How old does a house have to be before it fall's down ?

gooner63_2

Just a quick question....my house has just developed a small crack on the o/s wall through the mortar joint....about 100mm ..will it last my lifetime..or do I need to sell up and buy a new build ....my present home is a Victorian dwelling....advice would be appreciated ?....;)

silvercar

Be cheaper to fix the problem than sell up!

Do you have building insurance?

Doozergirl

100mm?!

in width or length? If it's in width then you're in trouble, in length, it's barely an issue.

Houses don't just fall down. They need maintaining. Some maintenance is more expensive than others, but real problems are covered by buildings insurance. But it's also perfectly normal for houses to move a certain amount over time. As long as you look after it, the house will will last for as long as you're alive and a lot, lot longer; but for as long as you're alive is the important bit

Want to share a picture?

horace_2

gooner63 wrote: »

Just a quick question....my house has just developed a small crack on the o/s wall through the mortar joint....about 100mm ..will it last my lifetime..or do I need to sell up and buy a new build ....my present home is a Victorian dwelling....advice would be appreciated ?....;)

And, gooner63 is probably able to vote. I am going to top myself.

h

poppysarah

Show us a photo of your crack *snigger*

Bob_the_Saver

gooner63 wrote: »

Just a quick question....my house has just developed a small crack on the o/s wall through the mortar joint....about 100mm ..will it last my lifetime..or do I need to sell up and buy a new build ....my present home is a Victorian dwelling....advice would be appreciated ?....;)

Victorian dwelling, just a new build then, 99% sure it will look worse than it is. If it is actually four inches wide please ignore these comment otherwise don't worry too much about it.
Is it a detached property or in a terrace, the latter would probably be even less to worry about. My mother had a Victorian terraced property for 40 years with a crack in the wall between her and her neighbour you could put a pencil in if you had nothing better to do. It's not fallen down yet and she left 10 years ago.
I would worry MUCH more about ANYTHING built in the last 25 years.

sonastin

A well maintained house can last hundreds of years. A badly-built new build left to its own devices could fall down within decades. Its down to how well you want to look after it. Fix it and the house will last your lifetime. Leave it and it might last, might not. Depends what caused it. But it will certainly lose value if you don't maintain the house.

Pupnik

Bob_the_Saver wrote: »

I would worry MUCH more about ANYTHING built in the last 25 years.

I agree with this! Modern houses are often just not built to last. As I just mentioned in the flood thread, my parents' house is around 500 years old and it isn't even the oldest in the village. Look after a house and it will look after you :j

PasturesNew

poppysarah wrote: »

Show us a photo of your crack *snigger*

I think he wants you to show him yours first.

Ulfar

Gotta be a wind up.

PasturesNew

If it's a crack because the walls are moving apart, it might not even be that expensive to fix it. I've seen these on Homes Under the Hammer (that makes me an expert, right) - and some people have just said "Oh, the wall was moving away, so we used wall ties etc etc).

Edit: Just tracked one down. House in Wigan.

Programme showed: Bathroom HUGE crack in the corner and down the walls. Several cracks
Buyers said: Big cracks - used wall ties, which are drilled in from the inside.

They didn't break the costs down to specify exactly how much that bit cost.