When it was freezing cold over winter I noted that our back doors were
catching, but they've since sorted themselves out. I'm aware that's not
unusual.

Recently I've noticed a crack in some plaster above the bathroom window,
similar above a bedroom door and there's a small gap between the wall
and the some of the skirting on the stairs. Only a mm or two but there's
definitely things shifting.

I'm hoping it's climate or coincidence but we had a downstairs wall out*
a couple of years ago and it's making me paranoid!

Talk to me about your cracks and hopefully put my mind at rest.

*Load bearing wall, 2 rooms into one done by a builder and a concrete
lintel put in that's sitting on one skin of brick of the internal wall.

On 30/04/2021 10:27, R D S wrote:
Recently I've noticed......

115 year old terrace, probably worth mentioning.

On Fri, 30 Apr 2021 10:27:11 +0100, R D S wrote:

When it was freezing cold over winter I noted that our back doors were
catching, but they've since sorted themselves out. I'm aware that's not
unusual.

Recently I've noticed a crack in some plaster above the bathroom window,
similar above a bedroom door and there's a small gap between the wall
and the some of the skirting on the stairs. Only a mm or two but there's
definitely things shifting.

I'm hoping it's climate or coincidence but we had a downstairs wall out*
a couple of years ago and it's making me paranoid!

Talk to me about your cracks and hopefully put my mind at rest.

*Load bearing wall, 2 rooms into one done by a builder and a concrete
lintel put in that's sitting on one skin of brick of the internal wall.

My previous gaff was an old cottage, throughout the seasons cracks
would open up and close like rosebuds. In lockdown it would've been a
good way of estimating what time of the year it was without getting
out of bed.
--

Mike

On 30/04/2021 10:33, R D S wrote:
On 30/04/2021 10:27, R D S wrote:
Recently I've noticed......

115 year old terrace, probably worth mentioning.

Yes indeed. That means it won't have concrete foundations to "modern"
spec. I'm assuming you don't have nearby trees of any size?

OK, just past Victorian but I think the construction is likely to be
similar. They didn't normally skimp on materials if you exclude the
single skin extensions at the back. I'd guess these are settlement
cracks associated with the new work, but I'd expect it to slow down and
stop. Apply filler and wait a year.

On Friday, April 30, 2021 at 10:27:15 AM UTC+1, R D S wrote:
When it was freezing cold over winter I noted that our back doors were
catching, but they've since sorted themselves out. I'm aware that's not
unusual.

Recently I've noticed a crack in some plaster above the bathroom window,
similar above a bedroom door and there's a small gap between the wall
and the some of the skirting on the stairs. Only a mm or two but there's
definitely things shifting.

I'm hoping it's climate or coincidence but we had a downstairs wall out*
a couple of years ago and it's making me paranoid!

Talk to me about your cracks and hopefully put my mind at rest.

*Load bearing wall, 2 rooms into one done by a builder and a concrete
lintel put in that's sitting on one skin of brick of the internal wall.

The cracks above the windows and doors may be due to timber lintels expanding and contracting they usually appear as L shaped cracks just beyond the reveals where the end of the lintel would be.

Richard

There will be movement due to load distribution. I had to get the ridge of
my roof redone when both my neighbours in the terrace did away with internal
downstairs walls, as the ridge went up in the middle. No other problems were
seen though.
Brian

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"R D S" wrote in message
...
When it was freezing cold over winter I noted that our back doors were
catching, but they've since sorted themselves out. I'm aware that's not
unusual.

Recently I've noticed a crack in some plaster above the bathroom window,
similar above a bedroom door and there's a small gap between the wall and
the some of the skirting on the stairs. Only a mm or two but there's
definitely things shifting.

I'm hoping it's climate or coincidence but we had a downstairs wall out* a
couple of years ago and it's making me paranoid!

Talk to me about your cracks and hopefully put my mind at rest.

*Load bearing wall, 2 rooms into one done by a builder and a concrete
lintel put in that's sitting on one skin of brick of the internal wall.

A friend of mine has a victorian house with a crack up the bedroom and
across the ceiling vary as the weather changes. I'm assuming its normal,
since they have sought advice and they were told that is just how they are,
and to use some modern pliable fillers.
Brian

--

This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"newshound" wrote in message
o.uk...
On 30/04/2021 10:33, R D S wrote:
On 30/04/2021 10:27, R D S wrote:
Recently I've noticed......

115 year old terrace, probably worth mentioning.

Yes indeed. That means it won't have concrete foundations to "modern"
spec. I'm assuming you don't have nearby trees of any size?

OK, just past Victorian but I think the construction is likely to be
similar. They didn't normally skimp on materials if you exclude the single
skin extensions at the back. I'd guess these are settlement cracks
associated with the new work, but I'd expect it to slow down and stop.
Apply filler and wait a year.

On 30/04/2021 10:34, Mike Halmarack wrote:
On Fri, 30 Apr 2021 10:27:11 +0100, R D S wrote:

When it was freezing cold over winter I noted that our back doors were
catching, but they've since sorted themselves out. I'm aware that's not
unusual.

Recently I've noticed a crack in some plaster above the bathroom window,
similar above a bedroom door and there's a small gap between the wall
and the some of the skirting on the stairs. Only a mm or two but there's
definitely things shifting.

I'm hoping it's climate or coincidence but we had a downstairs wall out*
a couple of years ago and it's making me paranoid!

Talk to me about your cracks and hopefully put my mind at rest.

*Load bearing wall, 2 rooms into one done by a builder and a concrete
lintel put in that's sitting on one skin of brick of the internal wall.

My previous gaff was an old cottage, throughout the seasons cracks
would open up and close like rosebuds. In lockdown it would've been a
good way of estimating what time of the year it was without getting
out of bed.


115 YO houses didn't have particularly good foundations, and the
original wall imposed its downward forces evenly along the foundation.
By removing it and inserting a beam, the OP is imposing concentrated
point loads onto the foundations, which may not be strong enough.
This is something that the BCO will normally fuss over and ask for
the original foundations to be exposed to make sure they are
strong enough. Did the OP submit a bulding notice, or just rely on
the word of a jobbing builder ?.

In article ,
R D S wrote:
When it was freezing cold over winter I noted that our back doors were
catching, but they've since sorted themselves out. I'm aware that's not
unusual.

Recently I've noticed a crack in some plaster above the bathroom window,
similar above a bedroom door and there's a small gap between the wall
and the some of the skirting on the stairs. Only a mm or two but there's
definitely things shifting.

I'm hoping it's climate or coincidence but we had a downstairs wall out*
a couple of years ago and it's making me paranoid!

Talk to me about your cracks and hopefully put my mind at rest.

*Load bearing wall, 2 rooms into one done by a builder and a concrete
lintel put in that's sitting on one skin of brick of the internal wall.

If they've used modern mortar on an old house built with lime, expect some
cracks as it can't move in the same way as lime. But not something to
worry about unduly, unless the cracks become large. And this very dry
spring can cause more movement than normal in an old house.

--
*The more I learn about women, the more I love my car

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 30/04/2021 13:50, Andrew wrote:

Did the OP submit a bulding notice, or just rely on
the word of a jobbing builder ?.

It was looked at before and after by someone who's exact capacity I
forget but I recall paying £200 for the privilege.

On 30/04/2021 10:27, R D S wrote:
When it was freezing cold over winter I noted that our back doors were
catching, but they've since sorted themselves out. I'm aware that's not
unusual.

Recently I've noticed a crack in some plaster above the bathroom window,
similar above a bedroom door and there's a small gap between the wall
and the some of the skirting on the stairs. Only a mm or two but there's
definitely things shifting.

I'm hoping it's climate or coincidence but we had a downstairs wall out*
a couple of years ago and it's making me paranoid!

Talk to me about your cracks and hopefully put my mind at rest.

*Load bearing wall, 2 rooms into one done by a builder and a concrete
lintel put in that's sitting on one skin of brick of the internal wall.

A general rule of thumb is that horizontal or vertical cracks of a few
mm aren't usually anything to worry about. It's when they are diagonal
down a wall it could be time to call in a structural engineer.

--

Jeff