walls meet, full length of room, in all rooms...
over doors, middle of two walls
Is everyone experiencing this, just wondering if its the weather or should I be worried.
Any advice welcome
 
I'd be concerned about subsidence in the scenario you describe.

With a house 17 years old, this would not appear to be the usual settlement situation. I'd suggest you talk to a surveyor or engineer. (And check your house insurance!)
 
as bilk says,has there been any construction near your house by any chance..
 
Thanks for the reply.
There has been no building work.
I had a surveyor out as I am due to sign contracts for this house that I am at present renting.
He said there does not appear at present to be a problem but I am worried as no previous cracks during the 7 years I have been renting
 
Are the internal door closing properly or is there friction with the frame?

This is a good indicator of movement.
 
Hello Mango7, The best advice I can offer is do not sign anything just yet. Did your surveyor do a cosmetic survey only, If so get the present owner to have a hydro-static test done and that should verify if the house is in danger of subsidence. As Billk stated if the house is 17 years old then they are not settlement cracks so something else is causing them. First of all , Have the present owner pay for an engineers report specifically relating to a hydro static test to prove there is no subsidence or water release , You should be provided with the engineers report before purchasing, Without this you are possibly buying trouble. First things first, Be 100% sure you are not buying a house with subsidence , Please cover yourself with an engineers report , And if it is a problem in your area try to get a bit more info from the neighbours. Secondly if all goes well and you have an engineers report to say everything is ok in writing make sure you are covered for such an event in the future on your insurance policy. I am not being an alarmist but my house is in the middle of having the underpinning done at the moment after having a survey done to say everything was ok at the time of purchase. My mistake was not to get a hydro static test done at the time. I was lucky that I had cover. If there is anything I can help you with let me know, Regards Salaried.
 
thank you for Salaried for tal
king the timeto reply, appreciated.
The house in question is a corporation house so not sure if they would pay for a test!!!!

Any idea on the cost of this
 
Mango7, My situation differs from yours, First of all I do not now the engineers fees as it is tied in to the insurance. I am not an expert on the subject by any means but would seriously recommend not signing anything until 100% sure that either your house does not have subsidence or it is covered in the event down the line. If I found myself in your situation I would put everything on hold and make an appointment to see someone in the corporation who deals with these issues, A surveyors report is one thing but an engineers is another. Mango the corporation have their own engineers and if you stress your point regarding your issues strongly enough maybe they would do a test on your foundations saving you the expense. If you have a house insurance policy that covers subsidence , Contact them and they will check your foundations/ hydro static test. I know you are about to sign on the dotted line but seriously do not buy a property that is uninsurable , Please put the onus on the corporation to sell you a house that is without subsidence or you are stuck with a property albeit your home that you can never sell.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top