big cracks in my walls

[daveloz1]

this is a bit off the topic of cars but i was just outside in the garden and i just opened the patio doors in my 100 year old terrace and they were hard to open and i have seen cracks in the wall and loose bricks is this serious? will my house insurense cover this

[yorkshireborn]

if u have buildings cover then yes but you will prob have to pay for a surveyor up front and get a report to pass on to your insurance if there is a problem then u will be able to claim the cost back.

[daveloz1]

just had anouthe rlook at the cracks and if i bang the bricks above the patio doors you can see they move and half the lintel is loose is this bad

[Gsi3.2]

bad.. heck yeah.... you need to get a builder in to have a look at it asap.

[glynn]

m8 as the lintel is holding up the outter wall .

best thing would to leave the doors shut till you get a builder in asap as they would be able to advise you on how to go about the situation

good luck and get a couple of quotes for the works aswell

[macdad]

Without trying to alarm you,it could and i do stress could be a touch of subsidence..? Do you live in a mining area...?Do you have any trees growing close by..?Do you live in an area which is known to be clay subsoil....Sorry for the ??? m8 but all these are the major factors which can cause subsidence,if this is the case get in touch with insurers asap.

[deanos]

Deffo keep the doors shut as it will add strength until someone looks at it.

[simac]

Going by the age of the house i'm assuming it's a solid wall. When where the patio doors fitted ?

It's hard to say without a look but there are a few things it could be. Some properties of that age have timber members within the construction to form lintels, infact some have a Bessimer beam along the full width of the property. These deteriorate over time due to age, and exposure to moisture if the pointing is in poor condition. This allows them to deflect and perhaps place a loading onto the door frame which the frame is not designed to take, hence the doors being difficult to open.

It is unlikely to be something covered by your insurance i'm afraid. It doesn't sound to me like an insured peril, more like wear and tear or possibly a workmanship issue when the patio doors where installed. It would be standard practice to check the condition of the lintel when fitting the doors and replacing it if necessary.

TBH it's easier and cheaper for you if it's just the lintel, there are other issues which can cause similar symptoms.

Besides the area directly above the doors, is the wall pretty flat and true or does it contain a buldge ?

As said previously, keep the doors closed for now. The wall will need to be acrow'd while the bricks are removed to expose whatever your house has for a lintel.

You could still phone your insurance co and they may well send a surveyor round to Validate the claim (have done lots of these), even if the Claim is not Validated it is a cheap way to find out what it is.

Otherwise, if you need a Surveyor to have a look give me a call and I can sort something out (unfortunately we would have to make a small charge to cover the P.I.).

Where abouts in Cheshire are you ?

[simac]

Without trying to alarm you,it could and i do stress could be a touch of subsidence..? Do you live in a mining area...?Do you have any trees growing close by..?Do you live in an area which is known to be clay subsoil....Sorry for the ??? m8 but all these are the major factors which can cause subsidence,if this is the case get in touch with insurers asap.

There is an outside chance of subsidence but there would normally be more wide spread cracking, bowing and damage a low level. If the damage is limited to being above the door opening it's either a failed lintel or lack of lateral restraint which can be sorted out by strapping in the first floor joists to the wall with galvanised straps. A fairly easy job besides having to expose the floor.

It needs to be looked at, obviously i'm making some assumptions without seeing the property !

[simac]

Tried replying to your PM Daveloz1 but a message comes up saying you can't recieve them !