Visible crack on external wall

loulou41

Please would you make an offer on a house if you noticed that the outside wall has a visible crack? Is it worth spending the money on a building survey, to me if it is that visible, it might not be worthy making an offer? I asked my daughter to check the location as she lives 20 mins walk from there and that's what she reported to me. I would apprpeciate some advice on experienced home buyers please?

My other concern is that house is being marketed by two differenct EA'S with a difference of 10K. Who do I go with, the one with 10k less? Also why is it some sellers go with two or three EA'S, is it because they want a quick sale as they must pay double in commission. I am waiting to receive more details of the property by post from the EA. One is fairly detailed but with no sizes of the property and the other one, no even a photo of the house, very strange to me. Also how do I know the EA'S reputation as the cheaper one is unknown to me? Thanks

rsykes2000

I would get a survey done. Depending on what the surveyor said, I think I would be happier buying a house if it had a crack in the mortar round the bricks than one that had a crack going through the bricks themselves.

As for the EAs, it is a bit strange that the difference is 10K, but I would go with the lower one. Some sellers go with multiple as it gives the house more exposure if for example they need to sell quick as they are moving elsewhere due to job etc.

prudryden

There was a thread on here a couple of weeks ago about cracks. Evidently, if it is a horizontal crack - it could be the wall ties. One of the respondents seemed to have a lot of knowledge of those type of cracks.
Definitely spend the dosh on a building survey. It's a win/win situation.

TJ27

I can give you a basic idea of what to look for.

As prudryden says, horizontal cracks are often indicative of wall tie corrosion. There is usually more than one crack and they are spaced at intervals of about every sixth brick course. If you've got horizontal cracks spaced a couple of feet apart, it's your wall ties.

If the crack is more diagonal and wider at the top than it is at the bottom, or wider at the bottom than the top, then some sort of subsidence or heave might be happening. These cracks do tend to be quite wide and obvious, but not always.

Other things a surveyor will look for is whether the cracks are evident in the inside of the house as well as outside, whether they go through the DPC, how wide they are, whether they are uniform, etc.

When I bought my place I had horizontal cracks at the head of every opening house. The reinforcement in the lintels had corroded. I had to replace over a dozen of them.

If it's a small crack in the render between openings, then it could simply be due to a bit of shrinkage or minor movement. I wouldn't necessarily agree that it's better if the crack is going through the mortar joints rather than the bricks. This usually just indicates which of the two materials is strongest.

It's difficult to say exactly what it might be without seeing it, so I guess you should perhaps get a surveyor to check it out, but I hope this gives you a little bit of information.

loulou41

Thanks, really would not go for a building survey and waste money if I think it will pick something serious. Here is a link to give you an idea, you can see the hairline crack.

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/2880/p1449467jpgfrontnt3.jpg

prudryden

How did the vendor or EA explain that "hairline" crack?

WaveyDave_2

they look like minor cracks in the render from what I can see. I'd have thought a good textured masonry paint would cover them.

Then again, I'm not a surveyor

SammyD_2

Put it a different way - you are thinking about spending a lot of money on a house. If the crack is subsidence, you probably won't be covered by insurance if it was there before you took out the policy and didn't declare it. So you will have to fork out for the work yourself, and possibly be unable to sell at the full price. So why would you not pay a few hundred quid to get a proper opinion on whether the crack is a problem or not?

Our house has vertical cracks in the brick work - we have had three surveyors (two building society and one full building report) plus our buyer has had two surveyors look at it (her own and her banks). All have said minor cracking and no problem. But I wouldn't be able to sleep for worrying if I had not had professional opinions. You won't know until an expert tells you.

mr.broderick

Its pointless offering advice on cracks on houses.
It could be a multiple of things..expansion,settlement,movement etc.
If you're interested in the property view it and if you like it offer on it and have the surveyor take a look.

real1314

I'm not clear what crack you're talking about in the pic. I can see a short vertical line from the bottom of the render going up about 1 foot. and I can see a vague line running from the upstarir window down to the "porch" running roughly parallel to the roof line. The latter could be due to inadequate support from the timbers holding the "porch" area up.