Advice re crack coming from ceiling down internal wall

Carrera74

Hi everyone
Just after a bit of advice please
I have a large crack coming down from my daughters bedroom down her wall. I also have a similiar crack on my side in my room although it was hidden in the cupboard. Im fearing the worse as its on both sides. I live in a mid terrace house and panicking that it's something like subsistence. I am about to sell my house or was! can anyone suggest what has caused this or if I need urgent remedial and no doubt expensive work done.

TIA.

https://ibb.co/dEregV

stuart45

A photo would help if possible. How old is the house?
I guess the crack is in a partition wall. Cracks can be caused by a number of things other than subsidence.

societys_child

Carrera74 wrote: »

Hi everyone
Just after a bit of advice please
I have a large crack coming down from my daughters bedroom down her wall. I also have a similiar crack on my side in my room although it was hidden in the cupboard. Im fearing the worse as its on both sides. I live in a mid terrace house and panicking that it's something like subsistence. I am about to sell my house or was! can anyone suggest what has caused this or if I need urgent remedial and no doubt expensive work done.

It definitely isn't 'subsistence' and I doubt it's subsidence either.

sevenhills

Carrera74 wrote: »

I am about to sell my house or was! can anyone suggest what has caused this or if I need urgent remedial and no doubt expensive work done.

TIA.

https://ibb.co/dEregV

Buy some filler from your local store, paint or wall paper over it once its dry.

FreeBear

That is quite a sizable crack and certainly needs investigating further. If is a historic crack that hasn't moved or grown in a number of years, slap a bit of filler in & redecorate.
If it is recent and/or still growing, then remedial action needs to be taken. It could be the external wall bowing out at the top, or a problem with the internal wall - Have you (or a previous owner) had a chimney breast removed ?

A seriously large crack can be stitched with a fair degree of success and needn't be expensive. What they do is remove some of the plaster, take out a horizontal mortar joint, insert a stainless steel bar and then pump a resin in to hold everything together. The plaster is then patched ready for redecorating.

A structural surveyor should be able to tell you what is causing the problem and recommend a suitable repair. He should also be able to advise on the cost of the repairs. You then have the choice to sell at a slightly reduced price, or get the repairs done and sell at full market value. You do not want to be covering up possible structural defects and lying to any prospective purchasers as it could have serious consequences down the line.

Carrera74

Thanks everyone. I did mean subsidence, I'll blame autocorrect and my lack of checking before posting.

The wall is the wall that splits my room and my daughters so not near an external wall as in the middle of the house, running parallel with the external walls. I've lived here 17 years and noticed the crack a few years ago but it has worsened significantly but I hadn't really noticed until now. My daughter is buying the house at a reduced rate and a surveyor is due. Should I point it out to him or get someone independent?

We haven't removed a chimney breast or carried out any building work since a house fire over 10 years ago.

tonyh66

whats the wall made of? (solid or hollow partition) what is beneath the wall? (nothing or a loadbearing wall or a wall that has been removed to make the room bigger)

stator

The surveyor will likely flag it up as a problem needing professional investigation. You should hire someome to do that whether you are selling or not

Carrera74

I'm not sure to be honest. It sounds hollow when I knock on it. Underneath is the wall separating the lounge / dining room.

Gloomendoom

From the pic, it looks like there might be another crack on the adjacent wall under the wallpaper.

Carrera74

No its just a mark on the wall but i can now see a hairline crack from the start of the crack on the ceiling running towards the external wall ��