Cracks in bay window brickwork

Rob=S=

We are currently making an offer on a new home and are wondering what the cost would be to fix a bay window.

The house has been fitted with UPVC windows which are probably at least 5 years old.

In the upstairs bedroom bay area there are 2 cracks down both side of the plaster work near where the bay meets the main house wall. There is also a crack on the outside of the bay in the render again where the bay meets the wall. The cracks inside and out are not in exactly the same place but both run from the top of the brick work to the bottom.

Do you think the brick work has moved and settled after the new frames have been installed or will the brick work never settle and eventually come away.

If this needs to be repaired can Bay jacks/poles be retro fitted or will the brick work need to be removed and the bay rebuilt with a lighter material?

What would the approximate costs be for the removal of the bricks & rebuild of the bay.

Regards Rob

RJS86

Well here's what id expect you to have to do. Remove interior corner plastic on bay windows. At this point you'll be able to see the condition of the corner and whether bay poles have been installed. You should also be able to check if you have a timber lintel supporting the inner layer of brickwork. If the timbers rotten/missing i would recommend replacing, if there aren't bay poles you'll need to install them, when its all done you'll just need a new bit of plastic board to be glued between the windows to cover the corner. Personally while i was doing this i would install helibars around the corner where the cracks appear to prevent further movement. Id do this downstairs first then repeat upstairs.

Its also worth checking the rainwater drainage at the front of the property to ensure the bay isn't settling due to water being discharged near the front of the bay.

When i did my bays i found no bay poles, no timber lintels and my rainwater run off was discharging near the bay. Although i must point out despite all this i had fairly minor cracks.

Rob=S=

Thanks for all that info.
Can you remember the rough cost for the total repair?

RJS86

I did all the work myself, I only needed a plasterer to make good, so unfortunately I can't give you any idea of price. You also probably won't be able to get a fixed price for this work though as it all depends on the state of the bay once it's opened up. From what I've seen this can vary depending on the workmanship of the window fitters who replaced the original windows.