Brick crack

tony3619

Section62 said:

aoleks said:

tony3619 said:

stuart45 said:

That's quite a short length of brickwork for thermal cracking. It's less than 4 metres, and movement joints are normally every 10-12 metres in clay brickwork. It's possible the opening was a course too high, and the fitters knocked off a course as shiraz99 said. The joints would crack like that if the brickwork was knocked.

Would you say it's worth getting a survey done for subsidence? Or keep an eye on it to see if it gets worse? I have 5 years left on the structural new build warranty (for what's it's worth) so I don't want evidence of a claim unless sure as buyers can access past claims. 

I definitely think you may have a point about being a course too high. Looking at the sealant and state of the bricks I reckon they have used some brute force and made the window fit. 

absolutely not, that's not subsidence. keep an eye on it, but there's no need to worry. repoint if you have to, but the house won't go anywhere.

You can't possibly tell that just from the information the OP has posted.

Whilst we'd all hope for the OP's sake that it isn't subsidence, stating categorically that it isn't (without evidence) is misleading and poor advice.

I've posted some photos of those areas. A few faint hairline cracks in mortar but nothing that follows a pattern or meets up to the window. To be honest I've noticed poor workmanship on all the houses in terms of the mortar. It's very shoddy 

tony3619

Not sure if it means anything but it's a breeze block cavity wall. 

stuart45

tony3619 said:

Not sure if it means anything but it's a breeze block cavity wall. 

That's pretty standard for a new build. The thing to remember about cracks is that really big cracks started off as small ones.

tony3619

stuart45 said:

tony3619 said:

Not sure if it means anything but it's a breeze block cavity wall. 

That's pretty standard for a new build. The thing to remember about cracks is that really big cracks started off as small ones.

Would you say it still just needs observing based on all the photos? Obviously I know you can only give a limit view but any advice is helpful 

stuart45

I would keep observing. As Section62 implied, there isn't really enough information to discount foundation movement.

tony3619

stuart45 said:

I would keep observing. As Section62 implied, there isn't really enough information to discount foundation movement.

Ok thanks. I'll keep an eye on it. If it is foundation movement then I would rather be totally sure with more noticeable evidence so I can claim on the structural warranty before it runs out. 

If it did turn out to be foundation movement would it also affect my neighbours? It's basically one big building split Into 3 town houses and 3 flats. I would expect it to be on the same foundation or no? 

Also if it's not subsidence or caused by the window installation what else could it be?

Slinky

tony3619 said:

Hello, 

I noticed this crack on the outside of the house directing under the a double window. It measures about 1.5 -2 mm. I've been keeping an eye on it for about 4 months and I don't think it's got any bigger? Does this look like thermal cracking? 

Does that crack continue around the RH of the brick below it and then run down between the next pair of bricks down? There's something hairline visible on row 3

tony3619

Slinky said:

tony3619 said:

Hello, 

I noticed this crack on the outside of the house directing under the a double window. It measures about 1.5 -2 mm. I've been keeping an eye on it for about 4 months and I don't think it's got any bigger? Does this look like thermal cracking? 

Does that crack continue around the RH of the brick below it and then run down between the next pair of bricks down? There's something hairline visible on row 3

It stops half way round the bottom side of the brick. It doesn't connect to the crack running between the two bricks (yet atleast) 

Slinky

tony3619 said:

Slinky said:

tony3619 said:

Hello, 

I noticed this crack on the outside of the house directing under the a double window. It measures about 1.5 -2 mm. I've been keeping an eye on it for about 4 months and I don't think it's got any bigger? Does this look like thermal cracking? 

Does that crack continue around the RH of the brick below it and then run down between the next pair of bricks down? There's something hairline visible on row 3

It stops half way round the bottom side of the brick. It doesn't connect to the crack running between the two bricks (yet atleast) 

We had something similar below a ground floor window of our 17 year old house, except the crack continued through one brick. Surveyor reckoned it was settlement, the floor in the adjoining room also had a bit of a dip in it. Several years later when we had an extension built we swapped the cracked brick out, and had a screed to level the floor. 14 years later when we sold there had been no recurrance of the cracking, and the floor seemed level. We were on a heavy clay soil.

tony3619

Slinky said:

tony3619 said:

Slinky said:

tony3619 said:

Hello, 

I noticed this crack on the outside of the house directing under the a double window. It measures about 1.5 -2 mm. I've been keeping an eye on it for about 4 months and I don't think it's got any bigger? Does this look like thermal cracking? 

Does that crack continue around the RH of the brick below it and then run down between the next pair of bricks down? There's something hairline visible on row 3

It stops half way round the bottom side of the brick. It doesn't connect to the crack running between the two bricks (yet atleast) 

We had something similar below a ground floor window of our 17 year old house, except the crack continued through one brick. Surveyor reckoned it was settlement, the floor in the adjoining room also had a bit of a dip in it. Several years later when we had an extension built we swapped the cracked brick out, and had a screed to level the floor. 14 years later when we sold there had been no recurrance of the cracking, and the floor seemed level. We were on a heavy clay soil.

How many courses of bricks did yours continue down? What action did the surveyor originally recommend?