House concern and not sure right next steps?

thebottomline

Hi all,

My wife and I moved into our first home having finally left the rental market just over a year ago. 

During the viewings there were a couple of small cracks in walls that we were initially concerned about, one in particular in one of the bedrooms below the window sill, but we had a full survey done and were advised they were just cosmetic as the house is 100 years old.

Since we’ve moved in we’ve been concerned the one below the window sill may be slightly worsening (photos attached, inc exterior view) and that there seems to be tiny crumb like debris on the window sill and the window frame looks a little concerning also to our untrained eyes. It also appears to us that the top part of the frame may be bowing inwards slightly, so we were concerned it could be something serious. 

Unfortunately we are not blessed with any family or friends who are well versed in this sort of thing (my mums always lived in council houses, dad passed away years ago and my wife’s family are all based in the USA).

So we wanted to ask if any kind souls have any advice on this; should we be worried, is it urgent, if so what sort of tradesperson should we have look at it, and could it be something covered by our insurance or Sod’s law wear and tear?

Any help super appreciated. Thank you. 

thebottomline

Bump (if that’s allowed?) in the hope a weekend user may be able to help at all? Thanks. 

greatcrested

UPVC replacement windows istalled at some point. The originalwindows may have been wood-framed, and able to support the weight of the wall above.

If not support was added above the new windows, the plastic may not be strong enough, hence the bowing in the centre and consequential cracking round the edges.

Just a theory - I'm not a builder or surveyor!

Doozergirl

The crack below the window looks like blown plaster.  If it was structural, you'd be able to see the crack through the brickwork.  The issue would be below that, not above.  It's a long way from the windows below and not the obvious place for a structural crack to start.  They tend to begin at weak joints - ie. the corners of windows, not the centre.  

It needs a repair anyway, so I'd pull
back that section of plaster and see if the actual bricks are cracked.   If not, then it's a case of blown plaster.  

If the window was bowing due to a lack of support above, I would expect to see evidence of that outside and you'd also have trouble opening that top window. 

In don't see anything more exciting around the frame than countless other windows I've seen.  

By the way, I wouldn't ever take any joy in claiming on buildings insurance.  You have it for catastrophes, it's not like car insurance.   That is the sort of thing that knocks on heavily.  I don't see any evidence there of a lack of support, but if there were, it would be a workmanship issue and not covered by insurance anyway.
 

FreeBear

Doozergirl said: If the window was bowing due to a lack of support above, I would expect to see evidence of that outside and you'd also have trouble opening that top window.

The first sign of the brickwork collapsing above the window would be a gap developing between the soldier course and the render above. A quick shimmy up a ladder would confirm the state of play. Although, if the render has been replaced recently, any gap may not be obvious, so a straight edge could be used to gauge any sag if present.

FENSA has been issuing advice to installers to check for adequate support of brickwork and fit lintels when required - Some installers will, others ignore the advice (can point to at least one recent install by Anglian Windows that should have had lintels installed).

OP - Do you have any paperwork for the windows, and if there was a guarantee, was it transferred to you when you bought the house ?