Cracks in Chimney Breast - What to do?

middlecat

Hello,

I visited the 2-bed house (built around 1900) that I am buying over the weekend and came across some big cracks in the chimney breast in the loft space. See photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64272608@N03/5854083438/in/photostream/

There was a mysterious steel beam just under those cracks, which my surveyor couldn't explain. See photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64272608@N03/5854088590/

There are two possible scenarios:

(1) The cracks are old and the steel beam has fixed the problem - no problem
(2) The cracks are new and we still don't know what the steel beam is there for - big problem

When the surveyor first visited the property, he stated that he doesn't know what the steel beam is there for and he didn't notice any significant cracks (the cracks were covered by board, which was later removed by other visitors, which led to my discovery of those cracks). As a result, he gave the house a clean bill of health in terms of the structure and only mentioned that I should check if paperwork has been obtained for the steel beam.

I took some photos of the cracks and sent them to the surveyor and he insisted that those cracks are normal. I am now double checking with him if we are talking about the same cracks as I suspect he is thinking about the external render cracks. The cracks in the chimney breast do not look normal.

I could potentially engage a structural engineer (another £400-£500) to check the house but am really reluctant to do so since I have already paid over £800 for the original Homebuyer's Report, and feel that the surveyor should really advise on that. If he insists that it is not a problem, and it turns out to be a problem later on, can I seek redress from the survey company? Or would the survey company deny all responsibility as the cracks were "covered by the boards" during the visit.

Or should I bite the bullet and hire a structural engineer to check things out?

Any advice that you can give would be very much appreciated. Thank you!

tyllwyd

I can't make out where the steel beam is - does it run underneath where the socket is?

Has the chimney breast been removed in the rooms below?

My best guess would be that the chimney breast was removed below but the remaining brickwork wasn't properly supported (what are the wooden beams running horizontally? - one doesn't quite seem aligned with the other and doesn't seem to end at a logical point). The bricks started to sag causing the cracks, and the steel beam was put in to support them.

Would that fit what you have seen?

middlecat

Hello twllwyd,

Thanks for your response. The photo isn't very clear but the steel beam runs underneath the socket.

Both chimney breasts haven't been removed, which is puzzling.

I am not sure what the wooden beams running horizontally are for - would it be to nail the boards and attach the socket to?

The steel beam must be doing something - just not sure what!

silvercar

Could the steel beam have been put in place with the intention of removing the chimney breast below, but it never happened.

You know the cracks are there; you need to investigate.

diable

are you buying the property or thinking of making an offer on it?

middlecat

silvercar - very possible. I tried to trace the story through the vendor and previous owners but no one seems to know anything. One of the previous owner wasn't even aware that there is a steel beam in the roof.

I thought the paperwork for the steel beam was going to be the stumbling block as the surveyor indicated that there were no cracks, hence no structural issues in his report. I guess the cracks may now proved to be the bigger problem!

middlecat

diable wrote: »

are you buying the property or thinking of making an offer on it?

Hello diable - I have got an offer accepted. I am now pretty far down the line - mortgage offer received, survey and searches done.

taxsaver

I does look very much to me that at least part of the chimney breast has been removed. I have similar in my house.

Many old houses had several chimney flues all going up through a single chimney stack. My guess is that a chimney has been removed from a bedroom and thus that part of the 'stack' was removed and then shored up to support the remainder which then runs out through the roof.

hcb42

fairly common, although I couldnt see the steel beam either.

Have you spoke to the surveyor though. You did pay them a fee for advice!

middlecat

hcb42 - sorry that the steel beam is not coming out very clear - it's basically that dark area underneath the white board and white sockets. :P I have spoken with the surveyor and he said the cracks are fairly common. I am reconfirming with him that we are talking about the same cracks since he didn't see the cracks during his visit as the area was boarded up.

taxsaver - partial chimney removal? I am not familiar with that. Judging by what I can see from the rooms below, I think the chimney breasts are definitely still there (two blocks jutting out from the wall). So there is real fire for one chimney in the living room but the other one in the dining room is completely plastered up.

diable

Old houses crack, may just need repointing so use it to your advantage.