Advice needed for a cracked wall.

fandyman

Hi,

I've completed on a house purchase recently and discovered two areas which worry me in terms of potential structural issues.

I've not instructed a survey but that is a separate issue. I did my own inspection and was satisfied at the time. I now start to regret that and am worried I missed 2 areas of concern.

One of the areas is more explainable than the other as it is near a window and all windows in the house have been replaced not so long ago. The area is on the wall where bathroom is and I observed some cracked tiles inside:



The other area is more of concern as it is not directly by a window but on the adjoining wall:



I have to also admit there are a few leaks from the upstairs bathrooms that are not serious but from the staining in the downstairs it makes me think the issues are not fully resolved.

The searches for any drains issues came back negative. Also any searches re subsidence came negative too. The area is not a mining area of any sort.

Please see the photos and let me know whether it is something serious and I should now get a structural engineer to asses how serious it is.

Many thanks for any replies.

FreeBear

A wider shot of the two external photos that show more of the building would give us a better understanding of the building. Context is everything.

As a general rule, cracks in first floor walls can often be an indicator of a missing or failed lintel - Are there any window/door openings on the ground floor ?

EssexExile

Was the previous owner a DIY person? That flat roof below the soil pipe branch doesn't look right, is there an opening in the main wall below that?

Spies

Blimey, the bricks behind the soilpipe are actually cracked.

Some pretty messy pointing work there too!

In fact, is there a brick missing entirely that they've just rammed a load of cement into?

stuart45

Looks like an extension sitting on a timber frame. Timber moves differently to brickwork, so this can cause cracking.
Or is it steel with a timber face.

fandyman

FreeBear said:

A wider shot of the two external photos that show more of the building would give us a better understanding of the building. Context is everything.

As a general rule, cracks in first floor walls can often be an indicator of a missing or failed lintel - Are there any window/door openings on the ground floor ?

Thanks for answering.

Regarding the failed lintel I am not aware of any - there are no window/door openings on the ground floor. There is a small round stained glass window and that is it.

The extension the others point out is just a side polycarbonate roofing for the bbq area which is located nearby. It covers a section from the kitchen doors up to that area. It is built on a timber frame and does not prop up the building in any way - it is rather only "attached" to the building.

Please keep asking if that helps - I want to know more what I am dealing with here.

I will try to attach some more photos later on.

chris_n

What is going on with all of the timber in the bottom pic? Looks like a strange construction, wider pics required.

fandyman

Please see some more photos.

First Area:


Second Area:

stuart45

I can see stepped cracking in the brickwork on the bottom photo where the beam has deflected.

fandyman

What is the consequence of that? Do I need to call in structural engineer or just monitor for now?

stuart45

An SE on site would give you a better idea. There is a fair bit of weight from the roof and wall on that beam. Have you got a photo of the beam above the bay window showing the struts?