Re-Mortgage application bank requesting structural engineer report

london21

I have a re-mortgage application with Virgin money and they have requested a Structural engineer report to get the cause of crack and potential repair plans.
Has anyone experienced this?

The property is an old terrace property around 1930s.

FarmGirl78

Looks like the rendering has failed. Its not *usually* a major issue, but the problem is you can't see what's going on behind with the actual brickwork. If water has been getting in through that crack then it could have crumbled the brickwork or even seeped through to create damp inside (which I'm assuming you'd already know about). It could even be that the brick wall underneath has a crack in it too, although that's more unusual.

stuart45

To get a better idea the crack needs to be opened. You can sometimes slide a knife blade in to check if it goes through the brickwork. 
It looks like the cracks might be going down to the footings, which could be a foundation problem. Looks like there is a drain in that area.

Davesnave

I admit it doesn't look too frightening at ground level, but neither did our last house, which was also 1930s, rendered and suffering from major problems with bricks below the DPC crumbling over a pathetic 25mm foundation. If the cracks at a higher level had been as bad as those, I'm sure someone would have questioned them, but they weren't so obvious and nobody did, so we sold the problem to someone else.

A structural engineer will be worth it and it doesn't sound like you have a choice anyway.

Section62

london21 said:

I have a re-mortgage application with Virgin money and they have requested a Structural engineer report to get the cause of crack and potential repair plans.

Although we can only see the surface finish, not the structural wall behind, it is common for structural movement to first show up as diagonal cracking running from corners of openings (e.g. doors and windows).  Cracks running from one door/window to another are a fairly good indicator that something is seriously wrong with the structure.

You do need a structural engineer to have a look at what is going on there.

If you want to do a quick basic check yourself, try inserting something thin (e.g. cocktail stick/kebab skewer) into the crack.  If it goes in more than about half an inch then it is very likely the crack is also in the structure.  Half an inch or less and the situation is still uncertain.

london21

Thanks all for the responses, I have contacted a structural engineer who will be coming in the next few days.

stuart45

london21 said:

Thanks all for the responses, I have contacted a structural engineer who will be coming in the next few days.

Be good to hear what the SE says for reference.

Section62

stuart45 said:

Be good to hear what the SE says for reference.

Looking at the foundation-level picture again, I wonder whether the lower concrete area is the side of a base slab (rather than render) which is hogging for some reason.

Definitely one it would be interesting the hear more about.

london21

stuart45 said:

To get a better idea the crack needs to be opened. You can sometimes slide a knife blade in to check if it goes through the brickwork. 
It looks like the cracks might be going down to the footings, which could be a foundation problem. Looks like there is a drain in that area.

Yes there is a drain in the area picture 1.

The structural engineer came and said the pebble dash needs to be removed to further review the brick undermeath.

stuart45

Leaking drains are a common cause of foundation problems, especially gullys. People often break them trying to clear the trap with an iron bar or similar and crack the base. Over the years the water undermines the foundation in that area. 
I wouldn't be surprised if that crack went through the brickwork.

london21

I had another structural engineer around and said within a week will provide report. 
he mentioned the drains should also be checked if they are blocked.

The house has been a stressful experience, but glad the gas engineer has moved the boiler from the 3rd room to the kitchen, now need the remortgage money to complete house project. I am keepig my fingers crossed. .