Is our house moving?

XEO25

Hi, moved into our 1930s semi last month and started to strip the walls today in the hall / stairs. There seems to be a noticeable gap between the staircase and the wall (hip side).

I'm worried this wall may be moving and has came away from the staircase. You might not see from the pictures, but the gap at the bottom of the stairs starts at about 10mm but graduallu gets up to about 100mm towards the tops of the stairs.

Any ideas what the issue (if anything) might be here?

fenwick458

something's moving.
whats on the other side of a) the wall we can see in the pics, ie is it an end terrace of is there house next door and b) whats on the other side of the stairs, just a bannister, or a stud wall, brick wall etc?

Phil4432

Any cracks on the wall inside and/or out?

Did the survey indicate anything relating to subsidence?

Presuming you have a shared driveway the other side of the staircase, is it in good condition with good drainage?  And the front?

twopenny

Or, over the centuries the staircase has shrunk away from the walls.
Are there cupboards under the stairs? Once the house is heated there is cold air drawn in.
It seems more likely that stairs would inch out than a wall but it's an option.
When I installed central heating in an Edwardian house all the panels in the doors shrank by 10cms.

FreeBear

twopenny said: It seems more likely that stairs would inch out than a wall but it's an option.
When I installed central heating in an Edwardian house all the panels in the doors shrank by 10cms.

10cm - That is as near as [redacted] four inches. Big enough to put your hand through !

Surely you mean 10mm ?

I have a tapering gap along the stair & outside wall (late 1920s build). It starts of at zero at the bottom, and opens up to around 10mm at the top. Recently dug out the filler and uncovered old newspapers that had been stuffed in to the gap dating from the late 1940s. On that basis, I'll assume the wall is stable - The gap is now covered by a 12mm scotia molding.

As for the OPs gap - The wall at the top of the stairs is not showing any sign of recent movement - There would have been a ruddy great crack up the corner if there were any movement. I suspect the gap is a result of old lime plaster falling away and a poor attempt at replastering at some point. Hacking the existing plaster off the wall, put up plasterboard, and skim will give you a nice flat surface to decorate on to. If there is a gap after plastering, cover it with a suitably sized molding.

XEO25

Behind the wall in the pic is the outside of our house (paved side driveway). Doesn't appear to be any drainage issues which I can see with a quick look.

On the others side of the stairs is a bannister and hallway. 

There are a fair few cracks in the front room and hall, as well as the box room (front of house above the bottom of the stairs). The cracks are hairline mostly and appear sideways at the top of the walls / touching onto ceilings. 

The survey didn't mention movement but did say the weight of stored items in the loft, plus the concrete tiles on the roof, might be the cause of cracks.

There aren't any cracks in the front wall on the outside. The side of the house is pebbledashed but I can't see any cracks or damage in it.

sevenhills

I am having issues with my staircase. My staircase seems to be poorly built and a recent DIY repair doesn't seem good enough.

Could it be that your staircase is moving, not the wall?

XEO25

sevenhills said:

I am having issues with my staircase. My staircase seems to be poorly built and a recent DIY repair doesn't seem good enough.

Could it be that your staircase is moving, not the wall?

I hope so!

Norman_Castle

XEO25 said:

 You might not see from the pictures, but the gap at the bottom of the stairs starts at about 10mm but graduallu gets up to about 100mm towards the tops of the stairs.

The gap at the top is about 10mm. Whats supporting the opposite side of the stairs at ground level?

XEO25

Norman_Castle said:

XEO25 said:

 You might not see from the pictures, but the gap at the bottom of the stairs starts at about 10mm but graduallu gets up to about 100mm towards the tops of the stairs.

The gap at the top is about 10mm. Whats supporting the opposite side of the stairs at ground level?

Good question - I've no idea! There's a toilet under the stairs and a small storage space under the last 5 or so steps.