Just noticed this. Is this subsidence?

[kris23]

Hello,

Im new to the forum so bear with me. I've just moved into a house, house is 36 years old withbrick and block cavity walls.

Just noticed this today as walked past. A small crack from bottom of window diagonally down. There are no other cracks anywhere on the property.

Is this a sign of subsidence? or a non-structural crack?

Thank you

 

[Notch7]

more likely to be thermal expansion and contraction -the window opening creates a weak point in the large panel of brickwork, so any stresses are likely to relieve themselves near to one of the corners of the structural opening -as per your slight crack

it might disappear on a hot day

keep a decent picture on file then do another one next summer and compare

its not evidence of subsidence unless it keeps growing noticeably over a period of years

 

[kris23]

Thanks, i will take a few photos every month or so to monitor. Glad its not likely subsidence. Homebuyers survey didn't pick anything up or even mention it. I didnt notice it until now

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Your wall has shrunk a little, due to it drying out at some point, as they all do after being built out of sopping wet mortar. It's cracked at its weakest point. All perfectly normal and absoutely nothing to worry about.

Imagine cutting out a piece of card the same shape as your wall, with the door and window openings cut out of it. If you were to bend it until it folded then the location of your crack is exactly where it would fold - it's a straight line taking the shortest route between the window and door to complete the top-to-bottom break that was almost there already.

Builders normally put movement joints in on longer walls to allow this movement to occur without cracking...

Yours didn't have one so made its own, at its weakest point.

Don't fill it, as if the wall gets wet or hot then it will need to close the crack when it expands. If you stuff a load of mortar in there to stop it then it may crack somewhere else. Or it may open further when it later shrinks again, ratcheting the crack wider every time you fill it.

Relax, don't worry about it and enjoy your new home.

 

[kris23]

Your wall has shrunk a little, due to it drying out at some point, as they all do after being built out of sopping wet mortar. It's cracked at its weakest point. All perfectly normal and absoutely nothing to worry about.

Imagine cutting out a piece of card the same shape as your wall, with the door and window openings cut out of it. If you were to bend it until it folded then the location of your crack is exactly where it would fold - it's a straight line taking the shortest route between the window and door to complete the top-to-bottom break that was almost there already.

Builders normally put movement joints in on longer walls to allow this movement to occur without cracking...

Yours didn't have one so made its own, at its weakest point.

Don't fill it, as if the wall gets wet or hot then it will need to close the crack when it expands. If you stuff a load of mortar in there to stop it then it may crack somewhere else. Or it may open further when it later shrinks again, ratcheting the crack wider every time you fill it.

Relax, don't worry about it and enjoy your new home.

Thank you - this is very informative. I guess im concerned how big the crack is likely to get and will it put off potential buyers in the future. It may have been like this for years and not changed , not sure.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

It might have happened a fortnight after it was built, you'll never know.

It's not worth worrying about. If you fill it then you'll make it more visible, not less. You shouldn't though, for the reasons above.

If a future buyer is concerned then their surveyor should tell them it's not an issue.

In the old days lime mortar allowed buildings to flex. Modern cement based mortar is more brittle, so this happens. It's just normal.