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Buying a house with a crack in the wall, serious? (Picture)

13

Comments

  • DaftyDuck wrote: »
    Any more pictures of other aspects of the house? Is it detached, or is another one joined at the other end? Extreme bottom right - is that concrete drive, or....

    Oh, to add to my post #11, there's also water penetration behind the gutter that's damaged the fascia/soffit and the mortar up there - and quite possibly damaged the main wall as well. It's not just a "clean the gutter" job up there!

    You asked " Would I buy?" No, probably not, unless the price was quite exceptional, or the view stunning. It'd have to have some strong redeeming feature to be worth the hassle.

    It's a detached 3 bedroom period property and the price was exceptional so if things check out it will be a great investment.
  • Smi1er wrote: »
    That's bad. Real bad. Others have said to get a SE report but to be honest I wouldn't bother unless the house is cheap (as in auction cheap). Poor repairs in the past means you'll have to do the job properly and IMHO isn't worth the risk in case you discover further issues.


    Walk away. No, I mean run away. And fast!

    It was auction cheap, similar houses on the same street are valued at around 400K, and this property was on for 240K but I got it for 160K.
  • Paypeanuts
    Paypeanuts Posts: 88 Forumite
    sgtpepper wrote: »
    It was auction cheap, similar houses on the same street are valued at around 400K, and this property was on for 240K but I got it for 160K.

    There's your clue, then!
  • SG27
    SG27 Posts: 2,773 Forumite
    Paypeanuts wrote: »
    There's your clue, then!

    Yep looks like everyone else was scared of the crack too!

    Get a structural engineer and work out if any work needed would cost up to the full value, don't forgot the full value will be lower than similar properties nearby.
  • DaftyDuck
    DaftyDuck Posts: 4,609 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    It's a bit of a gamble, as it sounds like you aren't that confident of your DIY diagnostic skills but, at that price, the odds are stacked in your favour. With those numbers your "would I buy?" changes to a yes, but only if I were ten years younger and two stone less unfit. Best of luck with it.
  • It would turn me away from buying in i'm afraid, looks a big expensive job to me...
  • theGrinch
    theGrinch Posts: 3,133 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    other fish in the sea
    "enough is a feast"...old Buddist proverb
  • sgtpepper_2
    sgtpepper_2 Posts: 52 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    It would turn me away from buying in i'm afraid, looks a big expensive job to me...


    Not all cracks are serious, many vertical stepped ones can result from settling and are just a cosmetic thing. So we thought we'd try our luck as if it is not serious its a great buy.
  • phill99
    phill99 Posts: 9,093 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    It's not a crack. It's a cable. If you look closely you can see cable clips.

    A crack doesn't behave that way. Cracks always take the path of least resistance, which is typically through the mortar bed. There are many cases where cracks can go through bricks, but typically through the centre of a brick. If you look at the brick that is 'cracked' on the very top course in the picture as well as the brick on the 5th course from the top, the 'crack' is only a half inch or so from the end of the brick. There is no way a brick would crack so close to the mortar. It would simply pull away from the mortar.

    Also look at the bottom of the 'crack'. It suddenly stops about 3 courses above the grass. This is where the cable disappears in the house.

    Additionally, if it was subsidence, the crack would typically be wider at the top than the bottom. This 'crack' is exactly the same width from top to bottom.
    Eat vegetables and fear no creditors, rather than eat duck and hide.
  • sgtpepper_2
    sgtpepper_2 Posts: 52 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    phill99 wrote: »
    It's not a crack. It's a cable. If you look closely you can see cable clips.

    A crack doesn't behave that way. Cracks always take the path of least resistance, which is typically through the mortar bed. There are many cases where cracks can go through bricks, but typically through the centre of a brick. If you look at the brick that is 'cracked' on the very top course in the picture as well as the brick on the 5th course from the top, the 'crack' is only a half inch or so from the end of the brick. There is no way a brick would crack so close to the mortar. It would simply pull away from the mortar.

    Also look at the bottom of the 'crack'. It suddenly stops about 3 courses above the grass. This is where the cable disappears in the house.

    Additionally, if it was subsidence, the crack would typically be wider at the top than the bottom. This 'crack' is exactly the same width from top to bottom.

    Are you referring to the bit of cable on the far upper left?
    I've zoomed in on the original pic and it seems to move away from where the crack has been filled in...

    Screenshot2014-03-08at214208.png
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