Small cracks in plastered wall- Clay Soil - Sag/Swell/Settlement

Wolfsbane2k

Hi.

We've recently moved into a 1960's house that's at the top of a smallish hill with a row of large oaks (over 10m tall) next door, and it's a clay soil. The environmental survey didn't pick up any risk of earth movement.

When we bought the house, the mortgage surveyor picked up on a structural problem in the form of sagging verges, which was addressed by removing about 2 m of roofing to remove and replace the verges meaning that the roof must of moved some.

At the same time, we've had the recent hot spell, and being on clay soil, we should of expected some house movement due to the trees and being on a clay soil.

However, we've now noticed approx 4 very narrow horizontal cracks appearing on the walls in the kitchen, approx 1 m long and 6 cm apart, starting a doorway, and all the coving in the house appears to have become detached from either the ceiling or the wall, not never both.

Given this, we're a little worried about what the next step would be - can someone give some advice please? There doesn't appear to be any instant risk of big problems.

I'm thinking of taking photos of the house while measuring the cracks, monitoring over 6 months, and if it gets worse to get a surveyor in.

I'm guessing, if it is sag/swell, then it's something i just need to live with, as the trees are TPOd, just take into account that i need to do more patching/plastering than expected!

Thanks.

anotherbaldrick

You will probably find the cracks close up when the Autumn rains come , and open up again next Summer. That's living on clay. Start worrying if next door take the Oaks down , that would cause heave in the clay. Removal of such trees requires a progressive cut back over several years to allow a progressive subsoil adjustment.