NHBC 4 yr old house with crack in wall which split blockwork

Generali

Walk away. There are plenty of houses for sale at the moment.

sammyjammy

getmore4less wrote: »

If the party wall is 2 story it will extend into the loft, check there as well.

I think I would pass on this place if concerned.

Its link attached, the garages are attached only by the sounds of it.

getmore4less

sammyjammy wrote: »

Its link attached, the garages are attached only by the sounds of it.

thats not what they said

The house is semi detached and the garage is part of the house in the centre is a garage for each of the semi's. The crack is in the wall dividing the two properties.

That sound more like a town house 3 story semi with intergral garage to me.

the crack could be extending above and below(depending on which levle thegarrage is) but hidden under the dry wall, no dry wall in the loft.

There was a program on TV last night, in ne case NHBC only agree to fix the problems after the builder went bust,

golddustmedia

Final update:

Had a builder inspect the crack and it's nothing to worry about.

It seems that with Thermalite blocks if they get damp/wet when building the house (i.e. before the roof goes on) then as they dry they contract slightly.

As the block contracts it either separates from the mortar at one end OR if the mortar is bonded very strongly the block cracks vertically in the middle, retaining the bond to the mortar at either end. They do not crack horizontally under these circumstances.

The crack pattern matches these circumstances exactly and the builder has certified it's not structural movement. Also the crack does not appear in the neighbours garage on the other side of the wall, again indicating it's not movement of the foundation etc.

not_tonight_josephine_2

sounds like good news but if I were you I would still have a full structural survey before you proceed to be completely sure - are you having a full survey? !

golddustmedia

not_tonight_josephine wrote: »

sounds like good news but if I were you I would still have a full structural survey before you proceed to be completely sure - are you having a full survey? !

No i'm not. It's not something I can afford to do when the house is actually only 3 years old. The one and only visible concern with the house was the 3 cracked blocks in the garage and having researched thermalite blockwork and got the opinion of the NHBC certified builder (in writing) I feel happy that the house has no major issues lurking.

May sound silly but for the cost I was quoted for a structural survey I can buy 2nd hand a sofa, washing machine, fridge, freezer & dining table which otherwise I would have to live without for a couple of months!