Cracks to the brickwork

Karen_Artioli

Good afternoon, 

I’m buying a house which the original conservatory polycarbonate roofing was replaced by composite plastic tile roof. 

The surveyor spotted vertical cracking to the brickwork where the rear extension / former conservatory abuts the main house and suggested the additional weight of the new roof covering may be a cause of this instability. 

Therefore, he advised to instruct a competent building contractor to dig a trial pit to expose the footings and confirm their adequacy - which would be quite pricey and we doubt the sellers would be happy with that as it’s quite intrusive.

From your experience, do you think those cracks may be a concern?

Many thanks

FreeBear

The circled area and similar voids is indicative of sloppy brick laying and insufficient mortar used. The vertical crack suggests that no wall plate was used between the conservatory and house. Whilst there will be foundations for the conservatory walls, it is quite likely that they are shallow and prone to movement/settlement. Apart from repointing, there isn't much you can do short of demolishing and building a proper extension.

As long as there is an exterior grade door separating the conservatory from the rest of the house, I wouldn't worry too much.

stuart45

If the brickwork isn't toothed in or more commonly nowadays a wall starter used you often find a crack like that at the wall junction.
The small holes are where the line pins where. They hold the line for bricklaying in place, but should be filled in. Easy to do.
Nothing to worry about.

Section62

Karen_Artioli said:

I’m buying a house which the original conservatory polycarbonate roofing was replaced by composite plastic tile roof. 

Initially I'd be more concerned whether there is anything other than uPVC window frames supporting the roof structure. Even with composite plastic tiles the weight of a solid roof will be significantly more than polycarbonate on a minimal frame.  Did the surveyor have a view on that aspect?

stuart45

This might give you an idea.
when your wall is not properly tied into another wall - YouTube

Karen_Artioli

Section62 said:

Karen_Artioli said:

I’m buying a house which the original conservatory polycarbonate roofing was replaced by composite plastic tile roof. 

Initially I'd be more concerned whether there is anything other than uPVC window frames supporting the roof structure. Even with composite plastic tiles the weight of a solid roof will be significantly more than polycarbonate on a minimal frame.  Did the surveyor have a view on that aspect?

Yes, they’ve advised to instruct a FENSA registered window installer to ensure the windows are reinforced in order to carry the additional weight.
I’m just wondering how hard it will be to find someone to do this check for me and how expensive it will be, any thoughts please?

Karen_Artioli

stuart45 said:

If the brickwork isn't toothed in or more commonly nowadays a wall starter used you often find a crack like that at the wall junction.
The small holes are where the line pins where. They hold the line for bricklaying in place, but should be filled in. Easy to do.
Nothing to worry about.

Fab, thank you so much for that! I've watched the video you sent.
Can you please clarify what the consequences are for the wall not being properly tied into the other wall? Apart from the cracks, is there any concern for any major issue such as the wall bending over or falling apart?
And is there any way to fix it now?

Karen_Artioli

FreeBear said:

The circled area and similar voids is indicative of sloppy brick laying and insufficient mortar used. The vertical crack suggests that no wall plate was used between the conservatory and house. Whilst there will be foundations for the conservatory walls, it is quite likely that they are shallow and prone to movement/settlement. Apart from repointing, there isn't much you can do short of demolishing and building a proper extension.

As long as there is an exterior grade door separating the conservatory from the rest of the house, I wouldn't worry too much.

Thank you for your response.
Do you reckon there is any concern for any major issue such as the wall bending over or falling apart?
There is no door separating the extension from the rest of the house, why do you mean this would be important? Just in case the extension collapses? It's not very reassuring haha!

stuart45

I guess it's a cavity wall, so it probably won't go much more, but wall starters or ties can be retro fitted. It's quite a common problem.
You could repoint it to stop moisture getting in.

FreeBear

Karen_Artioli said: Do you reckon there is any concern for any major issue such as the wall bending over or falling apart?
There is no door separating the extension from the rest of the house, why do you mean this would be important? Just in case the extension collapses? It's not very reassuring haha!

The vertical crack is minor and can easily be repointed. Highly unlikely that the wall will fall down on its own accord.

A conservatory, even with a fancy lightweight roof, is going to be cold in the winter and roasting hot during the summer. Having an exterior grade door allows you to shut the space off from the rest of the house - During the winter, this will save considerably on heating bills.

Without that door in place, the conservatory needs comply with Building Regulations and would be classed as an extension.

JJR45

FreeBear said:

Karen_Artioli said: Do you reckon there is any concern for any major issue such as the wall bending over or falling apart?
There is no door separating the extension from the rest of the house, why do you mean this would be important? Just in case the extension collapses? It's not very reassuring haha!

The vertical crack is minor and can easily be repointed. Highly unlikely that the wall will fall down on its own accord.

A conservatory, even with a fancy lightweight roof, is going to be cold in the winter and roasting hot during the summer. Having an exterior grade door allows you to shut the space off from the rest of the house - During the winter, this will save considerably on heating bills.

Without that door in place, the conservatory needs comply with Building Regulations and would be classed as an extension.

We had one in our last house, and itt performed like a normal roof and was perfectly fine in summer and winter.

It will need building regs anyway, once a conservatory has been replaced with a solid roof, it needs building regs on the new roof.
Many people do not realise it, that is why when we purchased we made sure it was a pre-approved building regs design so was signed off easily.