Hi,
I am getting an evaluation done on my PPOR and have large cracks that run through the house.
When I bought the house I sought advice from a building inspector then paid for another inspection by an engineer who just looked at the cracks and said it could be old cracks that wont grow, or it could be structural cracking that will get worse. So basically he had no idea.
He was able to tell me that my windows were too big thus making the walls too fragile as they didnt have enough mass.
So lam in need of an evaluation and I need to get a real idea of how bad the cracking and how much it affects the cost of the house.
anyone have any ideas. Should I hire another builder or engeineer?last evaluation I had done on the house was a complete blowout as the property was based of what all the houses in the street sold for but this house has a lot of things needed to be fixed up.
Just to clarify this evaluation is for a seperation, so the most accurate the evaluation the better. I am not interested in ripping anyone off, I just don’t want to be ripped off by paying too much for a house that I will need to knock down.
any ideas appreciated.
Cheers
TomTom
There are many causes for cracking which can be narrowed down by the location and appearence of the cracks. Without photo’s or discriptions it would be hard for anyone to direct you to someone you haven’t already been.Diagonal cracking appearing from the top of doors and windows is usually slab movement from moisture levels fluctuating in the soil below the house. This movement is naturally occuring but has increased considerably since the drought started, with many homes (including very old ones) suddenly heaving apart in places.
Have you done any work on the house where internal walls were removed? If they were structural and suitable beam wasn’t installed in the ceiling to carry the weight then this may explain some.
Do you have a tiled roof, has moisture come under your tiles during heavy winds (they lift up tiles) and damaged the ceiling sheets etc.
Are the cracks in the brickwork or the plaster; windows are set into the timber frame (in a BV house) not into plaster or brickwork so big windows would not explain plaster cracking inside a BV house. Brick walls have steel lintels above the windows to support the brickwork so that should be looked at too.
Really without knowing more about the cracks it is hard to direct you. I would say an engineer is the best, but then my husband is a builder and he has a good eye for such things (assessed for an insurance company). It would depend on the experience of the person whichever way you go. Sorry that is not much of an answer for you! Feel free to post some pictures and I will get him to have a look.
Julie Fisher
daryl fisher homesGday Tom,
Just have a crack at fixing it yourself!! Sorry couldnt help myself. First if the cracks aren’t too big try No-More Gaps. Just squeeze it in there & wipe it smooth with a wet rag. For larger cracks in Brick or Stone get yourself a pre-mix bag of Mortar mix, mix it up in a barrow or bucket, till it looks like a cake mix. Brush the crack with water mixed with Semstick ( local hardware will have some). Put some mortar on a board & hold it just below the crack pressed up to the wall. Push the mix into the crack with a trowel or similar tool. For especially large cracks push some stones or rocks into the mortar when you have applied it. Smooth over with a wet brush. Another handy product to have on hand for cracks in plaster is Final Finish or Topcoat. They are both ready to use in a bucket & is applied using two flat blades.Depending on many elements from dryness, damp, high traffic area’s or just age. Tremors, faultlines in the ground any number of things could be the cause. Have a go mate you might surprise yourself!Originally posted by browny76:Just have a crack at fixing it yourself!! Sorry couldnt help myself.
hahah, very funny. Thanks for the advice I will definitely take heed of that once I own the house outright but as it’s currently not mine I have nointention of fixing it up before I get it valued to pay my ex more money
JFisher, The cracks are pretty wide, and I’m sure they are wider then they were when we first bought the place. The cracks travel diagonally from the roof to the windows/doors then diagonally all the way down to the ground. There is no cracking internally, its all external.
The only modifications I did was to remove several trees that were too close to the house. The engineer also said that it looked like we were on clay so that yeh that could affect things.
Ill try and remember to snap some photos when I get home.
I’m thinking my best bet is to ring around brisbane and see if anyone can offer to give me specific information about such things.
Thanks again for the great advice guys. [thumbsup2]
Cheers
TomHi Tom,
I suggest have a look at this website or other underpinning businesses.
http://www.mehrtensunderpinning.com.auis this similar.?I have never used them so am not recommending them, just more for the photos on website of cracking.
You may need underpinning.?
Regars
LWWere the trees removed prior to the cracking starting? How long has it been since the trees were removed? Underpinning has to involve an engineer and can be a lengthy process if they shoot levels and conduct soil tests to determine the severity of the movement. However if it has been over 2 years since the trees were removed then it would be feasible that the majority of settlement has finished (if it is the trees causing it?). In this case you could get the brickwork/mortar repaired and hope for the best.
It is highly unusual (but I won’t say impossible) for ‘movement’ related external cracking to not be reflected internally (and vice versa). How old is the house? Does is have articulation joints? A true brick veneer has the brick sitting against the wall of the house on top of the rebated footing; brick veneer plays no structural role in supporting anything (although single skin brick with piers in a garage will so note the difference). I would suggest that any garden beds (or other consistently damp areas laying against the house) are removed/rectified immediately. Make sure that all paving and concrete paths that adjoin the house are sloping away from the house to remove water from near the footings.
In wet weather the soil swells and pushes footings upwards and when it dries the footings move downwards again; footings will always settle down a bit lower than their original starting point.
In your case however I wouldn’t be convinced that this would be the case, I would suggest that you ask a reputable (and experienced) bricklayer to come and inspect the mortar (masonry bed and perpend joints are to be a nominal 10mm and if raked shouldn’t be deeper than 10mm to comply with BCA2006) and the bricks (could be shrinking/expanding).
An engineer in Swan Hill told me last year when we did an insurance assessment on a house that had been flooded that the bricks that were used had shrunk a few mm, the accumulating total of each brick shrinking a few mm over the space of a whole wall, combined with the fact there was no articulation joints to absorb the movement, pulled the bricks away from the mortar at their weakest points. The weakest point will always be to the nearest door or window corner and once the initial crack is set then it acts as it’s own expansion joint and moves in and out as it needs to.
What may need doing is that the brick walls will need to be pulled down (I have done this so it is easy) and relayed . You can reuse the same bricks if they are not the problem. This work will able to be done without too much disturbance to the existing dwelling if it a veneer.
Make sure you get some articulation joints put in the walls on the affected sides above all windows and door openings. If you speak to a building inspector he will advise you on where to put them in order to minimize future damage.
Good Luck, hope something in that lot helps.
Just get 2/3 real estate agents in and choose the quote you like the best. You don’t really care how much to fix etc. you want to know what the actual value of the place is and a real estate agent will know (roughly) how much someone will pay with cracks etc.
Fern
I assume it is brick house?
What you can do is pay about $2,000 to $3,000 and render the house with coloured concrete, will look like a different home, no cracks to be seen, and then get rid of it.
As long as the foundation is ok then cracks are not a worry. IT is when you have cracks from the corner of a windows running out to the corner of the wall that it is a problem, because this means the floor is either sagging in or pushing up.
"Just get 2/3 real estate agents in and choose the quote you like the best. You don't really care how much to fix etc. you want to know what the actual value of the place is and a real estate agent will know (roughly) how much someone will pay with cracks etc."
No one will give you an accurate estimate of value of this property as the problem is undefined. A real Estate agent won't, a valuer certainly won't. The best case scenario for a valuer is to say what the property is worth if unencumbered by any problems.They will then tag the report with the standard cluase about getting a building report or engineers report to to ensure the property is sound. The implication is that they value it free from problems unless otherwise told. If there are reports they will want to see a quote to remedy by the engineer and would in all liklihood deduct this from the unencumbered market value with a small profit and risk allowance and a stigma allowance. This is all a generalisation you understand!
In order to get an accurate valuation (for your separation purposes) you will need to get an engineer to assess the problem and supply a cost to fix. The major problem here is that you will pay for this assessment and you will need split this cost with the other party. Once armed with that information give it to a valuer and you better believe me he will value it conservatively for you once you point out the major issues!
This is all prob too late however as your original post was sometime ago.
PS: it valuation not evaluation. You cant imagine how much this irritates valuers!
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