Theres a large crack forming in my ceiling and wall.?

Question

I have a 100 year old cottage and over the last couple of years this crack is slowly getting wider and running down the wall; the cottage is on a road busy with trucks all day which make the place tremble like mad - would the trucks be responsible for the crack, and who do I get to check it out? A surveyor?

Answer 1

Take a photo of it and stick tape across the cracking so you can see if it is worsening.

If it is subsidence your insurance company will cover repair work but you will have to pay a large excess.

If the traffic is causing it you have a problem as reinforcing the walls needn't solve the problem and it could be expensive.

I had the same issue years ago, it was a stress fracture, we never managed to fix it totally and the only solution was to patch it up regularly, a large bookcase comes in handy as a screen.

Answer 2

You need to hire a building inspector. The cost is normally $250 and up. but for a cottage it shouldn't be more then a 100 or $150

Answer 3

I agree it is your foundation. I have experienced this problem too. A crack I keep repairing in a wall and ceiling kept appearing. It wasn't until I ripped the carpet out of that room that I had seen that my slab had dropped as much as 2 inches on that side of the house. If that being the case for you too, you can have the foundation corrected.

Answer 4

Is there any other signs like peeling wallpaper where you could be getting some damp in through the roof, or have you got a river or water outside where they could be a bit of subsidence , other than these yes i guess it could be the traffic going past and you can not lose anything by asking a local builder who you can trust to have a look and give you his or hers oppinion on the matter.

Answer 5

Its most likely a combo of the trucks and settling, yes, even after 100 years. What shape is the road in that runs in front of your home? Perhaps the dept of transportation can lend an ear!

Answer 6

Old plaster cracks. it's a fact of life. A surveyor would be very expensive. It would be costly to determine fault, and then "WHO". So you would not be able to sue anyone. FORGET ABOUT IT.

I recommend that you consider adding a wall covering of some sort on that wall. Patch it up and add paneling, wallpaper, another layer of drywall... whatever. (just patching it will simply crack again, so it needs to be covered).

Answer 7

Get a structural engineer out to see your property. He will survey it and if its fixable give you advice on how to go about it. Subsidence is not the end of the world as it can usually be remedied by underpinning ( sections of concrete approx. 1m x 1m poured under foundations). If this is the case the engineer will give you drawings etc. I recon his service will cost about £500, with underpinning costing you anywhere from £500 to £1000 per meter.

Answer 8

You need a structural surveyor yes because it sounds like there is a major problem with the foundation.

Answer 9

Get a surveyor.
In the meantime attach tape across the gap with marks on it with the date also to show the extent and rate of movement- could be useful if any claims are made.
Sounds a bit dodgy .....

Answer 10

HOLY CRAP!!!!! i would say call a handyman to put put cement it the craCKS ,,,a handyman should be able to check it out for you but make sure they are known by the BBB or you could do it yourself cheaply!!!!!i would say you are on unstable ground and the highway does have something to do with it too