Wall Cracks

To some, cracked walls might be seen as character, to others, an unsightly blight that is a constant source of frustration. Either way, simply patching or painting over the visible cracks only disguises the damage and does nothing to address the root cause of the failure. 

The formation of cracks is typically associated with excessive foundation movement that is not uniform, leading to stresses within the floors, frame and roof. Damage is generally noticed higher up on the walls as the foundation bends and cracks appear to widen upward. Cracks may also propagate horizontally as sections of the foundation drop leaving the wall partially suspended. Depending upon the polarity of foundation movement, some cracks will look worse along the base of the wall where relative downward deflection of the foundation is concentrated.

In brick veneer properties with only an outer skin of bricks, cracks will typically develop outside in the brick work before any damage is noticed internally in dry plaster walls. Double brick buildings may show coincident development of stress cracks in both the inner and outer walls. This happens because stud walls can accommodate a degree of deflection before the plaster board will break, whereas hard plaster is less forgiving, being applied directly to the brickwork.  

Depending upon the nature of the construction of the property, such as the presence of articulation joints, sheet cladding or rendering, cracks may develop during the early phase of foundation instability, or may not appear until the building has undergone substantial differential movement. It is therefore best to treat any crack as an indicator that all is not well with the foundation of the building. Early assessment and intervention can allow the probable causes of poor foundation performance to be determined and addressed before other ancillary damage develops as a consequence of excessive movement.

A variety of factors contribute to the underlying issues that lead to cracked walls, sinking floors, jammed doors and more.

These issues often stem from changes in the ground beneath a property, leading to soil movement. The impact of these changes can vary significantly depending on the type of ground your property is built on, with certain conditions exacerbating the effects.

As the ground shifts, it can cause buildings to experience subsidence, where foundations or footings lose their support and sink into the weakened ground.

Here are a few of the common causes of house subsidence.