Buying - cracks in brickwork

kind_of_frog

I am in the process of buying a house and the survey highlighted slight bowing and cracks in the bricks and recommended installation of helibars followed by observation. I am unsure how to observe and am feeling nervous about this, is this normal for older properties? Thank you, Jo

FreeBear

A wider shot showing context would help..

Small cracks that follow mortar joints are not always anything to worry about. When they go through bricks, that could be an indicator of a more serious problem. Whether helibars are a suitable "fix" really depends on the underlying problem causing the cracks. If it is subsidence, helibars will just shift the problem over if the foundations are not underpinned.

Have you had a structural surveyor take a look ?

stuart45

A vertical crack that's even from top to bottom, and stops at the DPC is often due to thermal movement. Whether the crack goes through the joints, or joints and brickwork depends on whether the mortar is stronger or weaker than the brickwork. If the mortar is stronger than the bricks, the cracks will go through them as well as the bed joints. It doesn't mean the cause is definitely a serious problem like subsidence. 
As FreeBear stated, you need to find the cause of the problem first. 
It could be that the brickwork has been repointed with a strong sand/cement mix, and this has prevented the wall from expanding and contracting as it did before.

kind_of_frog

Thanks both - this is the wider view FreeBear

stuart45

Does the crack stop at the DPC?

sheslookinhot

Does the crack extend below the central heating flue ?

kind_of_frog

It doesn't go below flue

stuart45

The central band inbetween the frames is the longest unbroken stretch of brickwork on most houses, so it's also the part that expands and contracts the most. When houses were built in lime mortar, the joints were more flexible and could cope with this movement. When the brickwork is repointed with a strong cement mortar, the flexibility is lost, and cracking often happens.
Those bricks are pre war commons, and not the strongest ones around.
It could also have something to do with the plumber hammering out the hole for the flue, instead of using a core drill.

FreeBear

Any uPVC replacement windows below, and do they have lintels supporting the outer leaf ?

Replacing old timber framed windows with uPVC and failing to install a lintel when one is required is often the cause of cracks to appear.

Another question - Is there any evidence of cracks on the internal walls ?

If not, the exterior cracks could be a minor issue (subject to the opinion of a structural engineer).