Advice please! Lots of render cracks on house = subsidence? Possible purchase

miaroseengland

Hello,

Really hope you do not mind me posting and that I am in the correct section.

Need some knowledgeable advice from anyone kind enough to offer...

We have today viewed a property we are considering buying. However, it has a lot of cracks all over the render - the back wall and the left wall of the house (front door and attached to garage)
Horizontal, vertical and random pattern cracks. Only internal crack is the upstairs bedroom at the back of the house - horizontal coming from top corner of window.

**PICS BELOW**

Having no experience with any sort of building with cracks/subsidence - we are not sure what we may be dealing with here to be honest. Partner is a carpenter, no experience with structural work.

It's a house we love and in the right area, we are considering getting a full structural survey done before placing an offer so that we may get quotes for the work and offer accordingly. If I could get someone with experience to give me a general idea what is potentially wrong first (before spending £100's on survey) then we could assess whether it was too much work for us or not.

Things to mention - whole back of house downstairs appear to be sloping towards garden - gap beneath skirting at end of house has a approx. 50mm. However upstairs floors level. No sign of internal damp at ground level.

Chalet appears to have built in concrete gutters? Any known problems with these?

Both upstairs bedrooms in gable ends have damp/black mould on window frames/cills/reveals. Externally render cracks are coming out wards from upvc windows upwards towards roof. Perhaps the cause?

I don't want to be naive and underestimate the work needing to be done, at the same time I would want to lose out on a great house if the work was potentially superficial.

Offers are expected on open day next Saturday, doesn't leave us a massive amount of time to figure this out.

Thanks very much! Melanie

Would like to add pics of house however site won't allow me. Is there a way around it? Am an existing user however on an old email address which I can't access now - was easier to create new account. :doh:

socookin

I can't see the pics. However, if it is subsidence the bricks should be different levels and not 100% aligned with each other. If they look new it could also be subsidence.

I would not bother having a survey done unless you've made an offer as there is a chance it could be rejected anyway. I'd put in an offer, and if later on you find problems negotiate the price down.

I'm no expert, that's just my personal advice

stebiz

Hard to tell without pics but a lot of houses with render that hasn't keyed properly have many cracks.

macman

If the concern is subsidence, it's the underlying masonry that you need to examine, not the render.
Does your partner not have trade contacts who could look it over from a builder's point of view?

I_have_spoken

Age of property?

TBH without pics we're guessing