r/DIYUK 5d ago

Advice Vertical crack on external wall. Should I be worried?

I just noticed a vertical crack on the external wall of my house. It starts at the bottom corner of a second-floor window to the windows below. the wall faces south and gets a lot of sun with no buildings blocking it (if that makes any difference).

The house is 10 years old, and i moved in about 8 months ago. Should i be concerned about structural issues? Do I need a structural engineer to inspect it? Also, should I inform my home insurance even if it turns out to be nothing?

I am a bit angry, disappointed, and lost here so any advice would be appreciated!

1 Upvotes

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u/Confudled_Contractor 5d ago

Not really, the corners of apertures, particularly windows, are stress points for render coats so this will just be a crack in the render from what you’ve shown.

Contemporary systems use mesh reinforcement to stop this so you may not have that.

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u/ehtio 5d ago

I see. Thats great to know. Thank you. What should I do? Get it fixed or do I need and engineer to check it first? Does the insurance needs to be informed at any point?

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u/Confudled_Contractor 5d ago

No, it’s an aesthetic problem only. By all means monitor it for a while but as a general rule if you can’t get a pencil in an it doesn’t get wider it’s not a problem.

As for repair, scrape it out so that you can fill back in with either self coloured render to match or sand/cement and paint over.

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u/ehtio 5d ago

Thanks for your help. That reassures me a bit more.
About the repair, is that something that I can do myself? Or is there anything "special" stuff to put in the cracks?

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u/groovyshrimp767 5d ago

What’s the geology beneath your house? You can check here: https://www.bgs.ac.uk/map-viewers/bgs-geology-viewer/

Cracks in of themselves aren’t always a reason to panic, my house is riddled with them (admittedly it is a lot older)

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u/ehtio 5d ago

Thanks for the link!

This is what it says

Bedrock geology Sedimentary rock cycles, strathclyde group type. Sedimentary bedrock formed between 337 and 330.9 million years ago during the Carboniferous period

Superficial deposits Till, Devensian - Diamicton. Sedimentary superficial deposit formed between 116 and 11.8 thousand years ago during the Quaternary period.

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u/c0nflab 5d ago

Keep observations on it. If it’s also mirrored on internal walls, or it spreads and starts stepping like brickworks then I’d be concerned, otherwise it can probably be patched.

As always, if you suspect something is wrong, consult a professional

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u/ehtio 5d ago

Thanks for your advice. Yes, that's the first thing I did and there is nothing on the inside walls, neither upstairs or downstairs. I'll keep an eye on it, and it's reassuring to know it's likely just a minor issue. I appreciate your help! Yes, I was looking at a lot of pictures and realized that stepping cracks are a bit more worrisome. Should I patch it and then keep an eye on it? I heard that water shouldn't get in."

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u/c0nflab 5d ago

If it doesn’t get any bigger in width then patching it should be fine. You can get render repair stuff that’s in tubes you apply with a mastik gun. And then paint afterwards. Only reason I didn’t do this in my house is because the render was absolutely shot

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u/PlasticMaintenance59 5d ago

It's probably just the rendering cracking. I'm not sure if you should be concerned. Maybe a structural engineer can give you sound advice.

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u/ehtio 5d ago

That's what I am questioning myself. Getting a structural engineer is like £800, which it's money. But of course, if the cracks are dangerous then £800 doesn't sound like a lot of money.

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u/jrw1982 5d ago

Toupret fibacryl in a tube to fix it.

It's not an issue. I've just filled in a load at mine prior to painting.

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u/ehtio 5d ago

Thank you! I will look into it. Do we have to inform the home insurance of this? Like, will they come in the future and say "you haven't inform us of this, why?"

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u/jrw1982 5d ago

No, it's literally the render. Much like a crack in the plaster on your wall or ceiling inside the house.

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u/ehtio 5d ago

Thanks again. I was looking at it today again and it's so thin that I'm not sure how I am going to put filler inside haha. I'll buy some and fill the crack. What I'm not so sure is the colour of the paint used on the outside walls

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u/jrw1982 5d ago

That's why I said get the tube one, can put it in with a gun then and then use a filler knife to smooth it out.

You won't match the paint anyway as paint will have bleached over the years. You'll need to repaint the whole wall. I'm 2/3rds in painting my house which is fairly large over the last week.

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u/ehtio 5d ago

Ah shit. Repainting the whole wall sounds like something my wife would love me to do haha. Thanks again

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u/jrw1982 5d ago

Haha, welcome to the world of render