Stonemasonry

How to tell if a crack is structural

Anonymous user 09/03/2024 - 3.18 PM

Hi I've had a buildings survey on a house I'm buying and the following comments in the report: 'Cracking was noted to the masonry over the rear/mid bedroom window, the side kitchen/dining room window and the rear side kitchen/dining room window. This may be due to inadequate support which could result in failure of the wall section above and repair or replacement is necessary. These works should be undertaken as soon as is practicable.' Further discussion with the surveyor: 'The advice given is a worst case scenario. Given the location of the cracking the cause is likely to be normal thermal expansion/contraction of the materials used, however, due to the presence of the render finish it is not possible to confirm the exact cause and extent of the defect. There is no evidence of structural failure but further investigation by a competent builder to rule this out is necessary. Repair work to the lintels may be necessary in the worst case or simply repair work to the cracked render will be necessary to prevent further deterioration and possible water penetration.' Just wondering if anyone has had similar and can advise what the outcome was? Also what type of contractor would be able to assess this and how would it be assessed? We can't do anything invasive as the sellers still own the house and still live there. Thanks