House cracks

dexterwolf

Went to view a house today that is 10 years old but there were lots of cracks in the plaster in nearly every room. Also around some of the windows it looked like possible damp areas. The house was rented out and we were told that they have not let it in a good way.

The house is only 10 years old but should there be this many cracks in the plaster and areas of damp around the windows ?

RelievedSheff

Plaster cracks very easily.

We have been in our new build for six months now and as it is drying out we are getting a few shrinkage cracks in the corners of some rooms.

If these have not been repaired in 10 years then yes there could be lots of them.

The damp could well be lack of ventilation. Did the previous owners or tenants open the windows or window vents if present?

The young couple over the road from us who moved in at the same time as us are suffering terribly with mould and damp around their window frames because they have not opened windows or vents in the time they have been in the house. Ours built at the same time has no such issues because we ventilate it properly.

TELLIT01

Hairline cracks are pretty commonplace on newer houses because they dryline rather than plastering direct to the walls. There shouldn't be any cracks bigger than that. If cracks have been allowed to develop and not been treated in 10 years I would wonder what else hasn't been addressed. I wouldn't touch the place.

FreeBear

TELLIT01 wrote: »

Hairline cracks are pretty commonplace on newer houses because they dryline rather than plastering direct to the walls. There shouldn't be any cracks bigger than that. If cracks have been allowed to develop and not been treated in 10 years I would wonder what else hasn't been addressed. I wouldn't touch the place.

Cracks in drylined walls & ceilings generally follow the edges of the boards - If the cracks are in straight lines, not too much to worry about. Diagonal cracks emanating from windows and/or door openings could suggest something much more serious.

If you are a first time buyer, have a look at a few more properties and give this one a miss - If it has had little or no maintenance done in the last ten years, heaven knows what you'll find when trying to catch up on all the repairs that should have been done.