Has the lintel failed? What’s the cost if so?

MPSWLondon

My girlfriend and I are looking to buy our first property in south west London. We’ve had the offer and mortgage application accepted.
We noticed during viewing a crack above the window at the back of the property, see pic attached. It’s the second floor, and tracks up to the roof. We had a level 2 home buyer report and it’s the thing we are most concerned about, aside from a bit of damp. The report does not mention subsidence at all. It’s a 1900s property, mid terrace, so won’t fall down tomorrow, but we are concerned at how much it may cost to repair.
I think the lintel has failed, do others agree? Can anyone indicate how much it may cost to repair, labour, materials, scafolding, etc?

Thank you! 

FreeBear

Doubt very much if there is a lintel there. You have a brick arch on the outside which is doing the job of a lintel. Internally, I suspect a timber beam.

The crack is more likely to be roof spread, but you'd need a structural engineer to diagnose the exact problem, and what needs to be done to fix it. he may suggest a few timbers to strengthen the roof internally, and a helicoil stitching of the crack. likely cost - Maybe £1K, maybe £5K. Certainly not a £100 job.

subjecttocontract

The brick arch above the window + a coup!e of other bricks in the wall, which are the same colour, all look to be younger than the other bricks in the wall.

Clive_Woody

subjecttocontract said:

The brick arch above the window + a coup!e of other bricks in the wall, which are the same colour, all look to be younger than the other bricks in the wall.

It looks like the whole window opening is a recent addition...along with those random replacement bricks. Not sure what that arch is sitting on/butting against (I'm no builder), but looks odd and wonder if the arch is pushing out the brickwork to the side of it from the pressure above.

plumb1_2

I’d go with what Freebear said above.

daveyjp

Cracks occur at 90 degrees to the movement and that crack will be letting in water.

The mortar under the edge of the tiles looks very new and is also disturbed around the crack, has the roof recently been replaced?

I'd also go back to the surveyor with that photo.

casper_gutman

Clive_Woody said:
It looks like the whole window opening is a recent addition...along with those random replacement bricks. Not sure what that arch is sitting on/butting against (I'm no builder), but looks odd and wonder if the arch is pushing out the brickwork to the side of it from the pressure above.

I disagree with some of this. I can't see anything to suggest the window opening has been added. The cut bricks above the arch look completely of a piece with the rest of the wall, and wouldn't have been built that way without the opening and arch there. And I'm doubtful whether the lateral load from the arch due to the little triangle of brickwork above it could have caused the entire wall to push apart like that. The roof spreading the perpendicular walls apart and causing the cracking seen on the gable wall as suggested by @FreeBear above seems much more likely.

stuart45

That's often a weak spot on a gable end. The ceiling joists are probably a higher looking at the photo, so they are really collars. The higher the collar, the more chance of the roof spreading. 

plumb1_2

The old wooden window would have given  support.